The American Council of Trustees and Alumni is an independent, nonprofit organization committed to promoting academic freedom, excellence, and accountability at America’s colleges and universities. Founded in 1995, ACTA works with alumni, trustees, and education leaders across the country 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 education at an affordable price.
This report highlights our many accomplishments in the past year.
ACTA will not rest from its mission to ensure that higher education fulfills its promise for our nation. Thank you to all of ACTA’s friends for your financial generosity, your ideas, and your inspiration. Please read on to learn more about what
Michael B. Poliakoff, President & CEO
your support has helped us achieve.
In 2024, ACTA launched a major initiative to reverse the civic literacy crisis plaguing our nation and ensure that our colleges and universities are shaping liberally educated students who can carry on America’s tradition of self-governance.
We are advocating for a substantive, required course in U.S. history and government while also generating support for new, independent centers dedicated to the study of American history at universities across the country. ACTA has also launched a national commission of 23 distinguished historians and education leaders who will advise the nation on the key historical moments and foundational texts that every college student should know.
ACTA’s relentless work to defend free expression and intellectual diversity on campus is sparking dramatic cultural change. In response to our national campaign initiated in February, over 40 universities have adopted a policy of institutional neutrality, providing freer campus cultures for thousands of students. Thanks to the work of our partnership with Braver Angels and BridgeUSA, called the College Debates and Discourse Alliance, students and faculty at institutions large and small are exchanging ideas instead of insults as we teach them how to debate controversial topics with open minds.
As fiduciaries of their institutions, university trustees are the key to restoring trust in American higher education by raising standards and lowering costs. Through our trainings, counsel, and cutting-edge publications, ACTA provides college trustees with the tools they need to balance the budget, reinstate strong academic requirements, and protect free expression. At the same time, ACTA advances commonsense legislation at the state and federal levels to ensure that our public universities provide a high-quality education at an affordable price.
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni is an independent, nonprofit organization committed to promoting academic freedom, excellence, and accountability at America’s colleges and universities. Founded in 1995, ACTA works with alumni, trustees, and education leaders across the country to support liberal arts education, uphold high academic standards, safeguard the free exchange of ideas on […]
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni is an independent, nonprofit organization committed to promoting academic freedom, excellence, and accountability at America’s colleges and universities. Founded in 1995, ACTA works with alumni, trustees, and education leaders across the country to support liberal arts education, uphold high academic standards, safeguard the free exchange of ideas on […]
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni is an independent, nonprofit organization committed to promoting academic freedom, excellence, and accountability at America’s colleges and universities. Founded in 1995, ACTA works with alumni, trustees, and education leaders across the country to support liberal arts education, uphold high academic standards, safeguard the free exchange of ideas on […]
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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