American Council Of Trustees and Alumni

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Events

  • Friday, May 16, 2008

    American Legislative Exchange Council Meeting: Palmiero to present "Shining the Light" to education-minded state lawmakers in Hot Springs, AR.

ACTA in the News

Shining the Light in Georgia

Across the United States, debate has been raging about what today's college students are learning, whether preaching is replacing teaching, whether trustees are doing their jobs, and how much college costs. But often, it's tough for concerned citizens and taxpayers to figure out what's really going on. Most of us are not on college campuses, and the academy isn't exactly forthcoming with information.

In Georgia, these issues are even more worthy of discussion—in light of four First Amendment lawsuits and a four-year graduation rate of 20 percent. And now, a new "report card" from ACTA is, as its title says, Shining the Light on areas of real public concern: curriculum, intellectual diversity, governance, and affordability.

Twin Victories for Alumni Input at Dartmouth

In recent weeks, concerned alumni at Dartmouth College—who have been fighting for high academic standards and accountability for years, with ACTA's help—won two key victories. After seeing independent, reform-minded candidates triumph in four straight trustee elections, the Dartmouth establishment pushed a "board packing" plan through the Board of Trustees on a divided vote. Left without any other option, alumni filed suit. Predictably, the board majority claimed the suit was baseless, but on February 5, the judge refused to dismiss it. Then, on Valentine's Day, the board agreed to put its plan—which would have added eight unelected trustees—on hold. As ACTA told the media, "This gives alumni hope that a long-term solution will be reached to preserve the democratic character of Dartmouth's governance structure."

William & Mary Board Gets It Right

On February 10, the Board of Visitors of the College of William & Mary informed the college's president, Gene Nichol, that it would not be renewing his contract. This came after many months of controversy—prompted in part by the Nichol administration's sudden introduction of a "bias reporting system" that raised serious First Amendment concerns—and unrest on the part of concerned alumni. As ACTA told the media, "Hiring presidents, evaluating them, and deciding whether to retain them are important and difficult decisions, but they are ultimately the board's to make. ACTA commends the William & Mary board for accepting its responsibility to determine what is in the best interests of the college—and for inviting input from the entire community, including alumni, before making the decision."

Latest From ACTA's Blog - ACTA's Must-Reads

The core of the issue

Posted on: 2008-04-18 11:28:15-05:00

Our friends at the National Association of Scholars have published an incisive piece on the University System of Georgia's pending curricular changes...

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On this April 16th

Posted on: 2008-04-16 13:49:36-05:00

The American Council of Trustees and Alumni remembers with sadness the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech just one year ago...

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