Lay governance is the means by which the perspective of informed citizens is brought to the heart of the university; it provides a vehicle for thoughtful long-range planning in the best interests of the taxpayer and the state. In this report, ACTA takes a comprehensive look at the University of North Carolina and makes recommendations to ensure greater leadership and accountability within the state higher education system.
Higher education across the nation is under scrutiny. Publicly funded colleges and universities are particularly vulnerable, as they represent a massive investment by state taxpayers. Many concerned Americans question the return on this investment, and public confidence in higher education has fallen every year since 2015. The diversity of institutions means that no single policy […]
The piece by Neal C. Johnson and Charles S. Clark, of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, is dripping with mandarin contempt for the democratic process (“Take the Gamesmanship Out of Appointments to Public Colleges’ Governing Boards,” The Review, June 6). It begins by belittling elected officials (“a newly minted governor who […]
Earlier this month, college students from across Illinois crowded the Capitol rotunda. They were protesting the growing costs of college, for which they believed lawmakers were to blame: State funding had been cut earlier this year for a tuition assistance program called the Monetary Award Program (MAP). Put in place decades ago, MAP provides money […]
An annual survey on public attitudes toward higher education finds rising skepticism about the motives of college leaders. The survey, titled “Squeeze Play 2010: Continued Public Anxiety on Cost, Harsher Judgments on How Colleges Are Run,” finds that 60 percent of the public thinks colleges are like businesses and care mostly about the bottom line. […]
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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