Cirino wants university civic center classes to be mandatory

What they're saying: CSU tells Axios the center will offer multiple sections of two general education courses this fall — "The American Republic" and "Great American Debates" — plus electives covering American and Western history, literature and economics.

By the numbers: More than 300 students are currently enrolled for the 2026-27 academic year, CSU says, "with enrollment expected to increase through fall registration, orientation and the add/drop period."

Reality check: That's well short of the roughly 1,400 students Cirino recently projected for CSU's center to the Ohio Capital Journal.

• Cirino has not responded to an Axios request for comment about that disparity.

The big picture: Cirino's proposal would give civics center directors broad authority over hiring and curriculum.

• His earlier Senate Bill 1 already required students to take a civic literacy course in order to graduate. This new bill would make a campus civic center the "exclusive provider" of that course.

Friction point: The Ohio Conference of the American Association of University Professors opposes the bill, telling the Ohio Capital Journal it would divert scarce university resources.

The intrigue: SB 1 required universities to eliminate degree programs averaging fewer than five graduates a year over a three-year period. Nearly 90 have already been cut statewide.