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Join ACTA in promoting Academic Excellence, Academic Freedom, and Accountability at America’s colleges and universities.
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Join us at our 26th annual ATHENA Roundtable, featuring Professor John McWhorter as this year’s recipient of ACTA’s Philip Merrill Award for Outstanding Contributions to Liberal Arts Education.
Click Here to Register
August 24, 2022 by ACTA
President Biden’s action to forgive up to $10,000 in federal student loan debt is like fighting a wildfire with a garden hose, or perhaps more tragically, pouring kerosene on the fire.
The United States, indeed, the world, lost an intellectual giant. David McCullough was one of our most extraordinary historians,...
Inside Higher Ed | April 20, 2022 by Josh Moody
Failed presidential searches are a nightmare for all involved. For the university, it means going back to the drawing board. For the candidate, it’s time and energy spent in vain. But how often do...
READ MORE“ACTA provides short, concise suggestions for trustees who can help administrations make real, beneficial change for the future of education.”
February 9, 2022 by ACTA
In recent days, the University of Michigan has been rocked by a series of public controversies. On Wednesday, January...
Colleges and universities depend on informed and engaged trustees. ACTA’s tools and resources equip board members to be effective fiduciaries for America’s institutions of higher education. Be prepared for your next board meeting with ACTA’s trustee toolkit.
Get Your CopyApril 15, 2022 by ACTA
On April 1, 2022, ACTA hosted a webinar to introduce alumni free speech advocates to our College Debates and Discourse Program, which brings parliamentary-style debates to college campuses. The event is part of our ongoing work,...
READ MORE“I appreciate the assistance of the Fund for Academic Renewal in structuring the gift and my agreement. The guidance will ensure that my objectives for the gift will be honored by the University for many years to come.”
October 20, 2021 by ACTA
Washington, DC—The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) applauds the formation of the Alumni Free Speech Alliance (AFSA),...
Forbes | August 30, 2021 by Michael B. Poliakoff
For good reason, the Pell Grant program has enjoyed wide bipartisan support. It is properly called the cornerstone of America’s investment in college financial aid, and for nearly half a century, it has been an...
READ MORE"ACTA’s resources are very informative for my staff as we work to solve issues in higher education. I commend the hard work of ACTA."
Campus Reform | September 14, 2021 by Angela Morabito
An American Council of Trustees and Alumni found that spending on student services did not move the needle on...
Read how policymakers can reform the higher education quality assurance process to protect students and taxpayers, preserve university and college independence and autonomy, and allow innovation in post-secondary education that will retain America's leadership.
Get Your CopySeptember 8, 2021 by ACTA
Drawing on empirical data from student surveys, as well as insights from faculty and higher education leaders across the country, ACTA’s report details how the rapid shift to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the ongoing free speech crisis on college campuses, further suppressed viewpoint diversity, and encouraged more self-censorship among students. The...
READ MORE“Our very best wishes for ACTA’s continued success. We are in desperate need of educated citizens if as a country we are to survive.”
Campus Reform | September 15, 2021 by Mckenna Dallmeyer
Students at Texas A&M, University of Arkansas, and Miami Dade College report being unable to find faculty advisors for...
DIVERSITY DONE RIGHT: How can colleges become places where diversity of thought, politics, religious heritage, and life experience are campus priorities?
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Is refusing to use someone’s preferred pronouns harassment or free speech? The courts have so far sided with free speech, but the Biden administration seems determined to push the issue and threaten free expression on American campuses by applying Title IX to gender identity. The Biden administration’s proposed new rules would prohibit “policies and practices that prevent…student[s] from participating in a recipient’s education […]
Despite enormous endowments and surging numbers of applicants, all is not well in the Ivy League. Next year, SCOTUS will decide whether Harvard has disadvantaged Asian applicants, and meanwhile, a series of freedom of speech cases is tarnishing the reputation of America’s most elite universities. At Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and very recently the University of […]
A University of Minnesota regent who resigned his position in order to be […]
Jodi Shaw, who outed Smith College for its ‘hostile work environment,’ earns ‘Hero […]
Two out of three college students now graduate with an average of over $28,000 in student debt, and the price of tuition continues to rise at an unsustainable rate, faster even than health care. So how do colleges spend that money?
The goal of ACTA's What Will They Learn?® project is to encourage colleges and universities to strengthen their general education programs—so that students graduate better prepared for the workforce, ready to participate in their communities as responsible citizens, and acquainted with our cultural and intellectual inheritance.
Intentional, directed giving has the power to renew our colleges and universities. ACTA's Fund for Academic Renewal serves donors who want to make transformative gifts to higher education, gifts that help institutions live up to their highest ideals. FAR guides donors and their advisors through every step in the gift-making process.
institutions have investigated their spending practices through ACTA’s one-of-a-kind higher education financial analysis tool: HowCollegesSpendMoney.com.
institutions representing two million students, encouraged by ACTA, reaffirmed their commitment to free speech on campus by adopting the Chicago Principles on Freedom of Expression.
institutions have improved their core curriculum requirements based on ACTA’s annual What Will They Learn?® initiative. Visit WhatWillTheyLearn.com
students from 50+ Institutions have engaged in civil discourse debates through ACTA’s college debates program partnership with Braver Angels and Bridge USA.
news outlets reaching 14 million readers have 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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