Washington, DC – In 2014, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) began honoring outstanding programs at colleges and universities across the country that promote the study of American history, Western Civilization, and the Great Books. The Oases of Excellence project includes over 60 programs at a wide range of institutions and serves as a valuable resource for alumni and donors committed to supporting a traditional liberal education. Today, we are pleased to announce that the University of Montana’s Project on American Democracy & Citizenship (PADC) has joined this prestigious group.
PADC “aims to foster an open and on-going conversation about core liberal arts questions and their relation to American government and society.” PADC’s academic program features in-depth study of American politics, history, and public affairs to foster civic knowledge and the free exchange of ideas.
Dedicated to traditional liberal arts education, PADC “approaches its study of the American Experiment through a non-partisan, interdisciplinary, pluralistic lens and seeks to draw on insights from the national and local policy orbits and various academic disciplines including political science, history, philosophy, economics, literature, religion, law, liberal studies, and journalism.”
“Jefferson claimed, ‘If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be,’” said Michael Poliakoff, president of ACTA. “The study of civic leadership will equip our students to safeguard our freedoms and democracy. In an age too often defined by ignorance, programs like the Project on American Democracy & Citizenship ensure that students who enter America’s higher education system can grow into the informed citizens our nation needs.”
ACTA is proud to partner with a program that provides future private and public leaders with the essential understanding of political and civic thought necessary to secure the health of constitutional government for generations to come.
Washington, DC – In 2014, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) began honoring outstanding programs at colleges and universities across the country that promote the study of American history, Western Civilization, and the Great Books. The Oases of Excellence project includes over 60 programs at a wide range of institutions and serves as a valuable resource for alumni and donors committed to supporting a traditional liberal education. Today, we are pleased to announce that the University of Montana’s Project on American Democracy & Citizenship (PADC) has joined this prestigious group.
PADC “aims to foster an open and on-going conversation about core liberal arts questions and their relation to American government and society.” PADC’s academic program features in-depth study of American politics, history, and public affairs to foster civic knowledge and the free exchange of ideas.
Dedicated to traditional liberal arts education, PADC “approaches its study of the American Experiment through a non-partisan, interdisciplinary, pluralistic lens and seeks to draw on insights from the national and local policy orbits and various academic disciplines including political science, history, philosophy, economics, literature, religion, law, liberal studies, and journalism.”
“Jefferson claimed, ‘If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be,’” said Michael Poliakoff, president of ACTA. “The study of civic leadership will equip our students to safeguard our freedoms and democracy. In an age too often defined by ignorance, programs like the Project on American Democracy & Citizenship ensure that students who enter America’s higher education system can grow into the informed citizens our nation needs.”
ACTA is proud to partner with a program that provides future private and public leaders with the essential understanding of political and civic thought necessary to secure the health of constitutional government for generations to come.
Why do we teach U.S. history and government to students? The answer is simple: to prepare students for engaged and informed citizenry, the essential ingredient for preserving the American republic. Unfortunately, ACTA’s most recent What Will They Learn?® survey of the core curricula at over 1,100 colleges and universities found that only 18% of institutions require students […]
In this 11th edition of its flagship annual survey of college general education curricula, What Will They Learn?, ACTA shines a light on the wide disparity in academic standards at institutions of higher learning across the country. What Will They Learn? reviews the core curricula of over 1,100 four-year public and private institutions to determine the […]
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni is excited to announce the launch of a new online directory of Oases of Excellence, specific programs at colleges and universities across the country that promote the study of American history, Western civilization, political theory, economics, leadership, and the Great Books. ACTA’s directory features over 50 programs at […]
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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