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Make your gift countSeptember 15, 2026
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) is proud to announce the release of A Nation Born in a Day: Visions of the American Founding, a new collection of essays directly challenging the claims of the New York Times’ 1619 Project. Published with Stone Tower Press, edited by ACTA President Dr. Michael Poliakoff, and featuring a foreword by Sir Niall Ferguson, the volume brings together ten distinguished historians and scholars, including the late Gordon Wood, to explore the events of 1776 that set forth principles of liberty, equality, and self-government that changed the course of world history and continue to guide us today. That foundational narrative, well-understood for two and a half centuries, is given new life and urgency by ten of the nation’s finest modern scholars of American history and politics.
The Washington Post | September 15, 2026 by Joshua Katz and Solveig Gold
Four years ago, the prevailing wisdom was that if you wanted to make six figures immediately after college graduation, you should consider studying computer science. Departments saw record enrollment, and universities started building centimillion-dollar complexes to accommodate the growth. Today, though, the bubble appears to have burst as artificial intelligence squeezes the entry-level jobs that once seemed so sure a thing.
The ‘safe’ college majors are gone. So study something useless.September 15, 2026
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) is proud to announce the release of A…
ACTA in the NewsCore Curriculum
The GW Hatchet | September 10, 2026 by Andrea Mendoza-Melchor
Starting my senior year of college means finishing up the last of my general education requirements. Like many students, I often find…
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 PDFSeptember 17, 2026
In this episode of Radio Free Campus, co-hosts Steve McGuire and Justin Garrison talk about Tyler Austin Harper’s recent essay on leaving Bates College because its excessive racial politics made him feel like a tokenized minority. They also discuss a new report that claims civil dialogue is a right-wing conspiracy to silence dissent. Steve and Justin also explain the AAUP’s official move into election politics. The show hosts end by announcing MTSU’s Michael Federici as this episode’s “Hero of the People” and the Uncivil Collective as RFC’s “Apparatchik of the Month.”
Tyler Austin Harper vs. Bates College and Civil Discourse as alleged Right-Wing ConspiracySeptember 15, 2026
ACTA’s Campus Freedom Initiative™ (CFI) has evaluated universities in several states against our Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™,…
September 15, 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 PDFAugust 21, 2026 by Kyle Beltramini
This week the U.S. Department of Education (ED) published its proposed revisions to higher education’s system of quality assurance. Building on the consensus reached by the Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization Committee in May, Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent declared that this reform would result in a “transformation of our higher education system” aimed at […]
Department of Education Releases New Accreditation RegulationsAugust 19, 2026 by Armand B. Alacbay
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon’s “National Call to Action to University Presidents and Governing Boards” reflects the reality that…
August 5, 2026
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni sent a letter to the Bard College Board of Trustees demanding increased…
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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The Washington Post | September 15, 2026 by Joshua Katz and Solveig Gold
Four years ago, the prevailing wisdom was that if you wanted to make six figures immediately after college graduation, you should consider studying computer science. Departments saw record enrollment, and universities started building centimillion-dollar complexes to accommodate the growth. Today…
ACTA in the NewsCore Curriculum
The GW Hatchet | September 10, 2026 by Andrea Mendoza-Melchor
Starting my senior year of college means finishing up the last of my general education requirements. Like many students, I often find myself complaining at the thought of having to take a class I have little to no interest in and that I would more than likely not end up using in my career path. B…
ACTA in the NewsPresidential Assessment
The Huntington News | September 10, 2026 by Zoe MacDiarmid
It is a linguist’s burden to explain the rules that govern language and why humans are uniquely capable of it. As a young doctoral student studying linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the 1970s, Joseph E. Aoun had many theories. Over time, former peers said Aoun earn…
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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