North Columbus News

The Ohio State University has appointed legal scholar Lee J. Strang as the inaugural executive director of the Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society. Strang is currently the John W. Stoepler Professor of Law & Values at the University of Toledo and serves as the inaugural director of its Institute of American Constitutional Thought & Leadership.

“Lee is an exceptional constitutional scholar with a wealth of administrative experience, and we are excited that he will join the university to stand up and lead the new Salmon P. Chase Center,” said Karla Zadnik, interim executive vice president and provost. “Our shared goal is for the center to become a national leader in teaching, research and engagement on U.S. civics, culture and society.”

Initiated in 2023 by the state of Ohio, the Salmon P. Chase Center will focus on teaching and researching the foundation of the American constitutional order and its societal impact. As executive director, Strang will organize the center, oversee faculty hiring, develop curriculum, and deliver academic programming.

“Ohio State’s land-grant mission, exemplified by its motto Education for Citizenship, arose at a time in American history when our nation turned to higher education to bring together a divided America through civic education," Strang stated. "Today, the Salmon P. Chase Center will carry forward that historic mission through its courses, scholarship and programming, and become the national leader in civic thought and leadership."

Once fully operational, the center will have at least 15 tenure-track faculty members and offer various educational opportunities for students and faculty across Ohio State University. It will be housed within the John Glenn College of Public Affairs.

“Professor Strang is the right leader for the Chase Center," said Trevor Brown, dean of Glenn College. "He is a nationally recognized constitutional scholar dedicated to supporting open dialogue and diverse viewpoints about American history, culture and politics.”

Strang has published extensively in leading journals on constitutional law, property law, religion, and First Amendment issues. He co-authored "Federal Constitutional Law" and wrote "Originalism’s Promise: A Natural Law Account of the American Constitution."

“Professor Strang engages with some of the most important and profound matters of public concern in a serious, open-minded and rigorous way,” summarized Darrell A.H. Miller from University of Chicago Law School.

Before his academic career, Strang served as a judicial clerk for Judge Alice M. Batchelder of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and practiced litigation at Jenner & Block LLP in Chicago. He holds degrees from University of Iowa (J.D.) where he was articles editor for Iowa Law Review and Harvard Law School (LL.M.).

The Chase Center academic council led a nationwide search for this position with members recognized nationally for their academic excellence.

“Through his prodigious scholarship, pedagogy of civility and experience at similar centers," noted Jean Yarbrough from Bowdoin University’s academic council member."Strang has shown a deep commitment to understanding American civic tradition."