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The ForumWestern Civilization
Frederick Douglass: Defender of Freedom
February 14, 2026 by Monica Boryczewski
Frederick Douglass was born to Harriet Bailey, an enslaved field hand in Talbot County, Maryland, and an unknown father,…
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Latest
ACTA in the NewsTrusteeship
The brewing tug-of-war over public college trustees
The Washington Post | February 17, 2026 by Armand B. Alacbay
H.B. 780 in the Virginia legislature would take this to the next level of politicization by purging all of Youngkin’s appointees, including sitting board members who have already been confirmed by the legislature. The bill’s proponents have not spoken publicly to justify the need for mass dismissals, but the partisan reasons are not hard to surmise. […]
Civic Education
National Commission on American History and Civic Education
For too long, colleges and universities have neglected teaching the American story to undergraduates, with fewer than one in five institutions requiring a course in U.S. government or history for graduation. Most students are leaving college without a grasp of their own system of government, a situation that is particularly alarming in an age of rising polarization. ACTA has taken a significant step to address this crisis by convening the National Commission on American History and Civic Education, comprised of esteemed historians, political scientists, and education leaders.
PROMOTING ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
Rising from an F to a B+ in ACTA’s Annual Ratings, New College of Florida’s New Core Curriculum Drives Dramatic Academic Turnaround
February 24, 2026
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) annually assesses core curricula at over 1,100 U.S. colleges and universities as part of our What Will They Learn? project. Each school is assigned a letter grade based on seven core subject areas. As one of the most significant improvements recorded this year, New College of Florida has skyrocketed from an F to a B+ rating. By achieving a B+, it comes in the top 7.5% grades nationwide, and is now the highest-graded public school in Florida.
Rising from an F to a B+ in ACTA’s Annual Ratings, New College of Florida’s New Core Curriculum Drives Dramatic Academic Turnaround
No U.S. History?
ACTA’s report, “No U.S. History? How College History Departments Leave the United States out of the Major,” found that 18 of the top 25 public universities did not have a wide-ranging American history requirement for students seeking a B.A. in history in the major or core curriculum.
Download PDFDEFENDING ACADEMIC FREEDOm
The War on Student Speech
Inside Higher Ed | February 24, 2026 by Josh Moody
Mohsen Mahdawi arrived for an interview with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Colchester, VT., on April 14 of last year with dreams of becoming an American citizen. Instead, he left in handcuffs. A Palestinian refugee and green-card holder, Mahdawi has lived in the U.S. since 2014. As a Columbia University student, […]
The War on Student SpeechThe ForumCivil Discourse
CD&D 2025: A Tableau of Testimonials
February 23, 2026 by Doug Sprei
The College Debates and Discourse Alliance closed out 2025 with its most robust roster of campus and classroom events…
The Forum
CD&D Alliance Partners With the Council on Foreign Relations
February 20, 2026
The College Debates & Discourse (CD&D) Alliance is pleased to announce a new pilot partnership with the Council on Foreign…
ACTA Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression
ACTA now provides a blueprint to help higher education regain and live by this core principle. The ACTA Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™ provides clear guidance for institutions to create a culture of free thought on their campuses.
Download PDFENSURING ACCOUNTABILITY
ACTA Publica: The New Reality of Foreign Gift Reporting
February 24, 2026 by Kyle Beltramini
Foreign funding in higher education has been a hot-button issue for President Donald Trump during both of his terms in office. Over the past year alone, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) has opened compliance reviews of Harvard University, the University of Michigan, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of California–Berkeley, while completing pending […]
ACTA Publica: The New Reality of Foreign Gift ReportingACTA in the NewsTrusteeship
The brewing tug-of-war over public college trustees
The Washington Post | February 17, 2026 by Armand B. Alacbay
H.B. 780 in the Virginia legislature would take this to the next level of politicization by purging all of Youngkin’s…
VideosTrusteeship
Engaged Trustee Governance: Presentation Before the Iowa House of Representative’s Committee on Higher Education
February 11, 2026
On February 11, 2026, ACTA Chief of Staff Armand Alacbay presented on informed and engaged governance before the Iowa…
Governance for a New Era
Governance for a New Era is a blueprint for higher education governance. Signatories to the statement, a diverse group of 22 distinguished national leaders dedicated to ensuring America’s colleges and universities shed 20th century thinking and successfully meet 21st century challenges.
Download PDFIN THE
NEWS
ACTA in the NewsFree Speech
The War on Student Speech
Inside Higher Ed | February 24, 2026 by Josh Moody
Mohsen Mahdawi arrived for an interview with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Colchester, VT., on April 14 of last year with dreams of becoming an American citizen. Instead, he left in handcuffs. A Palestinian refugee and green-card holder, Mahdawi has lived in the…
Press ReleasesCore Curriculum
Rising from an F to a B+ in ACTA’s Annual Ratings, New College of Florida’s New Core Curriculum Drives Dramatic Academic Turnaround
February 24, 2026
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) annually assesses core curricula at over 1,100 U.S. colleges and universities as part of our What Will They Learn? project. Each school is assigned a letter grade based on seven core subject areas. As one of the most significant improvements rec…
ACTA in the NewsTrusteeship
The brewing tug-of-war over public college trustees
The Washington Post | February 17, 2026 by Armand B. Alacbay
H.B. 780 in the Virginia legislature would take this to the next level of politicization by purging all of Youngkin’s appointees, including sitting board members who have already been confirmed by the legislature. The bill’s proponents have not spoken publicly to justify the need for mass di…
ACTA in the NewsFreedom of Expression
Wyoming Has A Great University. Our Kids — And Our State — Deserve It
Cowboy State Daily | February 10, 2026 by Guest Column
Wyoming has a great university. That did not happen by accident, and it should not be taken for granted. As president of the University of Wyoming, I am proud of what generations of Wyoming citizens have built. But, more importantly, I believe we must be clear about why Wyoming’s univer…
HOW ACTA IS SUCCEEDING
370
institutions have been counseled by ACTA on matters of cost effectiveness, financial governance, and institutional spending. See ACTA’s one-of-a-kind higher education financial analysis tool: HowCollegesSpendMoney.com.
146
institutions and systems representing nearly four million students, encouraged by ACTA, reaffirmed their commitment to free speech on campus by adopting the Chicago Principles on Freedom of Expression or a policy of institutional neutrality.
256
institutions have improved their core curriculum requirements based on ACTA’s annual What Will They Learn?® initiative. Visit WhatWillTheyLearn.com
16,000+
students from 100+ Institutions have engaged in 400+ civil discourse debates, dialogues, and workshops through ACTA’s college debates program partnership with Braver Angels and Bridge USA.
1,452
news outlets in 2024 covered ACTA’s nationwide impact on academic excellence, academic freedom, and accountability in higher education.
275
million dollars in gifts to higher education have been guided through ACTA’s Fund for Academic Renewal. Visit AcademicRenewal.org.
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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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