Excerpt from the Ohio Capital Journal
It’s been nearly two years since Ohio’s five intellectual diversity centers were signed into law and one has already begun offering classes.
All five independent academic centers have named their executive directors and the University of Toledo Institute of American Constitutional Thought and Leadership started classes this past school year.
Ohio’s 2023 two-year state budget allocated $24 million for the centers — $5 million each fiscal year to Ohio State University, $1 million each fiscal year to the University of Toledo and $2 million each fiscal year for each center at Miami University, Cleveland State University and Wright State University.
The centers at Ohio State, Miami, Cleveland State and Wright State “shall conduct teaching and research in the historical ideas, traditions, and texts that have shaped the American constitutional order and society,” according to the law.
Wright State hopes to start offering classes through the university’s Center for Civics, Culture and Workforce Development in fall 2026, said university spokesperson Bob Mihalek. Proposed courses could include American civic literacy, from idea to law: an experiential journey through the legislative process and upholding the constitution: exploring your oath, Mihalek said.
Jason Anderson was chosen as the center’s executive director. He is a retired Air Force veteran and a former faculty member with the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
