Ohio State faculty raise questions about state-mandated civics center

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Ohio State faculty have concerns about perceived inequity with the university's new state-mandated intellectual diversity center.

"There's definitely a lack of transparency and a sense of nepotism, a sense of being supported from the outside," Pranav Jani, associate English professor and past president of OSU's faculty advocacy group, said.

The Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture and Society opened its doors this fall. The center was established under a 2023 Republican-backed law that required five public universities to establish intellectual diversity centers to combat "groupthink." See previous coverage of the Chase Center in the video player above.

Chase Center classes and lectures place an emphasis on intellectual diversity and a "reflective patriotism for America."

“We have the establishment of a center which seems to be very devoted to specific topics and specific text and a specific history and an idea of civics, that, to me, when I put it together with the idea of intellectual diversity, there seems to be a contradiction there,” associate English professor Jill Galvan said.

Jani said he and other faculty have questions about the Chase Center's hiring practices, course approval and budget. Especially after a new law banned DEI and endorsing "controversial beliefs or policies" on college campuses, Jani said it felt like the Chase Center was getting preferential treatment because it is supported by the state.

Ohio allocated $10 million to support the Chase Center, which also receives some funding from Ohio State. From July to September 2025, the center spent $1.5 million on salaries, student aid and supplies. The center employs 26 staff members, including 19 faculty, according to online records. The Chase Center's professors, associate professors and assistant professors have an average salary of $113,269.55.

Jani said he has been with the university for 22 years and only recently hit the $100,000 salary mark. He said there are many reasons for salary adjustment, and Jani said he was in favor of paying professors higher salaries, but it contributed to a feeling of inequality. He said faculty felt Chase Center hires and courses benefited from a simpler approval process than typical university practices.

OSU chief spokesperson Christopher Booker said Chase Center followed a "similar process for course approval as other colleges at Ohio State." Booker said the initial courses, which are underway this semester, began the approval process in January and were available for enrollment in spring 2025. In the spring semester, the center will offer 10 courses.

"Creating a new, rigorous and relevant set of courses takes time and includes university review," Booker said. "These faculty members come from diverse academic disciplines, which reflects part of the Chase Center’s mission."

For other centers, departments and colleges, budgets are often tied to the number of enrolled students. Jani said faculty sometimes informally calls it a "butts in seats" policy, where classes with too few enrolled students may be canceled because they won't generate a large enough budget for the college.

There are currently three Chase Center courses listed in university course enrollment data for fall 2025. Although the courses had a combined capacity of 54 students, university enrollment numbers show only 28 students are enrolled across all three classes combined.

Jani said the Chase Center has the funding to offer courses regardless of enrollment. He said that can be particularly challenging when professors perceive overlap between Chase Center courses and existing classes offered elsewhere on campus.

For example, the Chase Center will offer "American Religion(s): Fractures and Foundations" in the spring, which will examine the role of religion on American culture and civic life. At the same time, the Center for the Study of Religion will offer "Religion and American Culture," which also examines the intersection of religion and culture in U.S. history.

Although the center is nonpartisan, faculty said the Chase Center appears to have a specific political leaning that is not subject to the same scrutiny as other departments.

"Where are discussions about taxpayer dollars and where the money is going when it comes to the Chase Center? Where are the questions about merit versus government handouts when it comes to the Chase Center?" Jani asked. "I think those are the kinds of questions we should either ask them of everyone, or we should admit there's a political agenda that's being supported."