Baker Hall holds a special place in our hearts since every Humanities Scholar lives there their freshman year. Baker East will come to feel like a second home, a home base, or a safe zone for students. Living together helps strengthen the friendships made within our scholars community. Often upperclassman say that the friends they made here their first year are some of their closest to this day. On campus, Baker is known for its friendliness as students come together to beat the heat, play games, or study. The Baker East Rec Room is where Humanities Community meetings are held each month, along with other fun events like movie nights.

Ben Fortman has been the Humanities Scholars Program Manager since the fall of 2009. Growing up just a short distance from the OSU campus in Columbus, Ben is a two time Ohio State University graduate, with degrees in Business Marketing and a Master’s in Business Administration.  Ben is a strong believer in the importance of the humanities and especially enjoys cultural learning, theater, and the arts.  In his free time, he enjoys traveling the world and spending time with his wife and two children.