Press Releases | General Education

Three Exceptional Programs Join ACTA’s Hidden Gems Initiative

November 12, 2025

Washington, DC—The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) has designated three new exceptional academic programs as Hidden Gems. ACTA’s Hidden Gems initiative shines a light on honors colleges and major, minor, and certificate programs that provide high-quality interdisciplinary education in the liberal arts. Launched in 2019, it now includes 26 programs spanning from coast to coast.

The newest Hidden Gems are the Honors College at Baylor University, the Liberal Arts major at Concordia University–Irvine, and the Core Texts & Enduring Questions minor at Assumption University. Other recent additions include the Cornerstone Integrated Liberal Arts certificate program at Purdue University; the Philosophy, Politics, & Economics certificate program at Duke University; and the Honors College at Regent University.

ACTA’s Hidden Gems prepare students for meaningful careers and lifelong learning through thoughtfully designed, rigorous liberal arts curricula. These close-knit academic communities engage students in studying a range of disciplines, from history, philosophy, and economics to theology, literature, and the arts. Often, students dialogue with the greatest thinkers and texts in each discipline.

“So many colleges claim to offer an interdisciplinary education, but it is rare to find an academic program that truly provides students with a deep, cohesive formation across the liberal arts,” said ACTA Academic Affairs Fellow Veronica Bryant. “ACTA’s Hidden Gems initiative profiles outstanding liberal arts programs that bring students a coherent and purposeful education in a close community to help them thrive as professionals, citizens, and humans on whatever path they choose. ACTA is proud to honor and broadcast the first-class work of these programs and their faculty.”

ACTA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to academic freedom, academic excellence, and accountability in higher education. We receive no government funding and are supported through the generosity of individuals and foundations.

MEDIA CONTACT: Gabrielle Anglin
EMAIL: ganglin@GoACTA.org
PHONE: (202) 798-5425

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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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