Written testimony provided on May 12, 2026.
Contact: Laura Lanese, President and CEO, Inter-University Council of Ohio
Phone: 614-537-3816
Email: [email protected]
Chair Koehler, Vice Chair Reynolds, Ranking Member Ingram, and members of the Ohio Senate Workforce Committee, thank you for the opportunity to provide written proponent testimony for House Bill 292.
My name is Laura Lanese. I serve as President and CEO of the Inter-University Council of Ohio (IUC). IUC represents Ohio’s 14 public universities, which collectively educate the majority of students pursuing higher education in Ohio.¹
Our institutions serve every region of Ohio and are deeply connected to the employers, industries, and communities that drive Ohio’s economic growth.
HB 292 would establish the Ohio Defense and Space Commission and create a more coordinated framework to position Ohio within the defense and aerospace sectors. That includes aligning state strategy, supporting research and development, and improving Ohio’s ability to compete for federal and private-sector investment in these high-growth industries. This is an increasingly critical issue for workforce competitiveness and national security.
IUC supports HB 292 because it reflects a clear understanding of where Ohio’s economy is headed and what it will take to compete in the industries that are shaping our future. Ohio’s public universities stand ready to deepen their impact as Ohio’s most critical asset for workforce and economic development.
Ohio is home to one of the most significant defense and aerospace ecosystems in the country, anchored by public partners such as Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the Air Force Research Laboratory, and NASA Glenn alongside private partners like Anduril, Joby Aviation, and General Electric. That ecosystem depends on three things: a highly skilled workforce, strong research capacity, and effective coordination across institutions and sectors. Public universities are central to all three.
Ohio’s institutions of higher education educate the engineers, data scientists, cybersecurity professionals, and other skilled workers these industries require. They conduct research that supports advanced manufacturing, autonomous systems, energy innovation, and next-generation technologies. They also serve as key assets in translating that work into applied economic activity.
The United States’ long-standing advantage in defense and advanced technology has been built in large part on the strength of its higher education system. Today, that advantage is facing increased global competition. Research and analysis from the National Science Foundation and federal policymakers, including the White House, has consistently emphasized the importance of maintaining strong domestic talent pipelines and research capacity in critical industries.²
Ohio is directly engaged in that competition. The state’s ability to attract investment, grow key sectors, and support national priorities depends on whether we can continue to produce talent and innovation at scale. Each public university plays a distinct role in ensuring Ohio succeeds by supporting its local economy, workforce needs, and student population. Public higher education’s statewide footprint is a competitive advantage as Ohio competes for economic development opportunities across multiple regions and economic sectors at once.
Ohio’s public universities are not static. Rather, they are actively aligning programs with workforce demand, expanding partnerships with industry, and differentiating areas of focus in high-growth sectors while focusing on student retention, access, and outcomes. That work is ongoing and will continue to evolve as Ohio’s economy changes.
To conclude, HB 292 underlines the importance of ensuring that higher education institutions are fully integrated into a comprehensive strategy to attract greater defense and aerospace investment to Ohio. Public universities are foundational to this goal. Our institutions are committed to continuing their work to strengthen partnerships between stakeholders, support research and commercialization in priority sectors, and advance workforce pathways that align with Ohio’s long-term economic needs and our country’s national security needs. House Bill 292 is a meaningful step in that direction.
¹nscresearchcenter.org/final-fall-enrollment-trends/
²ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsb20243/