In the words of award-winning historian Richard Norton Smith: “In a very real sense, ACTA sticks its neck out every time it insists that core curricula require a core, and that diplomas should be worth more than the paper on which they are printed.” ACTA’s 2009 Annual Report highlights our efforts to bring higher education back to its foundations of academic freedom, academic excellence, and accountability—including the launch of the What Will They Learn?™ project.
ACTA has gone from strength to strength in advancing our mission to ensure that American higher education is the finest in the world. We have led schools, from coast to coast, to strengthen cost-control and accountability, nurture academic excellence, and enhance academic freedom. We have achieved impressive momentum in restoring the promise of higher education […]
The good news is that America is awake to the urgent need for transformative change in higher education. We are at a turning point: ACTA’s admonitions to make a college education affordable and indisputably valuable for students and our nation are being heeded as never before. And more good news: We are a nation of […]
In 2015, ACTA celebrated 20 years of hard-charging higher education reform. And what a story we have to tell. Once a lone voice in the wilderness, ACTA is now leading the charge in our vigorous campaign to restore academic excellence, academic freedom, and accountability to American higher education. Core curricula, accreditation reform, historical literacy, engaged […]
Virginia has played a pivotal role throughout American history. Permanent English settlement began here. Virginia is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents. On our soil the nation struggled for its independence and to end the curse of slavery. Despite our history, only two Virginia public universities — Christopher Newport and James Madison — require students […]
If you’re a current or prospective student, you probably have money on your mind. After all, student loan debt is burgeoning on $1.5 trillion. While there are many factors to consider when choosing which college to attend, the money necessary to go there is usually one of the biggest factors. According to a recent press release, […]
Last week, American University’s faculty asserted the academic freedom that was once a central value of our colleges and universities is now under almost unremitting assault. Departing from the intellectual cowardice of many other institutions, the Faculty Senate simply said “no” to the use of the popular “trigger warnings” ostensibly designed to shield students from […]
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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