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Make your gift countOctober 26, 2026
Out of the more than 60 universities the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) has evaluated using its Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™, a 20-point action plan for returning higher education to its bedrock mission of excellence and open inquiry, a few institutions stand out as extraordinary champions of free expression and diversity of thought.
November 5, 2026
How does West Point prepare future military leaders to understand and defend the American constitutional republic? On this episode of Higher Ed Now: Civics Edition, ACTA president Michael Poliakoff speaks with United States Military Academy (West Point) professors Hugh Liebert and Robert McDonald. Professors Liebert and McDonald co-direct West Point’s American Foundations Project minor, an ACTA-recognized Oasis of Excellence. The professors discuss how they instill in West Point cadets the importance of defending the American constitutional republic while avoiding both historical reverence and cynical presentism. Universities nationwide can learn from West Point’s civic education model, which combines experiential learning,…
Hugh Liebert & Robert McDonald: How West Point Teaches the American FoundingACTA in the NewsCivic Education
Law & Liberty | November 5, 2026 by Ilya Shapiro
Americans made it to our country’s 250th birthday without agreeing on whether the occasion calls for celebration or indictment….
November 2, 2026
ACTA president Michael Poliakoff welcomes Wilfred McClay, the Victor David Hanson Chair in Classical History and Western Civilization at…
ACTA’s A Broadside for the Nation: Preparing College Students for Informed Citizenship convenes 24 historians and education leaders who argue that America’s 250th anniversary demands a renewal of civic education. The report urges colleges to require every student to complete a semester-long course on the American story.
Download PDFNovember 10, 2026
ACTA’s Campus Freedom Initiative™ (CFI) has evaluated universities in several states against our Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™, a 20-point action plan for reestablishing higher education’s commitment to excellence and open inquiry. Below we present the University of Washington Gold Standard evaluation. University of Washington receives credit for five out of twenty Gold Standard measures. Our research highlights the University of Washington’s strengths in protecting free expression and identifies areas it must work on to improve the student experience. Explore the full University of Washington Gold Standard evaluation to learn more.
University of Washington Report CardNovember 10, 2026
ACTA’s Campus Freedom Initiative™ (CFI) has evaluated universities in several states against our Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™,…
November 10, 2026
ACTA’s Campus Freedom Initiative™ (CFI) has evaluated universities in several states against our 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 PDFNovember 10, 2026
Through its Institute for Effective Governance® (IEG), the American Council of Trustees and Alumni conducts board retreats specifically designed to help college and university trustees understand the fundamental issues that make governance in higher education a unique challenge.
Board ServicesACTA in the NewsPresidential Compensation
The Detroit News | November 4, 2026 by Sarah Atwood
Donors paying a university president’s salary raise is nothing out of the ordinary, but the way Michigan State University…
ACTA in the NewsArtificial Intelligence
The Washington Times | October 20, 2026 by Sean Salai
Artificial intelligence apparently is helping reverse decades of bureaucratic bloat at universities, whose nonteaching staff have increased faster than…
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.
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A Webinar from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni
Join UsACTA in the NewsCampus Protests
The Washington Free Beacon | November 9, 2026 by Ira Stoll
The strike by Harvard graduate students that has disrupted teaching and learning on the campus is escalating as it stretches into its third week, with a second United Auto Workers union of Harvard “academic workers” poised to join the walkout. In addition, details are emerging about t…
ACTA in the NewsCampus Protests
The College Fix | November 9, 2026 by Micaiah Bilger
At least two Harvard University events, including a panel Thursday with cellist Yo-Yo Ma and comedian Stephen Colbert, were disrupted over the past two weeks in connection with the Harvard Graduate Students Union strike. The graduate workers, who have been on strike since Oct. 27, want high…
ACTA in the NewsCivic Education
Law & Liberty | November 5, 2026 by Ilya Shapiro
Americans made it to our country’s 250th birthday without agreeing on whether the occasion calls for celebration or indictment. Some of our most influential institutions regard the Declaration of Independence as evidence for the prosecution. The men who proclaimed human equality owned slaves, don…
ACTA in the NewsPresidential Compensation
The Detroit News | November 4, 2026 by Sarah Atwood
Donors paying a university president’s salary raise is nothing out of the ordinary, but the way Michigan State University President Kevin Guskiewicz is being paid is raising questions about potential conflicts of interest and who the president is actually accountable to. Experts in universi…
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.
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.
institutions have improved their core curriculum requirements based on ACTA’s annual What Will They Learn?® initiative. Visit WhatWillTheyLearn.com
students from 140 institutions have engaged in 660 civil discourse debates, dialogues, and workshops through ACTA’s College Debates & Discourse Alliance.
news outlets in 2025 covered ACTA’s nationwide impact on academic excellence, academic freedom, and accountability in higher education.
million dollars in gifts to higher education have been guided through ACTA’s Fund for Academic Renewal. Visit AcademicRenewal.org.
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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