In last minute add-on, lawmakers directed UK to open a ‘Center of American Civics’
A center for civics courses is coming to the University of Kentucky after state Republican lawmakers approved an eleventh-hour addition to an education bill earlier this year, but it’s unclear who spearheaded the idea.
Senate Bill 4 came out of a conference committee of lawmakers ahead of the veto period with a new addition — establishing a Center of American Civics at UK. The bill had made headlines at the time for its changes to restructure the school boards of Jefferson and Fayette counties, which Democrats opposed.
According to the legislation, the center’s mission will include fostering “a deeper understanding of the structures and institutions of federal, state, and local government” and promoting “civil discourse and constructive debate.” The law also says the center must provide nonpartisan resources to students and faculty on campus as well as to state government agencies, educators and the general public.
SB 4 says that the center “may be physically housed in the J. David Rosenberg College of Law” on UK’s campus and the university’s Board of Trustees can rename the center “consistent with its philanthropic naming governance procedures.”
UK spokesperson Jay Blanton said the university is “in the early stages of conversations” about how to implement the legislation on campus. Provost Robert DiPaola has discussed it with leaders from academic units “where there is interest in this issue,” Blanton said, like the law college and the Martin School of Public Policy and Administration.
“They are having preliminary discussions about the types of courses we teach now that fall into this area of American Civics and civic engagement and how we might think about a center and its offerings going forward,” Blanton said. “Currently, we are not contemplating a degree or a set of required courses as part of this initiative. We were aware of discussions from legislators who were interested in this legislation and responded to questions when asked.”
Blanton said that there is not a donor for the center at this time.
When asked if UK has requested the legislation or if the General Assembly asked the institution to do it, Blanton said: “This legislation in one form or another has been out there for a number of sessions. It was not a legislative priority for the institution but we are eagerly working to implement the legislature’s direction.”
SB 4 included shifting the mission of McConnell Center at the University of Louisville to a similar focus on civics education, but another bill that was approved after the veto period, House Bill 826, removed those changes to UofL. The non-partisan McConnell Center was founded in 1991 by Republican U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, an alumnus of the university, to foster leadership and scholarship for students.
Angela Billings, a spokesperson for Kentucky Senate Republicans, said the addition of the civics center did not come from another piece of legislation before it was added in the free conference committee, which was made up of House and Senate lawmakers after both chambers could not agree on changes. She did not say who requested the provision be added to the bill.
“The conferees supported the addition of the UK program, and the KY General Assembly concurred. It will be up to the university to implement it to fulfill the intent of the bill,” Billings said.
The House members on the SB 4 conference committee were House Republican Whip Jason Nemes, of Middletown; Rep. Scott Lewis, R-Hartford; Rep. Ken Fleming; House Speaker David Osborne, R-Prospect; and Rep. Lisa Willner, D-Louisville. The Senate members were Sen. Steve West, R-Paris; Senate President Pro Tempore David Givens, R-Greensburg; Sen. Aaron Reed, R-Shelbyville; and Senate Democratic Floor Leader Gerald Neal, of Louisville.
Universities in other states have added centers to focus on civics education in recent years at the direction of Republican politicians. In 2025, West Virginia and Iowa mandated centers at their flagship institutions.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill opened its School of Civic Life and Leadership in 2023, but it has faced controversies, such as the firing of an associate dean and an internal investigation, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.