Ohio State Provost rejects 512 petitions to drop Wexner name from campus buildings
Interim Provost Trevor Brown decided against renaming structures after reviewing 512 requests to drop the billionaire's name.
By Yasmin Farouk ·
Ohio State University will keep Les Wexner's name on its campus buildings. The decision was made on Nov. 6 by Interim Provost Trevor Brown. This choice stands despite Wexner's well-documented connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Wexner is a major donor who gave more than $200 million to the university. His name appears on several structures, including the medical center and the football complex. His father is also honored at the arts center. Brown's ruling ends the current process for reviewing requests to change these names.
The Standing Advisory Committee for the Review of University Space and Entity Names sent its recommendation to Brown on Oct. 7. That report asked Brown to consider 512 submitted requests to remove Wexner's name. Brown had 30 days to respond to the committee's findings.
In a letter to the committee, Brown wrote that the evidence against Wexner was not strong enough to justify removal. He noted that Wexner has never been charged with or convicted of a crime. Wexner has denied the allegations, including under oath. Brown argued that further review would be difficult because law enforcement and congressional committees have not found substantial evidence of misconduct.
Brown stated that the procedure for removing a name sets a high bar. He said the Wexner family are prominent community members and generous supporters of the university's mission. The committee had recommended further review in three specific areas. These areas included Wexner's relationship with Epstein, alleged personal sexual misconduct, and alleged abusive employment practices at his businesses.
The committee's report cites a requirement for substantial evidence that a name is fundamentally at odds with the university's reputation and values. Wexner's public profile grew after the release of the Epstein Files in 2019. His name appears in those documents over 1,000 times. The Department of Justice confirmed his involvement in February 2026 by unredacting his name in the files.
Brown said he may consider the broader context and the availability of additional evidence in the future. The university has no plans for further immediate review of the 512 requests.
