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The Power of the Pen: Harriet Beecher Stowe and “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”
March 20, 2026 by Monica Boryczewski
On this day in 1852, Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published. Written by Harriet Beecher Stowe to protest the Fugitive…
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Civic Education
ACTA Testimony to Tennessee House Education Committee on HB291
March 10, 2026
Colleges and universities must commit to treating all members of the community, regardless of race or gender, with equal dignity. They need to do this not out of begrudging compliance with a government mandate, but in response to a moral imperative that, as this guide explains, is rooted in the very purpose of an institution of higher education.
Civic Education
Educating for a More Perfect Union
ACTA and the Museum of the American Revolution are celebrating 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
American Lyceum Initiative
March 26, 2026
ACTA’s American Lyceum Initiative promotes the teaching and study of the unique history of the United States. In recent years, colleges and universities across the nation have established schools, institutes, and centers dedicated to teaching America’s founding principles, fostering civil discourse, and providing much-needed intellectual diversity. Collectively, these entities encompass the breadth of the Western […]
American Lyceum Initiative
No U.S. History?
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 PDFDEFENDING ACADEMIC FREEDOm
The Fight for Viewpoint Diversity in Higher Ed with guest John Tomasi
March 25, 2026
In this episode of Radio Free Campus, podcast co-hosts Steve McGuire and Justin Garrison talk with John Tomasi, President of the Heterodox Academy (HxA) and co-editor of the new book Viewpoint Diversity: What It Is, Why We Need It, and How to Get It, about what viewpoint diversity means (and doesn’t mean), where it is […]
The Fight for Viewpoint Diversity in Higher Ed with guest John TomasiUniversity of Oklahoma Report Card
March 17, 2026
ACTA’s Campus Freedom Initiative™ (CFI) has evaluated universities in several states against our Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™,…
Indiana University─Bloomington Report Card
March 17, 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
At Boston City Council, students call for increased transparency, cooperation from Northeastern administration
The Huntington News | March 25, 2026 by Elizabeth Chalmers
More than 100 people filed into Boston City Hall March 23 as community members testified about an alleged lack of transparency among Boston’s higher education institutions, particularly at Northeastern. The three-hour hearing consisted primarily of 28 public testimonies that centered around Northeastern’s administrative transparency, including its rebranding of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, or DEI, last January […]
At Boston City Council, students call for increased transparency, cooperation from Northeastern administrationState Legislation to Watch in 2026
March 23, 2026
From improving civic education to protecting free expression to strengthening college governance, state policymakers are challenging the status quo…
WNMU needs reform-minded regents
Albuquerque Journal | March 22, 2026 by Clare Doyle
The New Mexico Legislature has approved legislation to amend the state’s Constitution, which, if ratified by voters in November,…
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.
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NEWS
ACTA in the NewsGeneral Education
Bipartisan Policy Center report finds U.S. higher education system failing the nation
The Washington Times | March 11, 2026 by Sean Salai
America’s education system has failed the nation by increasingly producing underemployed college graduates who lack essential job skills, according to a report published Wednesday. The Bipartisan Policy Center’s analysis of federal data noted that half of all bachelor’s program graduates between …
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
16,000+
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.
1,452
news outlets in 2024 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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