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Nick Down

Associate Director of External Affairs

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Nick works closely with ACTA's Chief of Staff & Senior Vice President of Strategy Armand Alacbay to monitor developing trends in higher education and public policy and determine appropriate responses. Nick also assists the Trustee & Government Affairs department with matters of trustee communications, public outreach, and by contributing to ACTA’s publications. Before joining ACTA, Nick worked on Capitol Hill as a seasoned Legislative Assistant for his hometown Congressman and then as an advocate for the tugboat, towboat, and barge industry. He obtained his Master of Public Administration from Rutgers University in 2017, and a B.A. in Political Science from Rowan University in 2012. In his spare time, Nick enjoys bowling, reading, and spending time with his wife and their pets.



VIDEO
RECENT WORK
The ForumGeneral Education

America’s Sickness and Its Remedy 

The American body politic is sick, driven by hyper-partisanship and weakened by ignorance and anger. The root of this national disorder is civic illiteracy, a condition which, left unchecked, leaves swaths of the American public susceptible to misleading critiques that distort their understanding of our country’s history, system of government, and position in the world. The result is a widespread loss of trust in our nation’s civic and social institutions. 
The ForumTrustee Selection

Trustee Candidate Vetting Groups Are Dangerous for Higher Education Governance

Among the seemingly endless list of duties that fall upon state governments is the appointment of individuals to public college and university governing boards. To streamline the appointment process, many states have established vetting commissions to recommend candidates to the state legislature or governor for consideration. Typically, the legislature or governor will accept the commission’s […]
WHO WE ARE

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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