Since 2021, colleges and universities across the United States have seen a striking increase in the creation of “Civic Centers” focused on civic thought, civic discourse, or both. Although civics centers have existed for decades, their growth has accelerated dramatically, in part due to state legislative action. This rapid expansion has drawn attention from policymakers, faculty, and observers of higher education — supporters see civics centers as a constructive way to promote civic education and viewpoint diversity, while critics have raised concerns about faculty governance, academic freedom, and potential political influence.

To better understand this evolving sector, Heterodox Academy developed the first-of-its-kind public dataset cataloguing civics centers across U.S. higher education. The report identifies 45 centers at 41 institutions in 25 states, describes their institutional characteristics, and highlights emerging political and structural patterns — especially the rise of legislatively mandated centers at public universities. The analysis offers a clearer picture of how these centers are being formed, what they are designed to do, and how they differ across institution types. The report also outlines trends to watch as these centers mature, including faculty hiring patterns, impacts on student learning, and the relationship between civics centers and broader debates over academic freedom, political polarization, and viewpoint diversity.

Key findings include:

• Half of all identified civics centers were founded in 2021 or later, with 13 new centers announced since 2023.
• Of the 22 centers founded between 2022 and 2025, 59% were created through state legislation.
• Public institutions tend to house autonomous, “civic thought” focused centers, whereas private institutions more often host semi-autonomous centers emphasizing “civic discourse.”
• Centers created by legislative mandate, in states such as Ohio, Florida, and Tennessee, raise new issues around faculty governance, academic freedom, and institutional autonomy.
• Centers cluster around two major themes: “civic thought” (classical liberalism, American founding, Western civilization) and “civic discourse” (dialogue across difference, viewpoint diversity).