Campus Freedom Initiative™
Free expression is the necessary precondition for the unfettered search for truth on the college campus.
Can Ohio Achieve a Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression?
ACTA’s Ohio Report Card
Ohio’s public universities have made recent progress in promoting free expression and diversity of thought, but new research from ACTA’s Campus Freedom Initiative™ (CFI) shows the state’s major public institutions still have work to do to ensure their campuses welcome different points of view and encourage the free exchange of ideas.
CFI surveyed nearly 2,300 students and recent alumni from Kent State University, Miami University, The Ohio State University, Ohio University, and the University of Cincinnati. Our survey shows that students support intellectual diversity and think their universities are welcoming to those who hold unpopular opinions, but it also found high levels of self-censorship and intellectual intolerance on each campus.
CFI’s Ohio Report Card evaluates these five public universities against our Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™, a 20-point action plan for returning higher education to its bedrock mission of excellence and open inquiry. All five universities have several strengths. They have adopted compelling statements on protecting free expression and strong policies of institutional neutrality. They have also made commitments to fostering intellectual diversity in faculty hiring and promotion processes.
At the same time, each university must take additional steps to strengthen campus freedom. CFI’s recommendations include incorporating free expression training in new student orientation, disbanding bias reporting options, committing to viewpoint neutrality in student group recognition and funding, requiring free expression and viewpoint diversity training for administrative staff, and conducting regular institutional research on the campus climate for free expression and intellectual diversity.
By implementing our Gold Standard recommendations, these universities can begin making Ohio’s public system of higher education a model for the nation.
ACTA Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™| COMMIT TO A CULTURE OF FREE EXPRESSION | OSU | OHIO | Kent-State | Miami | UC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adopt the Chicago Principles on Freedom of Expression or a similarly strong statement. | |||||
| Establish clear expectations regarding free expression in student and faculty handbooks and codes of conduct. | |||||
| Include a free expression unit in new-student orientations. | No materials showing Ohio University meets this measure could be found. Requests to university officials for such materials remain unanswered. | No materials showing Kent State University meets this measure could be found. Requests to university officials for such materials remain unanswered. | No materials showing Miami University meets this measure could be found. Requests to university officials for such materials remain unanswered. | No materials showing the University of Cincinnati meets this measure could be found. Requests to university officials for such materials remain unanswered. | |
| Protect the diversity of political viewpoints by adopting an institutional neutrality policy such as the Kalven Report. | |||||
| FOSTER CIVIL DISCOURSE | OSU | OHIO | Kent-State | Miami | UC |
| Sponsor campus debates that model civil discourse. | |||||
| Promote free expression by encouraging the establishment of student groups devoted to free expression, civil discourse, or representing a plurality of perspectives. | |||||
| Establish policies that protect free expression rights on campus and set clear consequences for disruption of sponsored speakers, events, and classes. | Evidence suggests that The Ohio State University failed to enforce its free expression policies in September 2025. | ||||
| Enforce policies that protect free expression rights on campus and apply clear consequences for disruption of sponsored speakers, events, and classes. | |||||
| Cultivate Intellectual Diversity | OSU | OHIO | Kent-State | Miami | UC |
| Encourage presidents, provosts, and deans to model respect for a broad range of viewpoints. | Evidence Ohio University meets this measure is insufficient | ||||
| Guarantee that viewpoint diversity is reflected in student life policies and practices. | |||||
| Support academic centers dedicated to free inquiry and intellectual diversity. | No materials showing Kent State University meets this measure could be found. | ||||
| Ensure faculty hiring, evaluation, and promotion processes are based on merit and make clear that the institution is open to intellectual diversity. | |||||
| Break Down Barriers to Free Expression | OSU | OHIO | Kent-State | Miami | UC |
| Eliminate speech and IT policies that have a chilling effect on free expression. | |||||
| Ensure that enforcement of Title VI, Title VII, and Title IX does not infringe on free expression. | Policies defining harassment contain elements likely to infringe on free expression. | ||||
| Disband bias response teams. | Ohio University’s Campus Climate Concerns reporting option does not prohibit bias reporting or reporting on protected free expression activities. | Miami University’s “Campus Climate Concern” report form allows students to report incidents of bias. | The University of Cincinnati’s “Reporting Harassment, Discrimination, Sexual Misconduct, and Campus Climate Concerns” form contains free expression guarantees, but some reporting options could undermine free expression | ||
| Review student government policies to ensure viewpoint neutrality in student group recognition and funding. | No clear statements prohibiting such discrimination could be found. Requests to university officials for such materials remain unanswered. | No materials showing Ohio University meets this measure could be found. Requests to university officials for such materials remain unanswered. | No materials showing Miami University meets this measure could be found. Requests to university officials for such materials remain unanswered. | No materials showing the University of Cincinnati meets this measure could be found. Requests to university officials for such materials remain unanswered. | |
| Advance Leadership Accountability | OSU | OHIO | Kent-State | Miami | UC |
| Include commitments to free expression in mission statements, values statements, strategic plans, and other key institutional documents. | |||||
| Include a commitment to free expression as a criterion in searches and evaluations for presidents, provosts, and deans. | A presidential search profile we reviewed did not contain a commitment to free expression. | A presidential search profile we reviewed did not contain a commitment to free expression. | A presidential search profile we reviewed did not contain a commitment to free expression. | A provost search profile we reviewed did not contain a commitment to free expression. | |
| Require free expression and viewpoint diversity training for administrative staff. | No materials showing The Ohio State University meets this measure could be found. Requests to university officials for such materials remain unanswered. | Ohio University offers such training, but requests to university officials regarding whether administrative staff must receive such training remain unanswered. | No materials showing Kent State University meets this measure could be found. Requests to university officials for such materials remain unanswered. | Miami University offers such training, but requests to university officials regarding whether administrative staff must receive such training remain unanswered. | The University of Cincinnati’s officials confirmed that, at this time, there is no such training for administrative staff. |
| Conduct regular surveys or other quantitative studies of students and faculty to assess the state of free expression and intellectual diversity on campus. | No materials showing The Ohio State University meets this measure could be found. Requests to university officials for such materials remain unanswered. | Ohio University officials confirmed that, at this time, the university does not conduct a free expression survey. | No materials showing Kent State University meets this measure could be found. Requests to university officials for such materials remain unanswered. | No materials showing the University of Cincinnati meets this measure could be found. Requests to university officials for such materials remain unanswered. |
Campus Experience Survey: An Assessment of Students at Four-year Public Universities in Ohio
Our survey of 2,277 students and recent alumni from Kent State University, Miami University, The Ohio State University, Ohio University, and the University of Cincinnati reveals both encouraging and disheartening student views on free expression and intellectual diversity. Explore the full survey report to learn more.
View Survey Results63
%of undergraduates say they have not spoken up on campus because they thought their opinion would be unwelcome.
70
%of undergraduates agree that their university should take action to promote political diversity among its faculty.
65
%of undergraduates say professors should be reported to the university for saying things students find offensive.
We extend our deepest gratitude to the Fred A. Lennon Charitable Trust, Professors Linda and Marsha Frey, and The Richard Horvitz and Erica Hartman-Horvitz Foundation for their invaluable support that enabled the research and publication of the Ohio Campus Experience Survey and Report Card.
WHO WE ARE
Launched in 1995, we are the only organization that works with alumni, donors, trustees, and education leaders across the United States to support liberal arts education, uphold high academic standards, safeguard the free exchange of ideas on campus, and ensure that the next generation receives an intellectually rich, high-quality college education at an affordable price.
Discover MoreSTAY INFORMED
Sign up to receive updates on the most pressing issues facing our college campuses.