ACTA in the NewsCore Curriculum
Americans are very well-schooled. Well-educated is another matter
According to a recent Wall Street Journal/University of Chicago survey, 56 percent of Americans now think college is not worth the...
Guides & Essays
Trustees | General Education
Fostering Judgment: Sixty Years of Well-Directed Studies
October 1, 2006 by José A. Cabranes Download PDF
At a time when the study of Western civilization is often under attack, two programs—at Columbia and at Yale-—continue to introduce students to the great books of Western literature, philosophy, history, and politics. On October 13, 2006, the Yale Directed Studies program celebrated is 60th anniversary and former students, faculty, and supporters gathered in New Haven to mark the occasion. Among those present was Judge Jose Cabranes, a former trustee of Yale, who offered these concluding remarks.
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Alan Charles Kors to be Honored as ACTA’s 2023 Philip Merrill Award Winner
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) is proud to name Professor Alan Charles Kors as the winner of our 2023 Philip Merrill...
The ForumGeneral Education
The Benefits of Interdisciplinary Study
There is no denying it: One of the effects of technological advancement is the overspecialization of the workforce. Gone are the days of the local family practitioner. Now there are cardiologists, chiropractors, neurologists, and geneticists...
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ACTA in the NewsGeneral Education
Is The Core Curriculum Really Coming Back?
The good news: A survey from the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU) announcing that “distribution requirements” in undergraduate education are out and “general education” is back. Translated, that means—or ought to mean—that colleges are reinstating the idea of a core curriculum of essential courses, conveying essential knowledge, that every well-rounded college graduate ought […]
ACTA in the NewsGeneral Education
A counter view: Core subjects necessary
The course changes at Stetson University will fail students and their future employers, argues the head of an independent nonprofit group that advocates for academic freedom, quality and accountability. Anne Neal, president of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, responded to several questions posed by The News-Journal in this e-mail exchange. Your organization is […]
ACTA in the NewsGeneral Education
Make college count with a solid curriculum
Could a college diploma be a “ticket to nowhere”? Sad to say, but that’s exactly what the time, expense and dream could amount to for way too many of our nation’s college students. At Vanderbilt University, a course called “Country Music” can serve as the only collegiate history course a student takes. At Vassar College, […]
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