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Make your gift countAugust 24, 2026
On this episode of Higher Ed Now Civics Edition, ACTA President Michael Poliakoff moderates a bracing and illuminating conversation with Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and former U.S. National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster and Executive-in-Residence in Duke’s University’s Political Science Department and Distinguished Lecturing Fellow at the university’s Center for Politics John Hillen on what makes America exceptional in history and among all nations even today and how exposure to all its intricacies will help create the next generation of informed patriots. Both are members of ACTA’s National Commission on American History and Civic Education and contributors to an upcoming volume of essays on what every college student should know about American history.
The Washington Post | September 15, 2026 by Solveig Gold and Joshua Katz
Four years ago, the prevailing wisdom was that if you wanted to make six figures immediately after college graduation, you should consider studying computer science. Departments saw record enrollment, and universities started building centimillion-dollar complexes to accommodate the growth. Today, though, the bubble appears to have burst as artificial intelligence squeezes the entry-level jobs that once seemed so sure a thing.
The ‘safe’ college majors are gone. So study something useless.September 15, 2026
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) is proud to announce the release of A…
ACTA in the NewsCore Curriculum
The GW Hatchet | September 10, 2026 by Andrea Mendoza-Melchor
Starting my senior year of college means finishing up the last of my general education requirements. Like many students, I often find…
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 PDFSeptember 15, 2026
ACTA’s Campus Freedom Initiative™ (CFI) has evaluated universities in several states against our Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™, a 20-point action plan for reestablishing higher education’s commitment to excellence and open inquiry. Below we present the University of South Dakota Gold Standard evaluation. University of South Dakota receives credit for ten out of twenty Gold Standard measures. Our research highlights the University of South Dakota’s strengths in protecting free expression and identifies areas it must work on to improve the student experience. Explore the full University of South Dakota Gold Standard evaluation to learn more.
University of South Dakota Report CardSeptember 15, 2026
ACTA’s Campus Freedom Initiative™ (CFI) has evaluated universities in several states against our Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™,…
September 15, 2026
ACTA’s Campus Freedom Initiative™ (CFI) has evaluated universities in several states against our 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 PDFAugust 21, 2026 by Kyle Beltramini
This week the U.S. Department of Education (ED) published its proposed revisions to higher education’s system of quality assurance. Building on the consensus reached by the Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization Committee in May, Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent declared that this reform would result in a “transformation of our higher education system” aimed at […]
Department of Education Releases New Accreditation RegulationsAugust 19, 2026 by Armand B. Alacbay
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon’s “National Call to Action to University Presidents and Governing Boards” reflects the reality that…
August 5, 2026
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni sent a letter to the Bard College Board of Trustees demanding increased…
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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Austin, Texas
Guarding Our Heritage of Religious Freedom
Join UsACTA in the NewsCore Curriculum
The Washington Post | September 15, 2026 by Solveig Gold and Joshua Katz
Four years ago, the prevailing wisdom was that if you wanted to make six figures immediately after college graduation, you should consider studying computer science. Departments saw record enrollment, and universities started building centimillion-dollar complexes to accommodate the growth. Today…
ACTA in the NewsCore Curriculum
The GW Hatchet | September 10, 2026 by Andrea Mendoza-Melchor
Starting my senior year of college means finishing up the last of my general education requirements. Like many students, I often find myself complaining at the thought of having to take a class I have little to no interest in and that I would more than likely not end up using in my career path. B…
ACTA in the NewsPresidential Assessment
The Huntington News | September 10, 2026 by Zoe MacDiarmid
It is a linguist’s burden to explain the rules that govern language and why humans are uniquely capable of it. As a young doctoral student studying linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the 1970s, Joseph E. Aoun had many theories. Over time, former peers said Aoun earn…
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 140 institutions have engaged in 660 civil discourse debates, dialogues, and workshops through ACTA’s College Debates & Discourse Alliance.
news outlets in 2025 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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