Establishment of The Portman Center for Policy Solutions to foster bipartisan dialogue, engagement

A newly established Portman Center will provide academic programming and support for students and will be housed within the University of Cincinnati’s School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA).

UC’s Board of Trustees approved establishment of the Center at its regular meeting on February 28, 2023. Earlier this year, SPIA’s faculty voted unanimously in support of the Portman Center’s formation.  

Senator Portman said UC was the natural choice for the Center due to the university’s deep commitment to its public mission and history of innovation spanning more than 200 years. He stated, “I view this Center as a way to encourage young people to engage in public service that focuses on civility, bipartisanship, and finding common ground. Too many are understandably turned off by excessive partisanship, gridlock and harsh language in today’s political dialogue. The Center will highlight specific examples of successful legislative efforts and introduce students to public officials from both parties who have successfully worked across the aisle to achieve results for their constituents. Such collaboration is the only way to find solutions to our nation’s toughest problems.”

The Portman Center for Policy Solutions will offer

• Fellowships for students that will provide scholarships as well as research opportunities, internships and co-ops.
  
• Integrated academic programming in support of students across diverse academic disciplines in order to promote a variety of perspectives on policy issues.
  
• A seminar series that will focus on important policy issues facing our nation.

The Portman Center’s focus on student success and democratic civility tie into its vision of promoting and developing future leaders in the public sphere from across the political spectrum, through a renewed emphasis on civility, open and inclusive dialogue, and bipartisan engagement. The Center aims to inspire students, faculty and community partners to grow as citizen-leaders who advance the public good.

A native of Cincinnati who still resides here, Portman recently concluded more than a decade of service representing Ohio in the U.S. Senate. He is known for his grasp of a broad range of complex issues, civility and bipartisan approach. When he was a U.S. Senator, Portman was highly ranked in terms of a bipartisan voting record, and the mission of the Portman Center will build on that legacy of bipartisanship. While serving in the U.S. Senate, Portman was known as one of the most prolific legislators of his generation, with a remarkable 228 of his bipartisan bills signed into law by Presidents Obama, Trump and Biden. He was routinely ranked in the top 5 on the Lugar ranking for bipartisanship. (The Lugar Center and Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy have produced a non-partisan ranking of how often each member of congress works across party lines.)

Locally, Portman will likely best be remembered for his support and Senate leadership related to the bipartisan passage of the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, designed to make historic improvements to the nation’s roads, ports, rails, bridges and more, including paving the way for a new Brent Spence Bridge. He has also been involved in efforts to end human trafficking; provide funds for drug rehabilitation efforts, including the opioid crisis; strengthen retirement security; enhance the nation’s cyber security; expand land conservation efforts and more. In 2018, he and Ohio Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown joined together in supporting a major criminal justice reform bill. He played a key role in U.S. foreign policy through his seat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and as co-chair and founder of the Senate Ukraine Caucus.

Prior to his two terms in the U.S. Senate, Portman served six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.  Portman has sent his congressional and senatorial papers to UC. In the administration of George W. Bush, Portman served in two cabinet-level roles, as Director of the Office of Management and Budget and U.S. Trade Representative.

SPIA is housed in the College of Arts & Sciences at UC and offers three undergraduate program degrees (Political Science; International Affairs; and Law & Society), three graduate program degrees (MA in Political Science; PhD in Political Science; MA in Public Administration-Social Justice) with several more certificates and minors to over 500 majors/minors/certificate students. The undergraduate program has a co-op sub-plan that allows students to gain practical work experience while advancing their degrees.

The faculty of SPIA have earned international and national recognition for their research, continually winning book awards, fellowships and research grants, while achieving similar recognition with awards for innovative teaching and student advancement. The school’s faculty work with governments and non-profits on policy issues and appear regularly in media providing expert analysis. The Portman Center for Policy Solutions is the newest center within the school and joins two others: the Center for Cyber Strategy and Policy and the Center for Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation.

The students, staff, and faculty all contribute to SPIA’s vision of serving as a Nexus between Theory and Action through which we forge big ideas that foster public impact. We partner with students, communities, and governments to inspire innovative ideas and action, build trust and engagement in democratic governance nationally and globally, and champion the pursuit of human progress centered on equity and justice.