Facing low enrollment, Ohio may mandate university civics center courses
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Students cross Ohio State's campus. Photo: Megan Jelinger/AFP via Getty Images
The lawmaker behind Ohio State University's state-mandated civics center wants to require undergraduates to take its courses after just 131 students enrolled last semester.
Why it matters: Such centers have become a Republican priority in Ohio and other GOP-led states amid a push to overhaul public education and make it less "woke."
- A mandate would dramatically expand their reach despite relatively little student interest so far.
Catch up quick: State Sen. Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland), the driving force behind Ohio's controversial Senate Bill 1 overhaul, introduced Senate Bill 461 this summer before breaking for recess.
- SB1 already requires students to take a civic literacy course to graduate. This new bill would make centers like OSU's Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture and Society the "exclusive provider."
- It would also give these centers' directors broad authority over hiring and curriculum.
- Ohio's 2023 state budget established centers at five universities.
The big picture: Iowa lawmakers recently enacted a similar mandate to boost enrollment at a University of Iowa civics center.
Zoom in: OSU's Chase Center inside Smith Laboratory had 370 students registered for fall as of last week and "expects about 400 students by the start," director Lee Strang tells Axios.
- It will offer 10 courses, ranging from "American Creeds and Conflicts" to "Christianity, Government and Law."
Reality check: That's about half of the roughly 800 students Cirino recently projected to the Ohio Capital Journal and less than 1% of OSU's undergraduate student body.
- Cirino hasn't responded to an Axios request for comment about the disparity.
The intrigue: SB1 targeted low-enrollment degree programs as a cost-saving measure, mandating cuts to nearly 90 statewide.
Friction point: The Ohio Conference of the American Association of University Professors opposes SB461's mandate, saying it would divert scarce resources.
- Students told the Hechinger Report in March that the Chase Center's materials and faculty were "very Republican" and "very patriotic."
The other side: Leaders said their goal "was not to establish a conservative faculty, but one that respects intellectual diversity."
- The center "provides a life-changing classroom experience with world-class faculty and primary texts, conducted seminar-style, helping students become informed citizens and engage in deliberative, civil and constructive dialogue," Strang says.
What's next: Lawmakers return from summer recess in mid-September.
What we're watching: Luke Perez, the Chase Center professor who attacked a journalist in February, remains on administrative leave, university spokesperson Chris Booker tells Axios.
- Perez pleaded no contest Monday to disorderly conduct. A judge sentenced him to a $100 fine and two years of community control.