Ohio State halts current review of Wexner-associated names

Ohio State Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Trevor Brown on Nov. 6 declined to advance a university committee’s recommendation for fuller review of requests concerning three Wexner-associated spaces. The current process stops before a committee investigation, and the names remain in place for now.

The committee memorandum identifies the spaces as the Wexner Medical Center, the Wexner Center for the Arts and the Les Wexner Football Complex. It says the medical center was named for the Wexner family, the arts center for Les Wexner’s father, Harry Wexner, and the football complex for Les Wexner. The three spaces are on Ohio State’s Columbus campus.

From January through September 2026, 512 people—including alumni, current employees and students—submitted requests concerning one or more of the spaces. The committee’s Oct. 7 memorandum said the submissions included about 6,000 pages of documentation and raised nine categories of claims.

The committee recommended fuller review of three categories: Wexner’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein; alleged personal sexual misconduct by Wexner; and alleged abusive employment practices at his businesses. It said the other six categories did not warrant further review based on the submitted materials. That three-of-nine split describes the committee’s recommendation, not a finding that any allegations were substantiated. The committee said it did not decide their merits.

Why the current process stopped i

Under the university procedure, the provost reviews the committee’s initial recommendation and decides whether to advance a request for fuller review. If advanced, the committee can review evidence it deems appropriate and recommend action to the university president. The Board of Trustees has final authority over removing or modifying a name.

Brown wrote that the committee at its initial stage could consider only information submitted by requestors. He said he did not have the same constraints and could consider broader context and the availability of additional evidence. Brown nevertheless concluded that the requests should not proceed at this time. He cited the policy’s substantial-evidence standard, the committee’s lack of investigative powers—including subpoena authority and access to private records—and Wexner’s denials. Brown said substantial evidence was not available. His letter also said Wexner had not been charged with or convicted of a crime and had denied the allegations, including under oath.

Because Brown declined to advance the recommendation, there will be no committee investigation or recommendation to the president in this proceeding, and the Board of Trustees will not consider a name change through this route. Brown said the university could return the matter to the committee if substantive evidence becomes publicly available. No timetable or process for a possible future review was announced.

Brown’s foundation board role i

WOSU reported that Brown is an ex-officio, non-voting member of the Wexner Center for the Arts Foundation board. An Ohio State spokesperson said the foundation board is not a governance board. WOSU also reported that the center’s director reports to the provost. The spokesperson did not say whether a conflict-of-interest procedure applied. Brown’s board role alone does not establish that it affected his decision.

WOSU reported that Michael DiSabato criticized the decision and raised concerns about institutional integrity and accountability. Neither the committee’s recommendation nor Brown’s decision determined whether the allegations were true.