Ohio University shares an update regarding Ohio Senate Bill 83

Ohio University has been closely monitoring The Ohio Higher Education Enhancement Act, also known as Ohio Senate Bill 83, as it has continued to move through the legislative process. SB 83 was recently passed by the Ohio Senate, and the bill now moves to the Ohio House for committee hearings.

Since the introduction of this bill, the University has been actively communicating with state legislators and working collectively with the Inter-University Council of Ohio (IUC), which represents all of Ohio’s four-year public universities, to provide important feedback and share our ongoing concerns regarding this proposed legislation.

Throughout the process, we have advocated for Ohio University’s core values, including academic freedom, shared governance, diversity of thought and acceptance of all. While some progress has been made, we will continue to engage with our legislative partners as this bill moves through the legislative process.

The IUC has submitted a letter on behalf of all of Ohio’s public universities to State Senator and SB 83 sponsor Jerry Cirino. The letter expressed our shared concerns about the bill and its potential negative impact on public universities' ability to support student success, maintain college affordability and protect academic freedom. 

Moving forward, we will continue to work alongside our IUC peers and engage in further dialogue with members of state legislature to appropriately address our shared concerns regarding Ohio Senate Bill 83.