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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 2, 2026
ACTA president Michael Poliakoff welcomes Wilfred McClay, the Victor David Hanson Chair in Classical History and Western Civilization at Hillsdale College and a member of ACTA’s National Commission on American History and Civic Education, as well as a contributor to ACTA’s new volume of essays on the true significance of the American Founding, A Nation Born in a Day. He and Dr. Poliakoff examine the historical foundations of American self-government, the failures of The 1619 Project, and how a clear, honest understanding of the American story is the antidote to the cynicism and apathy many young Americans feel towards…
Wilfred McClay: Returning to the Land of HopeOctober 28, 2026 by Monica Boryczewski
On this day in 1886, President Grover Cleveland dedicated the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. Proposed as…
ACTA in the NewsCivic Education
The College Fix | October 26, 2026 by Constantin Acsente
In keeping with the nation’s 250th anniversary, a new book “A Nation Born in a Day: Visions of the…
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 4, 2026
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) has named Purdue University, the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, the University of Wyoming, and Vanderbilt University as the first universities to achieve ACTA’s Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™, a 20-point action plan designed to restore higher education’s commitment to excellence, open inquiry, and the free exchange of ideas. Among the 69 universities ACTA’s Campus Freedom Initiative™ has evaluated thus far, these four institutions stand out as champions of free expression. Each earned a score well above the national average of 11 out of 20 points, making them ACTA’s inaugural cohort…
ACTA Recognizes First Cohort of Gold Standard Universities for Freedom of ExpressionOctober 27, 2026
ACTA’s Campus Freedom Initiative™ (CFI) has evaluated universities in several states against our Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™,…
October 27, 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 PDFThe 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 university presidential salaries and university governance who spoke to The Detroit News […]
Michigan State faces ‘ethical minefield’ as donors pay president’s salaryACTA 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…
October 20, 2026
ACTA’s Institute for Effective Governance, founded in 2003 by college and university trustees for trustees, is devoted to enhancing…
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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Join UsACTA 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…
Press ReleasesFreedom of Expression
November 4, 2026
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) has named Purdue University, the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, the University of Wyoming, and Vanderbilt University as the first universities to achieve ACTA’s Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™, a 20-point action plan designed …
ACTA in the NewsCivic Education
The College Fix | October 26, 2026 by Constantin Acsente
In keeping with the nation’s 250th anniversary, a new book “A Nation Born in a Day: Visions of the American Founding” brings together a collection of scholarly essays examining America’s founding and critiquing the claims made by “The 1619 Project.” “In 1776, America’s Founders set forth princip…
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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