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Make your gift countACTA in the NewsCivic Education
Cleveland Plain Dealer | July 26, 2026 by Michael B. Poliakoff
“Are we doing a good enough job teaching our children what America is and what she represents in the long history of the world?” asked President Ronald Reagan as he left office in 1989. Twenty-seven years earlier, President John F. Kennedy admonished that our history teaches us “responsibility to those who will come after us and […]
August 3, 2026
On this episode of Higher Ed Now Civics Edition, ACTA President Michael Poliakoff speaks with Michael Auslin, the Payson J. Treat Distinguished Research Fellow in Contemporary Asia at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. Professor Auslin is the author of “National Treasure: How the Declaration of Independence Made America”, a dual history of the Declaration of Independence. The new book details both the physical artifact’s journey from dark storage rooms to the National Archives’ centerpiece and how Jefferson’s words and the spirit of the document inspired generations of Americans, from abolitionists to anarchists.
Michael Auslin: The Making of a National TreasureACTA in the NewsCore Curriculum
Austin American-Statesman | August 3, 2026 by Lily Kepner
Texas has long agreed that students at all public universities should graduate with the same foundational knowledge, no matter their major. …
ACTA in the NewsCollege Admissions
Just the News | July 30, 2026 by Claire Harrington
Texas is expanding college entrance exam options to public universities statewide to include the Classic Learning Test – an…
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 PDFAugust 4, 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 Georgetown University Gold Standard evaluation. Georgetown University receives credit for nine out of twenty Gold Standard measures. Our research highlights Georgetown University’s strengths in protecting free expression and identifies areas it must work on to improve the student experience. Explore the full Georgetown University Gold Standard evaluation to learn more.
Georgetown University Report CardAugust 4, 2026
ACTA’s Campus Freedom Initiative™ (CFI) has evaluated universities in several states against our Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™,…
July 28, 2026 by Ammon Corpron
College tuition prices are out of control. Since 1983, sticker prices have increased by 914%, rising at an average…
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 PDFThe Detroit News | July 22, 2026 by Sarah Atwood
A $12 million investigation into the University of Michigan’s athletic department produced no actual report amid findings that revealed the institution failed to be transparent and accountable. Michigan did not release any comprehensive investigative report because it said none was conducted or written. Instead, the university summarized the findings and recommendations compiled by Jenner & […]
UM spent $12M investigating athletic department. No report was producedJuly 22, 2026
ACTA Releases New Survey Exposing America’s Worsening Crisis in Civic Illiteracy On June 23, ACTA released The Story of…
July 21, 2026
Inside and outside the walls of higher education, the luster of tenure has diminished. What should its future be?…
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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Austin, Texas
Guarding Our Heritage of Religious Freedom
Join UsACTA in the NewsCore Curriculum
Austin American-Statesman | August 3, 2026 by Lily Kepner
Texas has long agreed that students at all public universities should graduate with the same foundational knowledge, no matter their major. Every college student at a public Texas university has to satisfy 42 prescribed credit hours before graduating. The required hours are meant to ensure all s…
ACTA in the NewsCollege Admissions
Just the News | July 30, 2026 by Claire Harrington
Texas is expanding college entrance exam options to public universities statewide to include the Classic Learning Test – an SAT/ACT alternative based in classical Western intellectual tradition and which education experts say will raise the bar for academic rigor in higher education. “The legacy …
ACTA in the NewsCivic Education
Cleveland Plain Dealer | July 26, 2026 by Michael B. Poliakoff
“Are we doing a good enough job teaching our children what America is and what she represents in the long history of the world?” asked President Ronald Reagan as he left office in 1989. Twenty-seven years earlier, President John F. Kennedy admonished that our history teaches us “responsibili…
ACTA in the NewsGeneral Education
The Philadelphia Inquirer | July 24, 2026 by Jonathan Zimmerman
In 1992, I started teaching at West Chester University. My students were mostly working-class kids from the collar counties who saw higher education as a way to move up in the world. But they often struggled in subjects like history — my own field — which they saw as irrelevant to their future em…
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 program partnership with Braver Angels and Bridge USA.
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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