Two bills that would establish a new entity called the School of American Civic Thought and Leadership on OU’s campus have been pre-filed for the upcoming Oklahoma legislative session.
Senate Bill 244, filed by Sen. Adam Pugh (R-Edmond), and Senate Bill 267 filed by Sen. Julie Daniels (R-Bartlesville) would establish this school that would be housed on OU’s Norman campus and operate as an academic unit.
Both bills describe the purpose of the school to be:
• Educate students on “the principles, ideals, and institutions of the American political order” and the “philosophical foundations of responsible leadership and informed citizenship.”
• Promote civic education, engagement and discourse.
• Enhance education in political fields including American history, government and free market economics with a focus on the foundations of “Western and American civilization,” including literature, the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizenship, fundamental democratic principles and how those are demonstrated at federal, state and local levels.
• Provide “viewpoint and ideologically diverse resources” to students, faculty, state government agencies, educators and the public regarding civic affairs.
The bills propose this school for only OU’s Norman campus and do not include any other higher education institutions in the state.
Both bills were filed under an emergency provision, meaning if enacted, the legislation would take effect on July 1. The state’s 2025 legislative session begins Feb. 3 and is slated to end May 30.
Under SB 244, the school and its director would be advised by a nine-member committee on staffing, curriculum, policy and programming matters. The bill specifies the governor, the Senate president pro tempore and the speaker of the House would each appoint three members, one of which must be an active or retired academic or higher education administrative employee.
OU’s president would appoint a vice president of civic thought and leadership before the end of 2025. That person would chair the advisory board.
SB 267 would call for an advisory board composed of six OU Board of Regents members with the provost serving as chair. Both bills call for a national search by the advisory board for the program’s director.
As currently drafted, SB 244 does not propose any funding from the Legislature; SB 267, conversely, would allocate $5 million in state funding for the school’s founding.
Pugh, who serves as chair of both the Senate education committee and subcommittee, told OU Daily his intent behind the bill was to make a concerted effort to protect free speech and challenge paradigms on college campuses.
Pugh said the School of American Civic Thought and Leadership would bring diverse points of view together, teaching students of all backgrounds and perspectives how to challenge one another.
“Having a school that’s kind of dedicated to that mentality, raising up a generation who know how to defend their beliefs and know how to engage the world at large and make compelling arguments of substance over style, I think would be really healthy,” Pugh said.
As the bill is pre-filed, it will likely change as it passes through committees and both legislative chambers. Pugh said there will be conversations with his colleagues regarding funding and structure at the appropriate times.
OU President Joseph Harroz told OU Daily he hasn’t seen the bill yet, but has seen programs like this in different states. OU Daily reached out to OU Marketing and Communications for comment and was told the university does not typically comment on proposed legislation.
A similar bill was filed last legislative session by Pugh and former Rep. Jon Echols (R-Oklahoma City). That bill was amended to move the school to the University of Central Oklahoma campus, but later died in committee.
Sen. Mary Boren (D-Norman) serves with Pugh on the Senate education subcommittee. Boren wrote in a statement to the Daily that the content described in the bill already exists within letters, history, constitutional studies and political science degrees.
“There is no demand by students for a rebranding of course offerings, and there is no evidence that the work force prefers a rebranding of course offerings,” Boren wrote.
Pugh told OU Daily that he envisions a mix of new courses with existing OU programs and sees the new school as an expansion and formalization of such programs.
Rep. Jared Deck (D-Norman), wrote in a statement to OU Daily that he’s heard no demand from students asking for “a duplicitous layer” to the current academic structure. Deck wrote the lack of a funding source in SB 244 could potentially add to tuition and fee increases for students not enrolled in the program.
“Unless there are thousands of incoming ‘civic thought’ jobs of which I’m unaware, this bill appears to be an unfunded mandate that could increase student debt with little to no benefit to Oklahoma’s workforce needs,” Deck wrote.
Similar programs
Arizona State University’s School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership was launched in spring 2017, dedicated to “inspiring leadership and statesmanship for the common good” according to student publication The State Press.
The ASU program offers two bachelor's degrees, one master’s, one minor and one certificate program.
According to reporting from The New York Times, Arizona’s Legislature has allocated over $7 million for the school, which hired six new professors, acquired rare manuscripts including first editions of the Federalist Papers and Adam Smith’s “Wealth of Nations” and a spring break trip to India for 12 students.
The State Press reported the school incorporated two think tanks supported by the conservative Charles Koch Foundation, the Center of Political Thought and Leadership and the Center for the Study of Economic Liberty.
Paul Carrese, founding director of the school, wrote in a note from the director the school prepares the next generation of leaders through civic, economic, political and moral thought with experiential learning in the U.S. and abroad.
“American higher education and our civic culture could use a dose of this nexus of great intellectual works with preparation for leadership and statesmanship in 21st century America and a globalized world,” Carrese wrote. “We are vindicating the higher and broader relevance of such study for inspiring students to dedicate themselves to service in the private and public sectors, both in America and abroad; and to appreciate civic discourse and civil disagreement.”
At the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, the School of Civic Life and Leadership was described as a “conservative center” when the idea was initially discussed in 2017.
In 2023, the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Governors passed a resolution that urged university administration to accelerate the development of the school. Over 650 UNC-Chapel Hill faculty members signed a letter advocating against the program.
On the School of Civic Life and Leadership’s website, Director and Dean Jed Atkins is quoted as saying the school “prepares students for the responsibilities of citizenship and civic leadership by fostering a free-speech culture and providing an education grounded in encouraging the human search for meaning and developing the capacities for civil discourse and wise decision-making.”
According to the NC Newsline in 2023, the UNC-Chapel Hill program was a means of “leveling the playing field” in terms of political viewpoints. The school’s establishment was a priority for North Carolina’s General Assembly, which provided $2 million in two fiscal years toward the program.
Then-board chair David Boliek appeared on Fox News in January 2023 to say the school was about balancing viewpoints, providing an equal opportunity for all views to be taught.
The UNC-Chapel Hill school, which held its first class in the fall 2024 semester, offers one minor, with courses open to all students. The curriculum is divided into three categories: scientific evidence and engagement, intellectual history and humanities, and civil and political institutions.
Programs with similar goals exist at the Hamilton Center for Classical and Civics Education at the University of Florida, the School of Civic Leadership at the University of Texas-Austin, the Institute of American Civics at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and five Ohio universities.
ASU, UNC-Chapel Hill, UT-Austin and Ohio State University, one of five Ohio institutions with a similar program, hold membership in the Association of American Universities. Harroz has made joining the AAU a goal in the Lead On, University strategic plan.
This story was edited by Anusha Fathepure and Ana Barboza. This story was copy edited by Kylie Caldwell and Sophie Hemker.
