Ohio’s private colleges could be forced to make big changes – or risk losing big money.
An amendment added to the House budget bill this week would block private colleges and universities from benefitting from a statewide scholarship program unless they agree to enact policies similar to those required of public colleges under a recently passed higher education law.
Senate Bill 1 requires public colleges to publicly post syllabi, implement a mandatory American civics course, and ban diversity, equity and inclusion (or DEI) work. It goes into effect in June.
If private colleges don’t agree to similar rules, they won’t be able to accept the funds that accompany recipients of the Governor’s Merit Scholarship. This program, which is for the state’s top high school students, is meant as an incentive to attend an Ohio college. The scholarship is worth up to $5,000 each year.
C. Todd Jones, president and general counsel of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio (AICUO), said the proposal infringes on private colleges’ independence. He called the amendment a “radical change” in how private colleges work with the state.
“If the state can bully nonprofit private corporations that do higher ed, they could do the same for any corporation in this state,” he said in an interview with Signal Ohio.
Ohio lawmakers have far less financial control over the state’s roughly 75 private non-profit colleges than over their public peers. Though private institutions do receive some funding, it’s significantly less than what the state’s four-year universities and community colleges get.
The Ohio House is expected to pass its budget bill today. It then goes to the Ohio Senate, and the two chambers will have to work out any differences before sending it to the governor.
Ohio private college group calls lawmakers proposals ‘outrageous’
Vague language in this proposed amendment asks institutions to adopt a policy “containing specified requirements and prohibitions regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), intellectual diversity, and other concepts at the institution.”
The main reason lawmakers cited for passing Senate Bill 1 is the need to combat what they see as liberal bias at the state’s public colleges.
But Jones said he believes anti-DEI efforts are “moot” because of federal guidance that already suggests colleges need to disband such efforts. Though no official anti-DEI law has been passed, many public and private colleges – including Ohio State University and Cleveland’s Case Western Reserve University – have ended their DEI work, citing fear of losing funding.
Jones said private colleges are more concerned with other parts of the House budget bill. He called language requiring colleges to adopt a new faculty evaluation system mirroring one that public universities must now use “ridiculous.”
He also balked at the requirement that educators post their syllabi online, comparing it to asking Coca-Cola to share the proprietary recipe of their namesake soda.
“It is what makes us unique and different,” he said. “The fact that the Ohio House wants us to share our competitive advantage and what makes us special online is outrageous.”
About 1 in 5 scholarship recipients enrolled at a private college
The goal of the Governor’s Merit Scholarship is to get high performing high school graduates to stay in Ohio for college.
The $5,000 scholarship is not enough to cover the full sticker price at most Ohio institutions. But it could make a difference when coupled with other funding sources, especially as it can be used for room and board costs.
It can also make a difference for some institutions. Private colleges in Ohio and nationwide saw some of the biggest enrollment drops amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The bulk of them typically operate on margins similar to those of flagship universities.
About 4,565 students accepted the money and enrolled at an Ohio institution in the scholarship program’s first year, according to data provided by the Ohio Department of Higher Education.
Nearly a third of those recipients put the money towards attending Ohio State University. But about 20% did enroll at a private college in the state. Case Western Reserve University and the University of Dayton were among the top recipients.
The House budget would grandfather in those currently receiving the scholarship, meaning they wouldn’t be forced to change schools to continue to get the funding.
Lawmakers also want to make private colleges automatically accept any Ohio applicant who is within the top 10% of their graduating class.
This story was updated to clarify lawmakers’ proposed plans to expand applicant pools.
