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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…
The Hill | September 8, 2025 by John Kenneth White
New York Times columnist Thomas Byrne Edsall recently described President Trump’s “mind-boggling intrusiveness ” Unlike any other 21st century…
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 PDFOctober 14, 2025
Since the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) launched its national campaign to encourage colleges and universities to adopt policies of institutional neutrality, many institutions across the country have done so. Cornell University is the latest school to take notable steps toward this goal.
Cornell University Makes Significant Progress Toward Adopting Institutional NeutralityThe New York Sun | October 9, 2025 by Novi Zhukovsky
The Trump administration’s efforts to reform American higher education have long been contentious, but its latest maneuver has done…
Richmond Times-Dispatch | October 5, 2025 by Michael B. Poliakoff and Justin Garrison
As the University of Virginia (UVa) begins its search for a new president, it is imperative that the university…
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 PDFInside Higher Ed | October 14, 2025 by Jessica Blake
The Department of Education has delayed the semiannual convening of its accreditation advisory committee for the second time this year, according to an email sent to committee members and obtained by Inside Higher Ed. The meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, originally slated to take place in July, had already been pushed back to Oct. 21. Now, as a result of the government shutdown, it’s been rescheduled for Dec. 16. “As many of you know, most department staff, including those supporting NACIQI, have been furloughed and the Department has suspended operations except for specific excepted activities,” Jeffrey Andrade, deputy assistant…
NACIQI Meeting Delayed for a Second TimeOctober 9, 2025
ACTA’s Nick Down interviews Thad Westbrook, chairman of the University of South Carolina’s (USC) Board of Trustees. Mr. Westbrook earned his…
September 23, 2025 by Armand B. Alacbay
ACTA’s Chief of Staff and Senior VP of Strategy, sent a letter to the Commission for Public Higher Education…
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.
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Inside Higher Ed | October 14, 2025 by Jessica Blake
The Department of Education has delayed the semiannual convening of its accreditation advisory committee for the second time this year, according to an email sent to committee members and obtained by Inside Higher Ed. The meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and In…
The New York Sun | October 9, 2025 by Novi Zhukovsky
The Trump administration’s efforts to reform American higher education have long been contentious, but its latest maneuver has done more than just elicit sharp division: It has sparked a conservative backlash and been branded a modern-day “loyalty oath.” The administration’s new “Compact for Aca…
October 8, 2025
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) will honor Pano Kanelos, the founding president of the University of Austin (UATX), as our 2025 Hero of Intellectual Freedom. A passionate advocate for liberal education and intellectual diversity, Dr. Kanelos and his fellow co-founders formed UA…
Richmond Times-Dispatch | October 5, 2025 by Michael B. Poliakoff and Justin Garrison
As the University of Virginia (UVa) begins its search for a new president, it is imperative that the university require applicants to demonstrate their commitment to improving freedom of expression and diversity of thought on campus. Change in this area is urgently needed. In 2022, Emma Camp, the…
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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