Op-Ed: Data-Based Decision Making Should Drive the Future of Higher Education, Not Political Agendas

State Sen. Jerry Cirino, R-Kirtland, spoke during a forum at the City Club of Cleveland. Credit: (Screenshot).

We should use data to determine what problems and inequities exist in Ohio’s higher education system, rather than creating fictitious problems rooted in political agendas. SB1 is a clear political stunt that bucks the science on effective higher education practices in favor of catchy headlines and inciting fake rage to manufacture political clout.

At an April 17th City Club appearance, Senator Jerry Cirino, sponsor of SB1, said “Without the very best educational system, we will not have a properly trained workforce, and without a trained workforce, we will not have a robust economy here in Ohio.”

We couldn’t agree more. However, his policies are taking us further from that educational system rather than towards it. What the research actually shows is that policies like SB1 can threaten students’ career prospects after college. An AAC&U study, for example, found that restricting what is taught in college classrooms, including by government entities, hinders students’ learning and harms their marketability and employability. Why would employers want to hire students whose education isn’t guided by experts in the field, but rather by politicians? In turn, why would students want to attend universities that make them less marketable? SB1 is only going to exacerbate Ohio’s brain drain problem we were just starting to see improvements in.

Further, recent data shows that the passing of SB1 is encouraging our best and brightest university faculty to leave the state. We surveyed 129 faculty from across Ohio, representing every type of faculty position, including public and private universities, tenured faculty and part-time faculty, faculty in almost every area of study, including the sciences, arts and humanities, and social sciences. Over 70% of respondents said the potential for SB1 to limit their teaching of best practices in their field, stifle academic freedom, burden existing research projects, and erode labor rights was enough to make them consider leaving Ohio for academic positions in other states. Faculty respondents noted that even when SB1 was first introduced, it made it more difficult for them to recruit top-level talent for open faculty positions.

We should be making data-based decisions that attract and retain the best and brightest faculty and students in Ohio, and that ensure promising futures for our students.

Instead of celebrating our achievements, SB1 places an undue burden on our institutions of higher education through vague and intrusive legislation.

In Ohio, politicians are shifting power in higher education to themselves, ignoring the expertise and the needs of Ohioans. Studies show that this is a national trend. When politicians make these shifts in power, they ignore the experience and expertise of those who have spent their lives trying to improve Ohio’s system of higher education. Besides ignoring such professional expertise, Ohio’s politicians have ignored student outrage and Ohioans’ testimonies against SB1. The first senate hearing of SB1 received less than 20 proponent testimonies and over 1,000 opponent testimonies. Still, the committee voted to pass SB1. Testimonies at the state house are a form of data, and politicians ignore them at their own peril.

We should recognize the strength of the American higher education system and our universities in Ohio. Ohio’s universities are responsible for world-changing inventions across academic sectors, including technology, medicine, and education. For example, the Ohio State University boasts 360 new inventions yearly, and Cleveland State University is ranked #1 in the state for increasing student economic mobility. The University of Cincinnati has one of the highest-ranked architecture programs in the world, with alumni building some of society’s most recognizable and innovative buildings, and the University of Akron is a leader in polymer science. The accomplishments of Ohio’s universities are too numerous to list. We are incredibly lucky in this state that we have access to thriving institutes of higher education that put Ohio on the map. So why are our state legislators wasting precious time with bills like SB1 cuffing the wrists of people trying to solve some of our state’s greatest problems?

We encourage Ohioans who want to see a robust economy with a strongly supported workforce and leadership to sign the petition to repeal SB1 and safeguard our educational institutions from political stunts.

Dr. Katie Clonan-Roy, Dr. Kimberly Fuller, Dr. Elizabeth Goncy, Dr. Shereen Naser, and Dr. Colleen Walsh are Cleveland State University faculty members.

Subscribe to Cleveland Scene newsletters.