The Melton Center for Jewish Studies is a program at Ohio State University which provides “students with a first-rate opportunity to explore the academic breadth of Jewish studies course work.” The Melton Center for Jewish Studies was established in 1976 by Samuel M. Melton after donating $500,000 to the university for its creation. Before the establishment of the Melton Center, Ohio State University had only one chair for Jewish studies, which was the Samuel and Esther Melton Chair of Jewish History and Studies. In 1972, the same year of the development of a Jewish studies program, the College of Arts and Sciences began offering a new major in Jewish Studies. In 1993, the Board of Trustees established a $1 million fund for the Melton Center. As of 2017, the Melton Center for Jewish Studies hosts guest lecturers, creates and manages different courses for students, and offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees.