UC names new policy center after former Sen. Rob Portman
A new policy center at the University of Cincinnati focused on bipartisanship will don the name of former Sen. Rob Portman.
The board of trustees on Tuesday approved the creation of the Portman Center for Policy Solutions, which will offer fellowships, seminars and research opportunities on policy issues and civility in politics. Portman, who retired from the U.S. Senate last year, will help raise money for the center’s endowment and donate his congressional papers for students to use.
In an interview before he left office, Portman hinted that he would work with the university to encourage public service and bipartisanship. The former senator also joined the conservative American Enterprise Institute this month as a visiting fellow.
“It’s better for the country to have bipartisan, more sustainable, longerlasting legislation in any case,” he said in December. “So that’s part of what I hope will be part of our legacy.”
The center’s mission mirrors the style of Portman, who often brokered deals and worked across the aisle to get legislation passed. During his final months in office, he led negotiations with the White House and other senators on a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package that will fund the Brent Spence Bridge corridor and other projects.
Over time, Portman grew weary of partisan politics and elected officials who spend more time throwing “red meat” than finding solutions.
“We hope to develop future leaders who are steeped in active citizenship and the essentials of democracy from a bipartisan perspective,” said Richard Harknett, director of the university’s School of Public and International Affairs. “Our country needs this center and its mission now more than ever.”
With the creation of this center, Portman joins the ranks of former U.S. Sens. John Glenn and George Voinovich, who also have academic facilities named after them.
Haley Bemiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.