Higher education is in the midst of a deep financial crisis, and the failure of governing boards to focus on academic programs is arguably the single greatest cause of overspending. This brochure shows trustees both why and how to prioritize academic programs. All too often, attempts to reduce expenses have concentrated on the administrative side of the budget, and academic matters have been considered the sole province of the faculty. But the future of colleges and universities may well depend on the willingness of trustees to make clear decisions about academic priorities. Prudent action now will position schools to not only weather the current economic problems but emerge as stronger academic institutions.
In this 11th edition of its flagship annual survey of college general education curricula, What Will They Learn?, ACTA shines a light on the wide disparity in academic standards at institutions of higher learning across the country. What Will They Learn? reviews the core curricula of over 1,100 four-year public and private institutions to determine the […]
ACTA’s report The Cost of Chaos in the Curriculum reveals that the vast array of course choices given to college students is a cause of exploding costs and poor academic outcomes. And a bloated undergraduate curriculum is particularly detrimental to the success of students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. The report documents how at most colleges and […]
Read and admired throughout the world, Shakespeare’s plays and poetry have been the guiding light of statesmen, of authors, and of artists. His writings are the indispensable foundation for understanding English literature, language, and rhetoric. Yet less than 8% of the nation’s top universities require English majors to take even a single course that focuses […]
General education doesn’t often make headlines. But thanks to the groundbreaking efforts in Colorado to ensure a rigorous statewide core curriculum, Colorado is making national news. At a time of breathtaking changes and ever-growing bodies of information, Colorado’s focus on a strong general education will give its college graduates a competitive edge. Students in other […]
The good news: A survey from the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU) announcing that “distribution requirements” in undergraduate education are out and “general education” is back. Translated, that means—or ought to mean—that colleges are reinstating the idea of a core curriculum of essential courses, conveying essential knowledge, that every well-rounded college graduate ought […]
The course changes at Stetson University will fail students and their future employers, argues the head of an independent nonprofit group that advocates for academic freedom, quality and accountability. Anne Neal, president of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, responded to several questions posed by The News-Journal in this e-mail exchange. Your organization is […]
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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