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Sometimes the Best Gifts Are Served with Eggs
The College Donor Digest | May 14, 2026 by Victoria Kiper
Wanting to give back, but unsure of where to start, many donors default to the simplest option: writing a blank check…
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Latest
A Broadside for the Nation
April 21, 2026
In this Broadside for the Nation, we explain in detail why American higher education must restore this foundational requirement for college graduates to know the American story, what such a course might include, and, crucially, how to make this vision a reality.
Civic Education
Educating for a More Perfect Union
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni and the Museum of the American Revolution celebrated our nation’s 250th anniversary year with an evening panel discussion on how to reinvigorate history and civics education in American college and university classrooms and across the public history sector.
PROMOTING ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
Who Will Write the Next Frankenstein?: Why Literature Is as Important as Ever in the Age of AI
May 18, 2026 by Alina Amin
In 1932, T.S. Eliot wrote: “The people which ceases to care for its literary inheritance becomes barbaric; the people which ceases to produce literature ceases to move in thought and sensibility.” If he were still alive in April 2026, the 30th official National Poetry Month, he would certainly be dismayed to find his nation sliding ever closer to the very barbarism he warned against. In the 21st century, poetry, Eliot’s beloved art form, is fading fast from its once-revered place in popular culture. Literary culture as a whole is dying, with falling reading numbers and an even greater decline…
Who Will Write the Next Frankenstein?: Why Literature Is as Important as Ever in the Age of AI
A Broadside for the Nation
ACTA’s A Broadside for the Nation: Preparing College Students for Informed Citizenship convenes 24 historians and education leaders who argue that America’s 250th anniversary demands a renewal of civic education. The report urges colleges to require every student to complete a semester-long course on the American story.
Download PDFDEFENDING ACADEMIC FREEDOm
Kent State professors cautious in the classroom following SB1
Signal Akron | May 18, 2026 by Joe Malbin and Lauren Cohen
When Kent State University President Todd Diacon addressed the Faculty Senate at its March 16 meeting, he said professors aren’t the only ones struggling to adjust to the policy, procedure and law changes in higher education. “I can only imagine how anxious you feel as professors right now,” Diacon said. “For what it’s worth, I’m pretty much […]
Kent State professors cautious in the classroom following SB1University of Maryland–College Park Report Card
May 12, 2026
ACTA’s Campus Freedom Initiative™ (CFI) has evaluated universities in several states against our Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™,…
University of Colorado–Boulder Report Card
May 12, 2026
ACTA’s Campus Freedom Initiative™ (CFI) has evaluated universities in several states against our Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™,…
ACTA Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression
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 PDFENSURING ACCOUNTABILITY
Quality education needs an act of Congress
Washington Examiner | May 18, 2026 by Emily Rounds and Kyle Beltramini
This week, higher education experts are meeting in Washington to update regulations about accreditation — the quality assurance process that oversees $110 billion taxpayer-funded financial aid dollars. Many of the conversations had during this process are valuable, like those about strengthening student outcomes and academic freedom protections. But the Trump administration’s reliance on making accreditation changes through regulatory action rather than […]
Quality education needs an act of CongressInstitutions Prepare for New Accreditation Regulations
Inside Higher Ed | May 18, 2026 by Jessica Blake
As the Department of Education heads into its second week of negotiations over accreditation policies, the proposed regulations remain largely…
ACTA in the NewsCivic Education
TN bill would add required American history course in colleges
The Nashville News.Net | April 22, 2026 by Danielle Smith
Legislation being considered by Tennessee lawmakers would require all undergraduate students to take classes on American history and government. The…
Governance for a New Era
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 PDFIN THE
NEWS
ACTA in the NewsDepartment of Education
Quality education needs an act of Congress
Washington Examiner | May 18, 2026 by Emily Rounds and Kyle Beltramini
This week, higher education experts are meeting in Washington to update regulations about accreditation — the quality assurance process that oversees $110 billion taxpayer-funded financial aid dollars. Many of the conversations had during this process are valuable, like those …
ACTA in the NewsIntellectual Diversity
Kent State professors cautious in the classroom following SB1
Signal Akron | May 18, 2026 by Joe Malbin and Lauren Cohen
When Kent State University President Todd Diacon addressed the Faculty Senate at its March 16 meeting, he said professors aren’t the only ones struggling to adjust to the policy, procedure and law changes in higher education. “I can only imagine how anxious you feel as professors right …
ACTA in the NewsCivil Discourse
Cornell’s Chance To Stand Up for Civil Discourse by Defending Its President
The New York Sun | May 8, 2026 by Steven McGuire and Michael B. Poliakoff
The protesters who blocked the car of Cornell’s president, Michael Kotlikoff, on April 30 seemed intent on gaining victim status. Despite all reasonable care on the president’s part, one was slightly bumped, prompting a predictable overreaction. Some of their foolish fellow students have taken th…
HOW ACTA IS SUCCEEDING
370
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.
146
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.
256
institutions have improved their core curriculum requirements based on ACTA’s annual What Will They Learn?® initiative. Visit WhatWillTheyLearn.com
26,500+
students from 140 institutions have engaged in 660 civil discourse debates, dialogues, and workshops through ACTA’s college debates program partnership with Braver Angels and Bridge USA.
795
news outlets in 2025 covered ACTA’s nationwide impact on academic excellence, academic freedom, and accountability in higher education.
275
million dollars in gifts to higher education have been guided through ACTA’s Fund for Academic Renewal. Visit AcademicRenewal.org.
WHO WE ARE
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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