ACTA is an independent, non-profit organization committed to academic freedom, excellence, and accountability at America's colleges and universities.
ACTA is an independent, non-profit organization committed to academic freedom, excellence, and accountability at America's colleges and universities.
Scholars, higher education leaders, and policymakers have contributed to ACTA's library of resources.
This guide, updated in 2019, outlines some of the key questions trustees should ask regarding the academic and financial operations of their institutions. Institutions… Continue Reading >>
WASHINGTON, DC—The American Council of Trustees and Alumni released a statement in opposition to a proposal by North Carolina legislators to strip… Continue Reading >>
There are few positions that offer comparable challenges and rewards to those of a college trustee. As a trustee, you have the legal and fiduciary obligation… Continue Reading >>
Drawing on the experiences of universities across the country, Bold Leadership, Real Reform: Best Practices in University Governance… Continue Reading >> Continue Reading >>
Today, virtually all colleges and universities in the United States are accredited (sometimes by more than one accrediting body). Yet there is widespread—and… Continue Reading >>
In recent years, a number of educators have challenged the usefulness of SAT and ACT tests as indicators of college readiness, and some institutions have stopped… Continue Reading >>
The most urgent task of colleges and universities is to prepare graduates for the challenges of career, community, and citizenship. Responsible institutions… Continue Reading >>
Higher education is in the midst of a deep financial crisis, and the failure of governing boards to focus on academic programs is arguably the single greatest… Continue Reading >>
Get the facts about what's going on at campuses across the country and how universities' failure to emphasize their academic mission has created… Continue Reading >>
This guide briefly retraces the rise of ideologically charged residential life programming on campuses and shows how such programs, despite their seemingly innocuous… Continue Reading >>
In light of the findings in What Will They Learn? that many of our leading universities have… Continue Reading >>
This report features ten best practices, gleaned from colleges and universities across the country, for promoting the free exchange of ideas in and out of the… Continue Reading >> Continue Reading >>
This guide suggests various strategies that boards of trustees can adopt to curb the problem of grade inflation at their schools. Addressing grade inflation… Continue Reading >>
This guide looks at several key provisions of the new Higher Education Act and outlines what you, as a trustee, can do. The HEOA, which passed the House and… Continue Reading >>
Assessing the president's performance is one of the board's primary responsibilities, and its importance is second only to selecting the president. While… Continue Reading >>