Ohio Northern University

The Getty name is notorious worldwide for prodigious wealth and tragedy. But few know that the Getty family dynasty can trace its beginning to Ohio Northern University. In fact, ONU’s Getty College of Arts & Sciences is named after George Franklin Getty, BS 1879, LLD 1926 and Sarah Catherine (Risher) Getty who were both students at ONU, made a fortune in oil, and became the parents of the eccentric J. Paul Getty, who was destined to become–in his day and age— the wealthiest person in the world.

The Getty family may be fodder for tabloids and Hollywood movies, yet the family has connected with ONU in enriching ways over the course of three generations.

ONU education students under the direction of Dr. Sarah McCluskey recently examined how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected education in the United States. This is the latest addition to ONU’s Institute for Civics and Public Policy’s (ICAPP) “Critical Questions” series. The student authors find the pandemic has resulted in learning loss for students, increased workloads for educators and has made forging deeper relationships with families more difficult.