February 4, 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Laura Lanese, President and CEO, Inter-University Council of Ohio

Phone: 614-537-3816

Email: [email protected]

Inter-University Council of Ohio Statement Following Unveiling of Governor’s Executive Budget

The following statement may be attributed to Laura Lanese, President and CEO of the Inter-University Council of Ohio (IUC), in response to the recent unveiling of Governor Mike DeWine’s executive budget:

“In the opening words of his budget, Governor DeWine made clear that Ohio is the heart of ‘education, opportunity, and innovation’. The IUC fully supports Governor DeWine’s commitment to education, talent development, and economic growth. Ohio’s 14 public universities are vital to the state’s workforce, research, and competitiveness, preparing skilled graduates, driving innovation, and strengthening national security. Investing in higher education ensures a well-educated citizenry, fuels innovation, and secures Ohio’s leadership nationally and globally.

We thank Governor DeWine and look forward to continuing to work with his administration and legislative leaders to ensure Ohio’s public universities are appropriately funded and well positioned to deliver Ohio the workforce demanded by companies looking to call Ohio home.”

To underscore the economic importance of Ohio’s public universities, IUC commissioned an economic impact study in 2023. The study found that Ohio’s 14 state institutions of higher education delivered $68.9 billion in total economic impact in FY 2021-2022. The impact represents 8.8% of Ohio’s total gross state economic product. The study also found that the state’s return on investment in public higher education results in $4.60 for every dollar invested. The study may be read in its entirety here.

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The Inter-University Council is a voluntary educational association of Ohio’s public universities.