Legislative Compliance and Transparency
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill 1, also known as the "Advance Ohio Higher Education Act," into law on March 28, 2025, following passage by both the Ohio House and Ohio Senate. The law takes effect June 27, 2025.
Portions of the content and links on this page are in compliance with the “Advance Ohio Higher Education Act” or previously passed legislative requirements in Ohio.
Statement of Commitment
In accordance with the state of Ohio’s 2025 “Advance Ohio Higher Education Act”: The University of Cincinnati declares that it will educate students by means of free, open, and rigorous intellectual inquiry to seek the truth. The University of Cincinnati declares that its duty is to equip students with the opportunity to develop the intellectual skills they need to reach their own, informed conclusions. The University of Cincinnati declares its commitment to not requiring, favoring, disfavoring, or prohibiting speech or lawful assembly. The University of Cincinnati declares it is committed to create a community dedicated to an ethic of civil and free inquiry, which respects the autonomy of each member, supports individual capacities for growth, and tolerates the differences in opinion that naturally occur in a public higher education community. The University of Cincinnati declares that its duty is to treat all faculty, staff, and students as individuals, to hold them to equal standards, and to provide them equality of opportunity, with regard to those individuals' race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.
Free Speech at UC
The University of Cincinnati embraces all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives of its community members and is committed to creating a community that values the contributions of all its members. For that reason, the University believes that the right of expression is as necessary as the right of inquiry and that both must be preserved as essential to the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge and truth. The University is committed to safeguarding the freedom of expression, but this commitment does not extend to expression that is not protected by the First Amendment.
Legislative Updates
We are committed to meeting our compliance obligations and our mission to provide a supportive learning and working environment where all are welcome, safe and free to be successful. This FAQ has been updated throughout the legislative process.
Speaker Transparency
By December 31, 2025, UC will create a searchable database of all speaker fees, honoraria, and other emoluments in excess of $500 for events that are sponsored by UC.
Syllabi Archive
Instructors will be required to publicly post course syllabi for each undergraduate class beginning in the 2026-27 school year. This project is underway at the University of Cincinnati.