In January, the Ohio Senate introduced, and later passed, Senate Bill 1 (SB1), the ‘Advance Ohio Education Act,’ which is now before the Ohio House for consideration. This proposed legislation may impact multiple aspects of higher education in Ohio and here at Miami University. 

Recent federal guidance was also issued to institutions of higher education in the form of a letter from the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights about civil rights law and anti-discrimination requirements that are a condition of receiving federal funding. 

The University continues to review the language in the federal guidance and is engaged with the Inter-University Council (IUC) of Ohio, an association that includes Ohio's 14 public universities, regarding its potential impact in Ohio. 

If you have specific questions on whether there is any direct impact on the work you do, please continue to work with your Dean or Vice President.

Information on Senate Bill 1

In its current form, Ohio’s Senate Bill 1 includes several significant changes to laws governing higher education, including, but not limited to:

• Prohibits any orientation or training course regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion, the inclusion of DEI in any job descriptions, and the continuation or establishment of DEI offices or departments.
• Mandates that universities make a syllabus for each undergraduate course publicly available on its website beginning in the 2026-27 academic year.
• Mandates that students, with few exceptions, complete a course in American civic literacy with certain required reading.
• Prescribes some specific changes to faculty performance evaluations.
• Expands the list of public employees who are prohibited from striking to include full-time faculty members, among other categories.
• Requires state universities to eliminate any undergraduate degree program it offers if the institution confers an average of fewer than five degrees in that program annually over a three-year period. Exceptions can be presented to the Chancellor for consideration.
• Requires that universities post all speaker fees and honoraria over $500 for events sponsored by the institution.

If the bill or a version of it does become law, the university anticipates it will have 90 days to comply with the new law. 

Information on the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights letter

In a letter sent Feb. 14, the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights clarified the recent executive order on “Ending illegal discrimination and restoring merit-based opportunity,” reiterating existing legal requirements under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution, and other relevant authorities. 

The letter reminds institutions receiving federal funding to: 

• ensure that their policies and actions comply with existing civil rights law; 
• cease all efforts to circumvent prohibitions on the use of race by relying on proxies or other indirect means to accomplish such ends; and 
• cease all reliance on third-party contractors, clearinghouses, or aggregators that are being used by institutions in an effort to circumvent prohibited uses of race. 

Institutions have been given until Feb. 28 to ensure compliance with applicable statutes and regulations, including anti-discrimination requirements that are a condition of receiving federal funding.  

What is next? 

As it does in all cases, the university will follow the law. University leaders are reviewing the proposed legislation and the federal guidance and evaluating if and/or what changes are needed to comply with state and national law. 

Miami remains committed to providing a welcoming, supportive community where all students, faculty, and staff thrive and feel a sense of belonging.