DeWine signs Senate Bill 1, a major higher ed overhaul
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Gov. Mike DeWine signed a sweeping bill into law Friday that will make major changes to Ohio's higher education system, including banning diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Why it matters: Senate Bill 1 will put Ohio in the spotlight amid a conservative push to overhaul public education at all levels.
- The new law is more than a DEI ban, also outlawing faculty strikes and micromanaging many aspects of how public colleges and universities operate.
- The legislature could withhold funding from those that don't comply.
Driving the news: Republican lawmakers sent the top-priority proposal to DeWine after speeding it through this legislative session.
- Sen. Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland), the main sponsor, has long alleged liberal bias and "indoctrination" on campuses.
The other side: The political lightning rod sparked protests and testimony from over 1,500 opponents, including educators, health care workers, labor unions and free speech advocates.
- Critics say it will undermine academic freedom and promote brain drain.
What it bans:
🚫 DEI training, offices, departments, job descriptions and scholarship requirements.
🪧 Faculty strikes.
🇨🇳 Gifts, donations or contributions from China.
🗳️ Ohio State's two student trustees from having voting rights.
👋 Majors that haven't had more than five graduates in the past three years.
What it requires:
🤝 Universities to declare they will not endorse or oppose "any controversial beliefs or policies."
📝 Instructors to post all course syllabi online, along with their contact information and qualifications, starting in 2026.
🎤 Universities to post a list of all speakers paid over $500.
📊 Universities to report statistics on "the academic qualifications of accepted and matriculating students, disaggregated by race and sex."
🔎 A student evaluation question concerning "political, racial, gender and religious bias" for all classes, plus a new layer of evaluation for tenured faculty.
🧑🏫 More training for boards of trustees, plus reducing terms from nine to six years.
🎓 The Department of Higher Education to study the feasibility of implementing three-year bachelor's degree programs.
🏛️ A 3-credit-hour American civic literacy course, mandatory for all bachelor's degree students, starting in 2030 — including the study of capitalism.
Flashback: Cirino's earlier attempt to pass reforms during the last legislative session resulted in new civic centers promoting "intellectual diversity" being mandated at five universities, including Ohio State.
Between the lines: Faculty unions have been vocal against Senate Bill 1, but university presidents haven't taken an official stance.
- They advocated behind the scenes "to support our faculty staff and students," but "did not get everything we asked for," OSU president Ted Carter told WOSU's "All Sides" last week.
- Specifically, he mentioned opposing the provision on OSU's student trustees.
What's next: The bill becomes law in 90 days.