Overview

• Speaking at an Ohio Department of Higher Education event, Gov. Mike DeWine told public university trustees to “step up” efforts to recruit students in and out of state.
• Senate Bill 1, signed by DeWine, mandates dismantling DEI offices, imposes an intellectual-diversity regime, requires public posting of syllabi, adds a civics course, and expands grounds for firing tenured faculty.
• The law directs trustees to cut or restructure programs that fail a degree-conferral quota of five per year over three years, a threshold critics say risks eliminating entire fields.
• Institutions have begun acting: Ohio University plans to eliminate or merge 29 majors and the University of Toledo is suspending admissions to nine programs, according to the coverage.
• Campuses report new costs and restructuring tied to compliance, with Kent State estimating $1.5–$2 million annually plus additional expenses, as DEI and identity centers are closed or repackaged and new complaint systems are built.