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Make your gift countSeptember 23, 2025
Virginia’s public universities should be leaders in promoting free expression and diversity of thought, but new research from ACTA’s Campus Freedom Initiative™ (CFI) shows the state’s most important public universities have serious work to do to make their campuses welcoming to new ideas and different points of view. We surveyed over 2,300 students and recent alumni from George Mason University (GMU), James Madison University (JMU), the University of Virginia (UVA), Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Virginia Tech (VT), and William & Mary (W&M). Our survey found high levels of self-censorship and intellectual intolerance on each campus.
For too long, colleges and universities have neglected teaching the American story to undergraduates, with fewer than one in five institutions requiring a course in U.S. government or history for graduation. Most students are leaving college without a grasp of their own system of government, a situation that is particularly alarming in an age of rising polarization. ACTA has taken a significant step to address this crisis by convening the National Commission on American History and Civic Education, comprised of esteemed historians, political scientists, and education leaders.
September 17, 2025
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) is pleased to announce that Lawrence H. Summers, the Charles W. Eliot University Professor and president emeritus at Harvard University, is the winner of the 2025 Philip Merrill Award for Outstanding Contributions to Liberal Arts Education.
Harvard President Emeritus Lawrence H. Summers Named ACTA’s 2025 Philip Merrill Award WinnerSeptember 11, 2025
ACTA president Michael Poliakoff speaks with Lee Strang, the inaugural director of the new Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture and…
Wall Street Journal | September 1, 2025 by Solveig Gold and Joshua Katz
‘You’re really smart. What the hell is wrong with you?” Yale English Prof. Lawrence Rainey asked one of us…
ACTA’s report, “No U.S. History? How College History Departments Leave the United States out of the Major,” found that 18 of the top 25 public universities did not have a wide-ranging American history requirement for students seeking a B.A. in history in the major or core curriculum.
Download PDFSeptember 23, 2025
Today, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) released a survey of over 2,300 students at six of Virginia’s 15 public universities, uncovering high rates of self-censorship and viewpoint intolerance. We also released an accompanying report card that assesses the institutions’ policies on free expression. This work is part of ACTA’s Campus Freedom Initiative™, which has launched campaigns at institutions across the country to promote free speech and open inquiry.
Can Virginia’s Universities Achieve a Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression?September 23, 2025
Virginia’s public universities should be leaders in promoting free expression and diversity of thought, but new research from ACTA’s…
September 23, 2025
Virginia state law requires public universities to protect the First Amendment rights of all students, faculty, and invited guests….
ACTA now provides a blueprint to help higher education regain and live by this core principle. The ACTA Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™ provides clear guidance for institutions to create a culture of free thought on their campuses.
Download PDFSeptember 3, 2025
American society is characterized by its diverse cultures. But diversity alone, especially when narrowly understood as a matter of race and gender, does not define the American identity or that of a university. The American identity emphasizes merit, individual liberty, self-governance, and civil engagement. These are all the more essential to the mission and identity […]
Achieving Common DignityAugust 15, 2025
In this episode of Higher Ed Now, ACTA Policy Research Fellow Kyle Beltramini and Third Way Education Policy Advisor…
July 29, 2025 by Michael B. Poliakoff
It is a relief that the government will now lift the freeze on much of the 1.3 billion dollars…
Governance for a New Era is a blueprint for higher education governance. Signatories to the statement, a diverse group of 22 distinguished national leaders dedicated to ensuring America’s colleges and universities shed 20th century thinking and successfully meet 21st century challenges.
Download PDF
September 23, 2025
Today, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) released a survey of over 2,300 students at six of Virginia’s 15 public universities, uncovering high rates of self-censorship and viewpoint intolerance. We also released an accompanying report card that assesses the institutions’ policies…
September 17, 2025
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) is pleased to announce that Lawrence H. Summers, the Charles W. Eliot University Professor and president emeritus at Harvard University, is the winner of the 2025 Philip Merrill Award for Outstanding Contributions to Liberal Arts Education.
September 3, 2025
ACTA has released a new trustee guide entitled, Achieving Common Dignity: A Trustee Guide to Ensuring a Discrimination-free Campus. The guide is designed to help university leaders understand what the law requires and ensure that their institutions’ programs and policies treat all community membe…
Wall Street Journal | September 1, 2025 by Solveig Gold and Joshua Katz
‘You’re really smart. What the hell is wrong with you?” Yale English Prof. Lawrence Rainey asked one of us (Mr. Katz) over a beer-stained table at a local pizzeria after grading his first college paper in 1987.
institutions have been counseled by ACTA on matters of cost effectiveness, financial governance, and institutional spending. See ACTA’s one-of-a-kind higher education financial analysis tool: HowCollegesSpendMoney.com.
institutions and systems representing nearly four million students, encouraged by ACTA, reaffirmed their commitment to free speech on campus by adopting the Chicago Principles on Freedom of Expression or a policy of institutional neutrality.
institutions have improved their core curriculum requirements based on ACTA’s annual What Will They Learn?® initiative. Visit WhatWillTheyLearn.com
students from 100+ Institutions have engaged in 400+ civil discourse debates, dialogues, and workshops through ACTA’s college debates program partnership with Braver Angels and Bridge USA.
news outlets in 2024 covered ACTA’s nationwide impact on academic excellence, academic freedom, and accountability in higher education.
million dollars in gifts to higher education have been guided through ACTA’s Fund for Academic Renewal. Visit AcademicRenewal.org.
Launched in 1995, we are the only organization that works with alumni, donors, trustees, and education leaders across the United States to support liberal arts education, uphold high academic standards, safeguard the free exchange of ideas on campus, and ensure that the next generation receives an intellectually rich, high-quality college education at an affordable price.
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