Quotes from Gordon Gee

I simply take serious issues seriously, but I do not take myself seriously.

To be sure, American higher education is a diverse ecosystem, comprising institutions of all sizes, price tags, and mission statements.

What I should do is go over to the surgical suites and get my foot extricated from my mouth.

Continue to surprise those who would put you in a neat demographic. Be insistently curious.

I often have said that to be a college president, you need a thick skin, a good sense of humor, and nerves like sewer pipes.

The arts, quite simply, nourish the soul. They sustain, comfort, inspire. There is nothing like that exquisite moment when you first discover the beauty of connecting with others in celebration of larger ideals and shared wisdom.

College graduates work in every sector of the American economy, and the research engines incubated within our universities generate a wealth of ideas and innovations that have an enormous impact on our lives.

Poland not only has a capable military but also is strong economically and does not need money being raised for it.

What do I know about college football? I look like Orville Redenbacher. I have no business talking about college football.

I love this university, and although I might be retiring from the presidency, my work with Ohio State will continue.

I am trying to prioritize and keep everything in balance, which for me is not easy.

Every time I get a lot of money, I cry, and I got a lot of tears left.

I am not a scientist. I have never analyzed the far reaches of the solar system through the lens of a telescope nor scrutinized cancer cells under a microscope.

I've been president of Brown and chancellor of Vanderbilt, where they have very high completion rates.

I joke that being a university president is akin to being a pinata. But there are also notions of redemption.

I believe that it is higher education's purpose and calling to keep open the door to the American dream.

Sitting on a corporate board is a hobby for me.

Founded when Abraham Lincoln believed education could lead the nation out of its darkest days, Ohio State now provides a powerful platform of interdisciplinary academic programs, world-class scholars, outstanding students, and extensive research capabilities.

I believe being president of a private institution is a remarkable experience, but at Ohio State, it's a calling.

At least for me, I believe that one learns from one's mistakes. And I made significant mistakes, and I learned from them.

So if a college education is indispensable, the challenge as I see it is how to make it more accessible.

You have great athletic directors, you let them run it; you keep yourself informed, but I'm not the athletic director. I'm the president of the university.

Intellectual curiosity drove Einstein to some of the world's most important discoveries.

I believe everything learned in college is an answer to a question that someone has posed. Questions get posed differently and the answers that come back transport us to places we never knew existed.