The Center for Ethics and Human Values is Ohio State's hub for respectful discussion and interdisciplinary engagement on the ethical challenges which shape our University and our broader communities.
Our Questions
Our democracy depends on building civic trust through improved mutual understanding and shared problem-solving. We can make headway on the pressing problems that we face only if we’re able to talk about them openly, vigorously, and respectfully – especially when we disagree. CEHV's Civil Discourse for Citizenship program trains students and faculty in doing just that.
CEHV's Conversations About Research Ethics (CARE) program provides a space for researchers of all disciplines, and at all stages of training, to engage with the ethical challenges they face in their everyday lives as researchers. Our multidisciplinary community seeks to go beyond questions of compliance and understand what it really means to conduct research with ethics and integrity.
Since its inception in 2011, the CEHV's Conversations on Morality, Politics, and Society (COMPAS) program has provided our campus community with a variety of opportunities to hear from experts within and beyond OSU about the complex ethical challenges facing our society. The 2026 COMPAS program will bring the same meaningful conversations to our campus community, and beyond, in the form of a podcast on the theme of "Humanity in the Age of AI."
OSU's Shared Values reflect our institutional vision of OSU as "a model 21st-century public, land grant, research, urban, community-engaged institution." CEHV's ETHOS Fellowship allows students, faculty, and staff to not just reflect on and learn more about these values, but cultivate them in their home units through project support and matching funds from CEHV.
Our Service
For Students
Curriculum
CEHV offers formal curriculum and training to interested students through ARTSSCI 2400(E): Conversations on Morality, Politics, and Society, where they are introduced to the principles of civil discourse and develop the skills required for constructive communication across differences. Students who want to go deeper are invited to enroll in the Civil Discourse for Citizenship Academic Certificate, a 12-credit hour program which builds on ARTSSCI 2400(E) through elective, discipline-specific coursework, and the Philosophy, Politics, & Economics major taught and led by CEHV faculty.
Fellowships
CEHV offers two Fellowships to undergraduate students. Our Civil Discourse Fellowship offers students the opportunity to plan and moderate CEHV's Civil Discourse Forums on topics of their choice, serve as ambassadors for civil discourse on campus across their one-year appointment, and earn a $750 stipend. Our ETHOS Fellowship provides students with training in OSU's Shared Values and both project support and matching funds for projects which cultivate those values in their home units.
Co-curricular Certificate
The Practicing Civil Discourse for Citizenship Co-Curricular Certificate Program provides students with the opportunity to develop the skills required for constructive dialogue in a more flexible and personalizable way. Participants earn points towards this Certificate through qualifying coursework, event attendance, and participation in a wide range of programming.
Community
CEHV seeks to build and engage a community of students through a variety of programming, from our Civil Discourse Forums and Conversations about Research Ethics Panels to our regular "Dorm Dialogues." CEHV also supports multiple student organizations across campus, including the Civil Discourse Society, the PPE Society, and The Ohio State Ethics Bowl Team.
For Faculty and Staff
Responsible Conduct of Research Training
CEHV's Conversations About Research Ethics (CARE) Training is an OSU-approved program satisfying in-person RCR training requirements for grants from the NIH and other funding bodies. Building on our CARE Panels and traditional compliance-focused trainings, the CARE Training provides faculty, postdocs, and trainees with the opportunity to go into further depth on the ethical issues facing their everyday practice as researchers through 8 in-person, guided discussion sessions.
Fellowships
Faculty and staff our welcome to participate in our biannual ETHOS Fellowship, where participants can learn more about Ohio State's shared values through a 5-session discussion-based training and cultivate those values in their home departments or units through project support and matching funds.
Teaching Endorsement
Each semester, CEHV offers the Ethical Disagreement and Civil Discourse teaching endorsement in partnership with the Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning. The endorsement is built around four workshops and an asynchronous course which introduce participants to the principles of civil discourse and the skills required to facilitate meaningful dialogue in the classroom.
Facilitated Workshops and Dialogues
Could your unit benefit from training in civil discourse? Is your department navigating a problem which dialogue can help address? Let CEHV serve you through one of our skill-building workshops or expert-facilitated discussions.
Our Impact
- >4000 Event and Workshop Participants since AY2023
- >1500 Students who've completed training in Civil Discourse
- >1400 Community members who've accessed training in Civil Discourse
- >150 Workshops and Trainings since AY2023
- >80 Faculty, across 15 colleges, who've completed our teaching endorsement program
- 5 Colleges, including 8 units, represented in CEHV's Leadership
