Here's how every public university in Ohio is preparing for Senate Bill 1

Yahoo

08-05-2025

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio's public universities have less than two months until Senate Bill 1 goes into effect, and they have a spectrum of responses underway.
Senate Bill 1, dubbed the Advance Higher Education Act, will go into effect at the end of June. The bill implements dramatic changes to higher education by banning diversity, equity and inclusion programming, restricting faculty union abilities and requiring universities to sunset majors with low degree conferral rates. Ohio's 14 public universities are now tasked with implementing major changes, and NBC4 is tracking how they are working to comply with SB 1.
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Ohio universities said they are collaborating among themselves and speaking with state legislators to ensure they understand all that SB 1 requires. The bill is lengthy but still somewhat ambiguous, especially as it does not define diversity, equity or inclusion. See previous coverage of SB 1 in the video player above.
Senate Bill 1 is state law, but federal orders from President Donald Trump, the Department of Education and various research-granting departments also complicate university operations. These directives are wide-ranging but typically target DEI efforts on campuses or alleged antisemitism.
To keep up with the wavering guidelines, many institutions have implemented a webpage keeping students informed about relevant legislative changes. Some institutions have also cancelled events promoting DEI, such as Ohio University's Black Alumni Reunion, or quietly removed references to DEI on university websites.
Universities have varied dramatically in their communication with students, faculty and staff regarding changes. Many universities have said DEI offices may need to be restructured, but have not formally announced a plan. With plenty of announcements revealing vague proposals, only a few universities have formally announced major changes.
NBC4 also reached out to each public university to ask them about SB 1 changes. Find your school below:
Akron's Senior Director of External Communications Cristine Boyd said the university's Institute for Teaching and Learning (ITL) is hosting a faculty session to discuss how SB 1 may affect teaching. At the event, faculty will hear from university leadership, who will provide updates from the Ohio Department of Higher Education. Akron has not announced any major changes yet, although it did not renew its Rethinking Race series for this upcoming year.
'A faculty panel will then share their perspectives on teaching within the context of the new law, and ITL will offer suggestions for syllabus language, assignment design and classroom discussion framing,' Boyd said.
Last Friday, BSGU's Board of Trustees passed five resolutions to comply with Senate Bill 1. The resolutions affirmed commitment to intellectual autonomy, disbanding DEI programs, adjusted faculty workload policy, established a new set of questions for faculty evaluations, and created new evaluation policies.
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BGSU's president addressed students and staff after SB 1 passed, acknowledging that change may be coming and asking for campus feedback. BGSU has a Division of Inclusion and Belonging to support all students, which a spokesperson clarified is different than an Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. BGSU said it is still working to identify which identity-specific programming needs adjusted or removed.
As Ohio's only public Historically Black College and University, Central State is in a unique position with S.B. 1. So far, the university has said it believes it is already in compliance with the law and has not announced changes.
'At this time, the university has no comment regarding this matter.' Alissa Paolella, Central State communications manager, said.
Cleveland State has not announced closure of its Office of Inclusion and Multicultural Engagement, although that may not qualify as a DEI office under SB 1. The university did not respond to NBC4's inquiry and has not made information available online regarding SB 1. However, students at Cleveland State have hosted several protests against the bill, both before and after its passage.
The university shared an update on April 24 thanking students and staff for their patience as plans for the four campus identity centers are being finalized. The update said the university hopes to restructure their student-centered spaces to promote connections between students. However, the update did not include any major changes or announcements.
'To be clear, these spaces may need to transition in terms of programming but will remain in use for and by our current and future students,' the letter read.
Kent State President Todd Diacon has been involved in many discussions about SB 1, but the university is still determining how it will be implemented. Kent State hosted four discussions in April about the new bill, inviting dialogue in townhall-style meetings. Director of University Media Relations Emily Vincent said Diacon estimates SB 1 will cost Kent State $1.5 million-$2 million to implement each year.
'We will follow the law, but it won't change our commitment to each member of our community,' Diacon said.
On April 18, Miami announced it is discontinuing its Office of Transformational and Inclusive Excellence, its Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion and Miami Regionals Center for Diversity Equity and Inclusion. Representatives said all impacted staff have been offered other opportunities elsewhere in the university.
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Miami said more information about specific changes will be shared once plans are finalized.
NEOMED President Dr. John Langell said the university is already in compliance with most of the bill. Although the university used to have a diversity office, that office quietly closed in the past few years. Spokespersons did not address NBC4's inquiry as to when that shuttered. In March, NEOMED announced it would no longer provide university support to student organizations with diverse missions, although they have since walked that decision back due to backlash.
'We are continuing to support all of our student organizations, while ensuring compliance with state and federal requirements. Above all, we remain dedicated to providing an Exceptional Student Experience, empowering students to realize their full potential as Ohio's future healthcare leaders,' Langell said.
Ohio State was the first university to announce changes in compliance with Senate Bill 1. In February, before the bill's passage, OSU referenced SB 1 in its decision to sunset its diversity offices. OSU faculty and students have been outspoken against the bill, and the university said it advocated for changes to SB 1 to protect academic freedom.
The university established an implementation committee with representatives from across campuses to facilitate compliance with the bill. OSU said it will engage stakeholders while deciding how to best comply with the law.
Ohio University leadership has invited student and staff input while weighing SB 1's effects. On April 29, the university announced it would close its diversity offices, and women and pride centers to comply with the law. In the announcement, President Lori Gonzalez asked for student and staff feedback to create new spaces to advance equity while remaining in compliance with the law.
The university established six work groups to help implement different SB 1 requirements. Read previous coverage of Ohio University's response to SB 1 here.
Shawnee State has released limited information about its SB 1 compliance. It did have a DEI resources page, but clicking the link leads to a blocked webpage. It also used to have an Office of Diversity and Inclusion, but clicking that link leads to an Office of Student Engagement. Shawnee State did not respond to NBC4's inquiry about SB 1 or these online changes, and it has not announced updates publicly.
Toledo announced it will stop accepting admissions to nine undergraduate majors to comply with low conferral rate requirements: Africana studies, Asian studies, data analytics, disability studies, Middle East studies, philosophy, religious studies, Spanish and Women's and Gender Studies. Toledo spokesperson Nicki Gorny said the changes were announced April 21 so faculty could be made aware before summer. All students in those programs will be able to finish their degrees, and the programs will be offered as minors.
'The University continues to evaluate our campus policies and procedures as it relates to SB1. UToledo, along with other colleges and universities in our state, is engaged with the Ohio Department of Higher Education and the Inter-University Council of Ohio for guidance,' Gorny said.
Wright State has an Office of Diversity Initiatives, but appears to have already adjusted its Office of Equity and Inclusion. A link listing the Office of Equity and Inclusion now leads to a page about the office of the vice president. Earlier this week, that same link went to an Office of Inclusive Excellence but has since been changed.
Wright State has not publicly announced any changes under SB 1 and did not respond to NBC4's inquiry. However, its culture and identity centers still appear intact.
Youngstown State also did not respond to NBC4's inquiry and has not announced any SB 1 changes. As listed in the 2024-2025 undergraduate student catalog, Youngstown State had an office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the start of the school year. However, the link now leads to a page that reads 'you are not authorized to access this page.'
Educators at Youngstown State are responding differently, however. Faculty members organized to take Senate Bill 1 to a referendum vote, allowing citizens to vote on whether to implement SB 1 with enough signatures. On Monday, faculty and other organizers were given state permission to begin collecting the more than 250,000 signatures needed to get SB 1 on the ballot. Organizers have until June 25 to collect and submit valid signatures.
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