Lee Strang, a law professor at the University of Toledo, will serve as the executive director of the Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society at Ohio State.
The new center was funded as part of a $24 million allocation for intellectual diversity centers in Ohio Senate Bill 117.
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Austin Browne '24 | Senior Ohio Correspondent
August 11, 2024, 3:00 pm ET
A conservative professor has been selected to lead a new intellectual diversity center at Ohio State University.
Dr. Lee Strang, a law professor at the University of Toledo, will serve as the executive director of the new Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society.
“Lee is an exceptional constitutional scholar with a wealth of administrative experience, and we are excited that he will join the university to stand up and lead the new Salmon P. Chase Center,” Karla Zadnik, an interim executive vice president and provost at Ohio State, said in a statement. “Our shared goal is for the center to become a national leader in teaching, research and engagement on U.S. civics, culture and society.”
[RELATED: ACLU sues Purdue University over intellectual diversity law]
Strang is also the executive director of the Institute of Constitutional Thought and Leadership at Toledo. He has additionally served as a judicial clerk, practicing lawyer, and author.
“Leading the Chase Center is an opportunity to be part of the solution to how Americans of all backgrounds and viewpoints, together, will renew our common civic life,” Strang told the Ohio Capital Journal. “The Chase Center will do so by focusing on what unites us — ‘the historical ideas, traditions and texts’ of our common constitutional heritage — and do so in a way — ‘free, open and rigorous intellectual inquiry’ — that guides Americans to see each other as civic friends, united in the collaborative project of securing the common good for us all.”
Some have criticized Strang’s conservative beliefs and political activism, including his support for a bill that, if passed, would have implemented stricter requirements for making amendments to Ohio’s constitution.
“(Strang) kind of hides his political motivations for taking these undemocratic legal positions, and that doesn’t really inspire confidence for someone who’s going to be open-minded and interested in intellectual diversity,” said Jani Pranav, president of Ohio State’s Association of University Professors.
[RELATED: Purdue University adopts ‘institutional neutrality’ in wake of Indiana intellectual diversity bill]
Others have praised Strang’s selection, which was finalized by the Chase Center academic council, a collection of “scholars with national reputations for academic excellence.”
“Under his leadership, the Chase Center is poised to become one of our country’s leading centers for civic education and leadership,” said council member Jean Yarbrough, a professor at Bowdoin University.
The center was funded as part of a $24 million allocation for intellectual diversity centers in Ohio Senate Bill 117.
Once completed, the center will employ more than 15 tenure-track faculty members and will focus on “teaching and researching the foundation of the American constitutional order and its impact on society.”
Campus Reform has contacted Ohio State University and Lee Strang for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
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