Ohio State Keeps Les Wexner's Name on Buildings

Students, alumni and families in Columbus can see how the university is handling donor-naming disputes tied to the Epstein files.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Higher Education

Ohio State Keeps Les Wexner's Name on Buildings

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Ohio State University will not remove Les Wexner's name from several university buildings, a university official announced Friday. The decision came after hundreds of complaints over Wexner's association with Jeffrey Epstein, whose files referenced several donors.

Why it matters

The decision shows how universities are handling donor-naming disputes that surfaced after the release of the Epstein files. Students and families who follow campus giving and naming policies can see how one major Columbus institution weighed reputational concerns against keeping donor recognition in place.

Hundreds of complaints were lodged over Wexner's close association with Jeffrey Epstein, and the university announced on Friday that his name will remain on several buildings. The source does not report the number of buildings affected or a comparator for the complaint count.

The players

Ohio State University

A large public research university in Columbus, Ohio, with a major donor-recognition program across its campus buildings.

Les Wexner

A Columbus billionaire philanthropist and longtime Ohio State donor whose name appears on several university buildings.

The details

A university official announced the determination on Friday, ending a review prompted by public complaints. The protests followed the release of the Epstein files, which referenced donors Les Wexner, Steve Tisch, Casey Wasserman, Glenn Dubin, and Howard Lutnick, whose names appear on campus buildings across the country. Universities resisted renaming in almost every case, and Ohio State's decision follows that pattern.

Friday: the university announced that Wexner's name will remain on several buildings.
November 6, 2026: date of the report on the decision.

Education Landscape

Ohio State's choice to keep Wexner's name fits a wider pattern in which universities nationwide have resisted renaming buildings for donors tied to the Epstein files. The decision sits within a long-running debate over how campuses balance donor recognition with reputational concerns.

Students and families considering Ohio State can see how the university handles donor-named buildings when reputational questions arise. Prospective students who want to understand campus giving policies can ask the university's admissions or development office how naming decisions are made.

The takeaway

Donor-naming disputes are becoming a recurring campus issue, and universities are largely choosing to keep names in place. Families who care about a school's giving and recognition practices can ask its communications or development office for the policy behind naming decisions.