Ohio Northern University

Ohio Northern University began with a single person and a single idea. In 1871, Henry Solomon Lehr, with support from the community, founded the Northwestern Ohio Normal School as a teacher training institution. Two other name changes would follow; first, to Ohio Normal University and second, in 1903, to Ohio Northern University. The evolution from a normal school to a true university reflects an impressive period of growth in both size and scope, one that distinctively combined traditional arts and sciences departments and education with the professional fields of engineering, pharmacy, law, and business. From these beginnings, Ohio Northern University has developed a focus on teaching, learning, scholarship, and professional practice, and a campus environment that is student-centered, service-oriented, and values-based. Influenced by a unique history and an enduring affiliation with the United Methodist Church, Ohio Northern University’s mission is to provide a high quality learning environment that prepares students for success in their careers, service to their communities, the nation, and the world, and a lifetime of personal growth inspired by the higher values of truth, beauty, and goodness. The University’s distinctive academic program includes mutually supporting liberal and professional education components that integrate practice with theory, complemented by excellent co-curricular offerings that enrich the Northern experience.