New higher ed legislation reminds schools of their purpose
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CounterCurrent:
Academic Freedom Isn’t Free
New higher ed legislation reminds
schools of their purpose
CounterCurrent is the National Association of Scholars’ weekly newsletter, bringing you the biggest issues in academia and our responses to them.
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Category: State Legislation; Reading Time: ~2 minutes
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** Featured Articles - Ohio Higher Education Enhancement Act Passes Senate ([link removed]) and Legislative Victory for Florida Higher Education ([link removed])
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Over the last few weeks, higher education reform legislation has made encouraging progress in several states. I wrote to you all nearly two months ago ([link removed]) regarding Ohio SB 83, also known as the Ohio Higher Education Enhancement Act. SB 83 has just passed the Senate ([link removed]) and is on its way to the House—where it is likely to pass—after which it would go to Governor DeWine’s desk. Exciting news indeed!
If you haven’t read the bill, or if you just need a refresher, SB 83 would require that ([link removed]) :
[C]olleges and universities commit themselves to intellectual diversity, and to prohibiting both “diversity statements” and mandatory trainings or courses in discriminatory concepts such as “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI). The bill also adds requirements for reformed mission statements, syllabus transparency requirements, detailed budgetary transparency, nondiscrimination, transparency about speaker fees, and a new American history and government general education requirement. Importantly, the bill reinforces prohibitions on segregation and bars financial entanglements with the People’s Republic of China.
SB 83 is precise in its language—other states should take note. For instance, the bill does not prohibit DEI training on campus, but rather states that such training may not be required. Prohibiting the free exchange of ideas (whichever side they may come from, and whether or not you agree with them) is a surefire way to kill academic and intellectual freedom. In this way, and in others, SB 83 is a victory for academic freedom.
Ohio isn’t the only state passing beneficial legislation. Governor DeSantis has just signed ([link removed]) SB 266 and HB 931 into law. “SB 266 bars an extraordinarily wide range of ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI) requirements and programming in Florida’s public universities. ... HB 931 bars diversity statements and, to strengthen intellectual diversity, establishes an Office of Public Policy Events.” These bills effectively prohibit mandatory and discriminatory DEI policies and seek to bolster intellectual freedom in Florida higher education—an all-around win.
This legislation in Ohio and Florida is part of a broader movement to reform academia and shatter the activist monoculture on campus. Mandatory DEI policies, meddling by special interest groups, and far-left activism on campus seriously undermine the legitimacy of these institutions—especially when colleges and universities welcome them with open arms. Recent higher ed legal proceedings ([link removed]) teach us that any failure to subscribe to the woke monoculture pervading academia is a quick way to end a career. Many faculty, administrators, and students are sanctioned ([link removed]) for research and speech by the very institutions that were designed to be a haven for freedom and the exchange of ideas. This has to stop.
Academic freedom isn’t free. That’s why this recent legislation is so important. If higher education cannot hold itself to its founding principles, then we must.
Until next week.
Kali Jerrard
Communications Associate
National Association of Scholars
Read More On Ohio ([link removed])
Read More On Florida ([link removed])
For more on state legislation and higher education:
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May 19, 2023
** Reform at Scale: A Map of NAS Initiatives by State ([link removed])
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NAS
An official tracker of the NAS and Civics Alliance's higher education reform efforts by state. We are working to defend academic freedom for faculty, students, and others, along with preserving the liberal arts and promoting institutional neutrality.
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May 18, 2023
** Ohio Higher Education Enhancement Act Passes Senate ([link removed])
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NAS
Senate Bill 83 will do an extraordinary amount to depoliticize public colleges and universities, strengthen intellectual diversity on campus, and restore citizen oversight of the state’s higher ed system.
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May 17, 2023
** Legislative Victory for Florida Higher Education ([link removed])
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NAS
The National Association of Scholars is delighted that Governor Ron DeSantis has signed SB 266 and HB 931 into law and taken another bold step to restore intellectual freedom to Florida's higher education.
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May 16, 2023
** Testimony in Favor of Ohio Senate Bill 117 ([link removed])
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Peter Wood
The National Association of Scholars heartily endorses SB 117, and we urge Ohio’s legislators to pass this bill and Governor DeWine to sign it, as it is a necessary and well-tailored means to restore Ohio’s system of higher education to its better, truer self.
** About the NAS
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The National Association of Scholars, founded in 1987, emboldens reasoned scholarship and propels civil debate. We’re the leading organization of scholars and citizens committed to higher education as the catalyst of American freedom.
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