Bill > SB1

This bill, known as the Advance Ohio Higher Education Act, introduces comprehensive reforms to higher education institutions in Ohio. It makes significant changes to the governance, operations, and policies of state universities, including reducing trustee terms from nine to six years for most appointments, establishing new educational requirements for trustees, and implementing strict guidelines around intellectual diversity, faculty evaluations, and institutional practices. The bill mandates that state institutions develop courses in American civic literacy, prohibit diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, and implement new faculty workload and performance evaluation policies. Key provisions include requiring syllabi to be publicly accessible, establishing post-tenure review procedures, limiting foreign partnerships, and prohibiting institutions from accepting gifts from the People's Republic of China. The bill also requires institutions to treat all faculty, staff, and students as individuals without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity, and restricts training that promotes specific ideological perspectives. Additionally, the bill directs the Department of Higher Education to conduct a feasibility study on three-year bachelor's degree programs, with a report to be submitted to the General Assembly within one year.