Press Kit

Dr. Poliakoff is a nationally recognized leader in higher education and a leading advocate for liberal arts education. His areas of expertise include academic standards, core curriculum reform, intellectual diversity, higher education governance, and the role of colleges and universities in preparing students for informed citizenship. His writing has appeared in outlets including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and National Review. A Rhodes Scholar with degrees from Yale University, University of Oxford, and University of Michigan, he has taught at institutions including Georgetown University, Wellesley College, and Hillsdale College, where he founded the classics department.

Mr. Alacbay is a higher education policy expert whose work helps trustees and state policymakers strengthen academic quality and institutional accountability. His areas of expertise include university governance, higher education policy, institutional accountability, college athletics, and state-level reform efforts. His writing and commentary have appeared in outlets including the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Yahoo Sports, and Forbes.

Dr. McGuire is a scholar of political philosophy and higher education policy whose work focuses on free speech, academic freedom, and intellectual diversity on college campuses. Before joining ACTA, he served as director of the Matthew J. Ryan Center for the Study of Free Institutions and the Public Good and as an associate teaching professor at Villanova University. He writes and speaks frequently on campus culture, university governance, and the role of higher education in sustaining a free society. His writing and commentary have appeared in outlets including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, Newsweek, and FOX News. Follow Steve on

Emily Koons Jae is a higher education philanthropy strategist who works with philanthropists seeking to support civic education, academic renewal, and long-term cultural change on college campuses. Her areas of expertise include higher education philanthropy, donor strategy, trends in charitable giving to universities, and the growing role of philanthropy in shaping the future of American higher education.

Doug Sprei is a leader in campus dialogue and engagement. His work focuses on fostering constructive discourse, viewpoint diversity, and student engagement on college campuses. He has organized and led hundreds of campus programs and public forums at colleges and universities nationwide, engaging students on pressing political, cultural, and social issues. His areas of expertise include free expression on campus, civil discourse, viewpoint diversity, and strategies for building a culture of open inquiry in higher education.

Dr. Bryant is a higher education researcher and academic affairs specialist whose work focuses on core curriculum reform, liberal arts education, and academic standards. Her research and writing examine general education requirements, civic learning, and the role of foundational texts in undergraduate education, with particular attention to curricular coherence and academic rigor. Her areas of expertise include core curriculum assessment, civic education, curricular reform, classical and liberal arts education, and the academic standards shaping undergraduate education in the United States.