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D-Day: Commemorating History by Learning It
June 5, 2026 by Dr. Bryan Paul
Eighty-two years ago, on June 6, 1944, the Allied Expeditionary Forces of World War II stormed the beaches of Normandy, France, in what would be…
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A Broadside for the Nation
April 21, 2026
In this Broadside for the Nation, we explain in detail why American higher education must restore this foundational requirement for college graduates to know the American story, what such a course might include, and, crucially, how to make this vision a reality.
Civic Education
Educating for a More Perfect Union
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni and the Museum of the American Revolution celebrated our nation’s 250th anniversary year with an evening panel discussion on how to reinvigorate history and civics education in American college and university classrooms and across the public history sector.
PROMOTING ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
D-Day dawns and hopefully, Americans don’t yawn
The Washington Times | June 6, 2026 by Cheryl K. Chumley
June 6, 2026: It’s the 82nd anniversary of D-Day in Normandy — the largest amphibious invasion in recorded history, when five divisions stormed the beaches of Normandy, France, and 73,000 U.S. troops joined tens of thousands of allied forces to fight one of the world’s biggest evils. It was a pivotal point in the war. And a majority of Americans don’t […]
D-Day dawns and hopefully, Americans don’t yawn
A Broadside for the Nation
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 PDFDEFENDING ACADEMIC FREEDOm
Keep Your Politics Out of Graduation!
June 4, 2026
In this episode of Radio Free Campus, co-hosts Steve McGuire and Justin Garrison discuss Israel-Palestine controversies, the coddling of students’ minds, and AI resistance at various 2026 graduation ceremonies. Steve and Justin also announce Vanderbilt University Chancellor Daniel Diermeier as this episode’s “Hero of the People” and Penn State Dickinson Law School as RFC’s “Apparatchik […]
Keep Your Politics Out of Graduation!To the editor: Will Ohio’s public universities lead the nation in free speech?
The Toledo Blade | June 1, 2026 by Justin Garrison
Ohio’s public universities have made big improvements in their policies on free expression and intellectual diversity, in most cases…
University of Tennessee–Knoxville Report Card
May 26, 2026
ACTA’s Campus Freedom Initiative™ (CFI) has evaluated universities in several states against our Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™,…
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
How the Trump Admin Could Speed Up a Controversial New Accreditor
The Assembly | May 28, 2026 by Dylan Halper
The Trump administration’s proposed revamp of college accreditation rules could speed up the UNC System’s effort to launch a new accreditor for public universities. Last week, the U.S. Department of Education’s Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization committee agreed to an extensive set of proposed new regulations that would ease the process for accreditors to enter the market and […]
How the Trump Admin Could Speed Up a Controversial New AccreditorACTA in the NewsPresidential Search
MSU President Guskiewicz leaving for another university
May 28, 2026 by Sarah Atwood, Daniel Howes, Nolan Finley and Beth LeBlanc
Michigan State University President Kevin Guskiewicz is joining the ranks of other short-lived Michigan university presidencies. Guskiewicz was selected…
MSU’s new loyalty rules, special meeting raise speech concerns among experts
The Detroit News | May 19, 2026 by Sarah Atwood
A measure passed late Sunday by the Michigan State University board limiting when and how statewide elected trustees can dissent after…
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.
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NEWS
ACTA in the NewsCivic Education
D-Day dawns and hopefully, Americans don’t yawn
The Washington Times | June 6, 2026 by Cheryl K. Chumley
June 6, 2026: It’s the 82nd anniversary of D-Day in Normandy — the largest amphibious invasion in recorded history, when five divisions stormed the beaches of Normandy, France, and 73,000 U.S. troops joined tens of thousands of allied forces to fight one of the world…
ACTA in the NewsCivic Education
REP. COLLINS: Iowa Makes History and Civics Great Again
The Iowa Standard | June 3, 2026 by Taylor Collins
This session the House Higher Education Committee was proud to champion reforms to our universities’ core curriculum requirements, and Governor Reynolds has now signed the legislation into law. House File 2800 requires every undergraduate student at Iowa’s public universities to complete dedicat…
ACTA in the NewsCivic Education
UPenn ‘America 250’ courses largely ignore America’s founding, conservative analysts say
Campus Reform | May 28, 2026 by Brendan McDonald
The University of Pennsylvania’s “America 250” courses celebrating the country’s semiquincentennial have little to do with America, conservative analysts say. The Penn Libraries website highlights 15 courses in spring 2026 with “America 250 Themes” that students can take leading up to J…
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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
26,500+
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.
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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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