How will provisions in the law related to “diversity, equity and inclusion” scholarships impact existing scholarship programs at OHIO?
Federal law prohibits universities receiving federal funding, including federal financial aid, from using use race or sex in the awarding of scholarships. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has recently provided guidance reiterating these restrictions. Ohio University has already taken action to align with federal guidance, and we do not anticipate significant impacts on scholarships as a result of the Advance Ohio Higher Education Act.
Ohio University’s highly competitive Templeton Scholars Program, Appalachian Scholars and Urban Scholars Programs, and Margaret Boyd Scholars Program underwent review in 2023 to ensure selection criteria and associated processes aligned with new interpretation of federal law, and those programs will continue at Ohio University.
Will language in the law related to “controversial topics” result in the elimination of courses at OHIO or the censoring of certain classroom topics?
The law does not require changes to course or program offerings as it relates to what it defines as “controversial topics.”
Rather, the law requires that public Universities “affirm and declare” a commitment to intellectual diversity “for course approval, approval of courses to satisfy general education requirements… and student learning outcomes,” as well as remaining committed to allowing “students to reach their own conclusions about all controversial beliefs or policies.” To this end, the Office of the Provost will work with the University Curriculum Council to incorporate intellectual diversity as a criterion in the course approval process. The law encourages the development and offering of courses on a wide variety of topics that will allow for student choice.
Ohio University remains deeply committed to academic freedom, and the law itself explicitly protects the ability of faculty to exercise “professional judgment about how to accomplish intellectual diversity within an academic discipline.” No changes to course offerings are anticipated except where explicitly outlined in the Advance Ohio Higher Education Act, which includes the introduction of a new American civic literacy course and the potential sunsetting of programs with fewer than five graduates on average.
The law includes a requirement to sunset programs with low conferrals. Will this result in the elimination of any programs at Ohio University?
The Advance Ohio Higher Education Act includes a requirement for universities to “eliminate any undergraduate degree program it offers if the institution confers an average of fewer than five degrees in that program annually over any three-year period” or submit a waiver for consideration to the Chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education.
It is important to note that all students currently enrolled in a degree program potentially impacted by this requirement will have the opportunity to complete degree requirements as outlined in the Undergraduate Catalog.
The Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost is working with Institutional Effectiveness and Analytics to identify programs that fit this low-conferral definition. Working with the Deans, the Provost will determine if any programs fitting this definition should be submitted for a potential waiver to the Chancellor in the coming weeks.
What offices at the University will be eliminated as a result of the requirement to prohibit “the continuation of existing diversity, equity and inclusion offices or departments.”
On April 29, Ohio University announced that it would sunset its Division of Diversity and Inclusion, including the Multicultural Center, the Pride Center and the Women’s Center on or before June 23. As part of that change:
- Student Affairs will provide expanded support for student organizations and University-wide programming, including Make Respect Visible.
- Support for the University’s prestigious Templeton, Urban, Appalachian, and Margaret Boyd Scholars programs will move to the Honors Tutorial College, which administers the OHIO Honors Program and provides coordination for other honors and scholars programming.
- OHIO’s LINKS program will move to University College, aligned with other Signature Academic Experiences.
Additionally, the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Office of Inclusion will be retired at the end of the semester, and the Heritage College office of student affairs will provide expanded support services for medical students.
For more information, read President Gonzalez’s April 29 message
How will the new required course in American civic literacy impact current students?
The recently signed Advance Ohio Higher Education Act includes requirements that each state institution of higher education “develop a course with no fewer than three credit hours in the subject area of American civic literacy,” and all students seeking a bachelor’s degree complete this course requirement.
However, the law also states that the course requirement will be applied only to students graduating in Spring 2030 or later. To that end, the large majority of OHIO’s current students will not be impacted by this requirement. In addition, students may qualify for an exemption to this future course requirement if they have completed a College Credit Plus or Advanced Placement course and exam that meets the content requirements outlined in the legislation or if they have already earned at least three credit hours in American history or American government.
The Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost is working with the College of Arts and Sciences and other academic colleges to facilitate the development of the required American civic literacy course during the 2025-26 academic year.
The law requires that a syllabus for each course be made publicly available. Will there be a template and process to guide faculty in meeting this expectation?
The requirement to publicly post syllabi is effective beginning in the 2026-27 academic year. The Provost’s Office will work with the appropriate administrative units to determine the technology that will support this requirement and will provide guidance to faculty well in advance of Fall 2026 to ensure this requirement is met.