WVNews: “WVU Washington Center for Civics, Culture, and Statesmanship draws praise and criticism ahead of first semester”
The following article by Chase Hughart was published in WVNews on May 8, 2026.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia University’s new Washington Center for Civics, Culture and Statesmanship is set to launch this fall, bringing with it a curriculum focused on constitutional studies, Western civilization and free inquiry.
Created through House Bill 3297 by the West Virginia Legislature, the center has quickly become one of the more closely watched additions to the university in recent years, drawing both enthusiasm and criticism as it prepares for its first semester.
The center was born out of a broader political movement taking shape in several Republican-led states aimed at reshaping civics education and increasing what supporters describe as ideological diversity within public universities.
Over the past several years, lawmakers in states such as Florida, Texas, Ohio, and North Carolina have supported the creation of similar civics institutes and academic centers focused on constitutional studies, American political thought, and Western civilization.
In West Virginia, momentum for the project grew alongside growing national debates over free speech on college campuses, diversity initiatives, and the political makeup of university faculty. Republican lawmakers backing the bill argued that universities had become too politically uniform and that public institutions should provide stronger foundations in American history, constitutional government, and open debate.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey strongly supported the effort, framing the center as part of a broader push to strengthen civic education in the state. After the bill’s passage, Morrisey said the center would help “educate, not indoctrinate” students and encourage a wider range of perspectives in higher education.
The legislation established the Washington Center as a largely independent academic entity within WVU and directed the university to provide classroom space, faculty positions, and operational support. The center is overseen by an academic council that includes scholars from outside the university system, a structure supporters say was intended to ensure the center maintained independence in shaping curriculum and hiring.
Leading the effort is Dr. Patrick Miller, a philosopher and former Duquesne University professor who was appointed director earlier this year by Morrisey. Miller officially began full-time work at the center in January after nearly two decades teaching philosophy in Pittsburgh.
“The mission of the Washington Center is complex,” Miller said during a recent interview. “It has three main components: the American Constitution and American ideals, the roots of those ideals in Western civilization, and free speech.”
According to the legislation establishing the center, its purpose is to promote “classical western history and culture and American constitutional thought” while preparing students for civic and political leadership. Planned course offerings include “Athens in America”, “Rome in America”, “Statesmen of the Bible”, “Woke”, “The New Right”, and “Decline of the West”.
Miller said much of the curriculum is designed to connect modern American institutions to the intellectual traditions that shaped them, particularly those of ancient Greece and Rome.
“You can’t really understand what the Founders were trying to do unless you understand the Greek and Roman precedents,” Miller said. “When they debated the Constitution, they constantly referred to Roman and Greek history and philosophy.”
Courses like “Athens in America” and “Rome in America” will begin with the Constitution and the Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers before examining the classical influences behind them. Miller said he wants students to see the Constitution not simply as a historical document, but as part of a much larger philosophical tradition.
The center also places heavy emphasis on free speech and intellectual diversity, themes Miller returned to repeatedly during the interview. He argued that universities nationally have become politically imbalanced and less willing to openly engage with competing viewpoints.
“The American academy has drifted left,” Miller said, citing national studies on political identification among university faculty. “And when you have multiple perspectives about politics, I think you have a better pursuit of truth.”
Miller said the center itself will not promote official political positions, but instead aims to encourage discussion of controversial issues in a classroom environment where students feel comfortable expressing differing views.
“The center won’t take a position on controversial issues,” he said. “But it will be a place where both sides are considered fairly and where arguments are examined openly.”
“And then I think the more potent argument would be that these people who say they’re critical thinkers also think that you can have a nation with open borders. They also think that men can be women. They also think a host of nonsense. And yet they want to carry the mantle of critical thinking. I don’t think that’s critical thinking. I think that’s ideology,” said Miller.
Supporters of the project have described it as part of a broader national movement to strengthen civics education and encourage viewpoint diversity on college campuses. West Virginia is now the 14th state to establish a civics-focused center at a public university.
Critics, however, have questioned the extent of government involvement in university affairs and whether the center risks introducing politics more directly into academic life. Some faculty members and observers have argued that the center was effectively imposed on WVU by the Legislature, while others have questioned whether some of its subjects overlap with courses already available at the university.
Miller acknowledged those concerns during the interview but said he views the center as a supplement to, rather than a replacement for, WVU’s existing academic structure.
“I would not see it as an attack on the university,” Miller said. “I see it as a reform movement to help bring universities back to objective inquiry and open discussion.”
He also argued that state involvement became more likely as lawmakers and voters increasingly viewed universities as politically disconnected from the populations they serve.
“When you have multiple perspectives,” Miller said, “you have a better pursuit of truth because people challenge one another’s assumptions.”
At the same time, Miller admitted the launch has not been without challenges. Early enrollment numbers remain modest, though he attributed that largely to the difficulties involved in starting any new academic program. Because the proposed statesmanship minor is still moving through WVU’s approval process, many students currently cannot easily fit the center’s courses into degree requirements or financial aid schedules.
“There are all these institutional obstacles to starting a new program,” Miller said. “That’s true anywhere.”
The center is also continuing to recruit faculty and establish a long-term presence within the university. Miller said scholarship opportunities will play a major role in attracting students, with approximately $70,000 in scholarships planned for participants in the future statesmanship minor.
Despite the debate and logistical hurdles surrounding the project, Miller said he remains focused on creating an environment where students can engage seriously with history, politics, philosophy, and culture.
“If you’re the kind of student who wants to have an open discussion without fear of being suppressed,” Miller said, “the Washington Center is here for you.”
As WVU prepares for the center’s first semester, the Washington Center remains both an academic experiment and a reflection of broader national conversations surrounding higher education, civic education, and the role universities play in shaping public discourse.