The following statement may be attributed to Laura Lanese, President and CEO of the Inter-University Council of Ohio (IUC), in response to today’s announcement of Senate Bill 1 by Senator Jerry Cirinio (R-Kirtland), Senator Kristina Roegner (R-Hudson), and Representative Tom Young (R-Washington Township):

“Ohio’s 14 public universities are a significant asset to the state’s economy and are key drivers of local and state economic development. The Inter-University Council of Ohio wishes to thank the sponsors of Senate Bill 1 for their willingness to tackle the critical issues of higher education reform and the protection of freedom of speech and diversity of thought on campuses across Ohio. While the IUC is still reviewing the policy language introduced at today’s press conference, we agree that higher education should be a top legislative priority.

The IUC and its member institutions remain committed to providing affordable access to higher education while serving the needs of Ohio’s growing workforce. We look forward to continuing to work with the bill’s sponsors and other legislative leaders on the important policy concepts introduced in this bill.

An economic impact study released in 2023 found that Ohio’s 14 public universities 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 activities of Ohio’s public universities and their students support one in eight, or 866,782, Ohio jobs. The study may be read in its entirety here.

SB1 (136) IUC Media Statement 2025-01-22

#     #     #

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

Media Contact:

Laura Lanese, President & CEO, Inter-University Council of Ohio

614.288.7805

Lanese.37@osu.edu