Program Officer, Communications

The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) is an independent, nonprofit organization committed to academic freedom, academic excellence, and accountability at America's colleges and universities. 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 a philosophically rich, high-quality college education at an affordable price.

The Program Officer for Communications works closely with the Director of Communications and Program Associate for Communications to manage ACTA’s external-facing materials and communications. The Program Officer must have excellent written and oral communication skills and be able to produce a wide range of content, including opinion editorials, blogs, and press releases.

Responsibilities include:

• Administering and curating content for ACTA’s monthly e-newsletter campaign.
• Soliciting and authoring op-eds and letters to the editor for placement in local, state, and national media.
• Responding to press inquiries and assisting the Director of Communications in preparing staff members for media interviews.
• Co-hosting, promoting, and securing guests for ACTA’s podcast Higher Ed Now.
• Coordinating with the Program Manager of the Fund for Academic Renewal to strengthen and promote the Oases of Excellence program.
• Promoting ACTA events, including panel discussions, release events, and annual conference through Livestream and other media strategies.
• Assisting in development and implementation of communication strategies for new ACTA publications.
• Maintaining and monitoring ACTA’s websites and social media presence through content creation, coordination with third-party web developers, and preparation of analytics reports for key stakeholders.

The Program Officer should approach these tasks as an entrepreneurial enterprise, requiring an understanding of and proactive approach to ACTA’s program activities. This role requires a personable, creative, well-organized, highly motivated, and flexible individual. This person is expected to act with the highest degree of personal responsibility, accountability, and honesty.

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent required. 2-3 years of experience is preferred. Expertise or knowledge of CISION, Google Analytics, MailChimp, and social media is highly preferred. To apply, please send cover letter, resume, and a brief writing sample to Nick Barden at info@goacta.org.

Director, Academic Affairs

The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) is an independent, nonprofit organization committed to academic freedom, academic excellence, and accountability at America's colleges and universities. 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 a philosophically rich, high-quality college education at an affordable price.

The Director of Academic Affairs is charged with increasing ACTA’s impact as an organization by developing and overseeing ACTA’s academic publications and public presentations while maintaining the utmost quality and accuracy; developing strategies and initiatives aimed at preserving robust core curricula, fidelity to the liberal arts, and academic freedom at American colleges and universities; expanding ACTA’s faculty network through our Oases of Excellence program; and maximizing the effectiveness of ACTA’s materials by working closely with faculty and administrators on behalf of higher education reform.

In keeping with these responsibilities, the Director of Academic Affairs shall be responsible for the following tasks:

• Approving and overseeing programmatic initiatives related to academic freedom, curricular improvement, and teacher preparation, including reports and guides, correspondence with universities, conferences, and WhatWillTheyLearn.com;
• Contributing to the research and writing of key papers and overseeing staff and consultant products on issues relating to the liberal arts, academic excellence, and academic freedom;
• Responding to inquiries from faculty and administrators on topics related to curricular reform and academic freedom;
• Advising decision-makers (including faculty, provosts, and presidents) on curriculum development;
• Promoting rigorous liberal arts core curricula and robust academic freedom policies to university administrators and faculty;
• Working closely with the Communications Department to write and edit op-eds on ACTA’s academic initiatives and policies, and to represent ACTA in the media, at conferences, and through ACTA events;
• Overseeing and managing the Curricular Improvement team;
• Coordinating with Fund for Academic Renewal staff to cultivate faculty relationships through our Oases of Excellence program.

The Director of Academic Affairs will report to the President (who has overall responsibility for the organization), working closely with the Senior Vice President (who is the chief financial and operations officer of the organization and oversees the production of publications); the Vice President of Trustee and Government Affairs; and the Vice President of Development (who oversees fundraising efforts and donor relations).

In accomplishing these tasks, the Director of Academic Affairs should take care to foster and develop the confidence of donors and colleagues. He or she must also approach his or her duties as an entrepreneurial enterprise requiring an understanding of and proactive approach to ACTA’s future program plans. He or she is expected to be collegial, dynamic, well-organized, highly motivated, and principled.

Candidates should have 10+ years of experience in higher education or a related field. A Ph.D. or equivalent is strongly preferred. To apply, please submit cover letter and resume or curriculum vitae to Nick Barden at info@goacta.org.