Enact Advance Ohio Higher Education Act
Legislative Analysis Report Enact Advance Ohio Higher Education Act
1. Primary Purpose of the Bill
The Advance Ohio Higher Education Act intends to reform the operations, governance, and academic policies of public colleges and universities in Ohio. It shortens the terms of university trustees, bans diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training and offices, and requires undergraduate students to complete a course in American civic literacy to graduate. Additionally, the bill establishes strict faculty workload standards, mandates annual performance evaluations, allows for the termination of underperforming tenured faculty, and prohibits full-time faculty members from going on strike.
EducationLaborGovernment Regulation
2. Changes to Existing Law
ORC Sec. 3335.02 (and other university board sections) Shortens the terms of newly appointed university trustees from nine years to six years for appointments made on or after July 1, 2025.
ORC Sec. 3345.029 Requires public colleges and universities to make undergraduate course syllabi publicly available on their websites without requiring user registration.
ORC Sec. 3345.0217 Bans public colleges from requiring diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training, maintaining DEI offices, or using DEI statements in hiring, promotions, or admissions.
ORC Sec. 3345.382 Requires students to complete a three-credit-hour course in American civic literacy and pass a cumulative final exam to receive a bachelor's degree.
ORC Sec. 3345.45 - 3345.454 Requires universities to establish clear faculty workload policies, conduct annual evaluations, and implement post-tenure reviews that can lead to the termination of underperforming faculty.
ORC Sec. 3345.455 Declares that faculty workload, evaluation, and tenure policies are not subject to collective bargaining and will override any conflicting union agreements.
ORC Sec. 3345.591 Prohibits public colleges from accepting gifts or donations from the People's Republic of China or affiliated organizations.
ORC Sec. 4117.14 & 4117.15 Bans full-time faculty members at public universities from going on strike.
3. Key Information for Citizens
🗳️ What You Need to Know
- Newly appointed university trustees will serve shorter six-year terms instead of nine-year terms.
- Public colleges cannot mandate DEI training, maintain DEI offices, or use DEI criteria in hiring or admissions.
- To earn a bachelor's degree starting in the spring of 2030, students must take a class on American history and government and pass a final exam.
- All undergraduate course syllabi must be posted online for the public to see.
- Public university professors are banned from going on strike.
- Tenured professors will face annual reviews and can be fired if they do not meet performance expectations.
4. Entities Affected
- Public universities and community colleges in Ohio
- College students
- University faculty and professors
- University administrators and trustees
- The Ohio Department of Higher Education
5. Regulatory Impact & Enforcement
Agency Authority: The Chancellor of Higher Education is given the power to approve civic literacy course plans, create trustee training, and grant waivers for low-enrollment programs. The Auditor of State is authorized to audit university safeguards on Chinese partnerships.
Penalties & Mandates: The state legislature can cut or withhold funding from public colleges that do not follow the new rules on intellectual diversity and DEI. Faculty members can be disciplined or fired for failing to meet workload standards or failing performance reviews. Striking faculty members will not be paid, and universities can get court orders to stop strikes. Undergraduate programs that graduate fewer than five students a year on average over a three-year period must be shut down.
Implementation Timeline: The changes to trustee terms apply to appointments made on or after July 1, 2025. The American civic literacy course requirement applies to students graduating in the spring of 2030 and later. Universities must adopt the new intellectual diversity and DEI policies within 90 days of the bill's effective date.
6. Estimated Fiscal Impact
State Revenue Impact
Not applicable
Local Government Impact
Not applicable
Implementation Costs
Not applicable
Net Annual Fiscal Effect
Not applicable
Policy doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Meet the representatives and senators who introduced this bill and are pushing it through the chamber. Click on any sponsor to see their district, party affiliation, and what other legislation they’ve championed this session.
Primary Sponsors
Jerry C. Cirino
District
18
Chamber
Senate
Party
Republican
Co-Sponsors
Related Topics
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Education
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Taxation & Finance
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Criminal Justice
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Healthcare
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Transportation
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Business & Commerce
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Labor & Employment
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Civil Rights & Liberties
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Local Government
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Rent & Housing
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Most legislative decisions are made in committee rooms, not on the chamber floor. Here, you can track which committees have been assigned to review, amend, or report on this bill. Stay informed on where the bill is currently being debated and which chairpersons hold the power to move it forward.
Status Changes
Legislation moves through a rigorous series of checkpoints. Use this tracker to see exactly which phase the bill is in—whether it’s currently under committee review, up for a floor vote, or awaiting a signature to become law. For more information about bills, please see How a Bill Becomes Law.
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Referred to committee
Feb 26 2025
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Reported - Substitute
Mar 19 2025
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Referred to committee
Jan 29 2025
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Reported - Substitute
Feb 12 2025
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Concurred in House amendments
Mar 26 2025
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Sent To The Governor
Mar 26 2025
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Signed By The Governor
Mar 28 2025
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Documents
Access the primary source. This section hosts the full, unedited text of the legislation alongside every official document produced during its journey. From the initial draft to the final enrolled version, you can review the exact language being proposed for state law.
