American Council of Trustees and Alumni
Encyclopedia
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) is a non-profit organization
whose stated mission is to "support liberal arts education, uphold high academic standards, safeguard the free exchange of ideas on campus, and ensure that the next generation receives a philosophically rich, high-quality college education at an affordable price."
ACTA does so primarily by calling on trustees
to take on a more assertive governing role. It is based in Washington, D.C.
and its current president is Anne D. Neal
.
chairman Lynne V. Cheney, former University of Colorado at Boulder president and U.S. Senator Hank Brown
, sociologist David Riesman
, Nobel Laureate Saul Bellow
, U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman
, and others. With the exception of the current President, Anne D. Neal
, all those who were involved in ACTA’s founding have since retired. In 1996, the organization changed its name to the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. Jerry L. Martin
, a former Philosophy professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder
, was president from the founding until 2003 when Neal took over.
, and greater transparency and accountability in higher ed. According to ACTA, a university education should prepare its graduates to become "informed citizens, effective workers, and lifelong learners."
and the two often collaborate on particular cases.
ACTA opposes speech codes.
ACTA also pushes universities to expose students to a broad range of ideas in and out of the classroom. Classes should introduce students, in ACTA’s words, "to the scope of accepted scholarly opinions in the subject area studied."
Outside the classroom, ACTA has spoken out against the dis-invitation of speakers and called on universities to use guest speakers to add to the mix of ideas.
Roger Bowen, the former General Secretary of the American Association of University Professors
, has criticized ACTA on the grounds that non-academics should not weigh in on academic questions.
ACTA has also spoken out against grade inflation
,
the "beer and spectacle" climate at many universities,
and the civic and economic illiteracy of college graduates.
It has also opposed the ban of Reserve Officers' Training Corps
(ROTC) programs on campuses.
ACTA argues for a much more active approach to trusteeship than the Association of Governing Boards
.
On the financial front, ACTA calls on governing boards to keep costs under control—in particular administrative spending—and not reflexively increase tuition.
ACTA has also spoken out on the need to raise graduation rates as a cost-saving measure.
ACTA has been a vocal critic of the current system of federal accreditation, arguing that the system as it is structured today pays no attention to the quality of the education that students receive (learning outcomes) and hampers the transfer of credits between institutions.
, it is not a membership-based organization.
, advising them on how to target their giving,
and helping them to organize alumni groups.
.
. This award “honors individuals who advance liberal arts education, core curricula, and the teaching of Western civilization and American history. In 2009, Robert David “KC” Johnson
, professor of history at Brooklyn College
and the City University of New York Graduate Center
, received the award.
In 2009, ACTA published What Will They Learn? A Report on General Education Requirements at 100 of the Nation’s Leading Colleges and Universities. The report assigns a letter grade to each university based on how many of the following seven core subjects are required: Composition, Literature, Foreign Language, American Government or History, Economics, Mathematics, Natural or Physical Science. ACTA concludes that most of the country’s leading universities do not have rigorous general education requirements. 42 institutions receive a “D” or an “F” for requiring two or fewer subjects. Only 5 institutions receive an “A” for requiring six subjects and none require all seven.
The report and the companion website What Will They Learn.com, which looks at a greater number of schools, were endorsed by Mel Elfin, founder of the U.S. News & World Report College Rankings.
New York Times higher education blogger Stanley Fish
agreed that universities ought to have a strong core curriculum, but disagreed with some of the subjects ACTA includes in the core.
In 2007, ACTA published a reported entitled The Vanishing Shakespeare. It found that 55 of the leading 70 colleges and universities surveyed did not require their English majors to take a course in Shakespeare.
In 2005, ACTA began publishing report cards on state public universities. The report cards offer a Pass or Fail grade in the following four areas: what a college education costs, how the universities are governed, what students are learning and whether the marketplace of ideas is vibrant. So far, ACTA has released report cards in Georgia
, Missouri
, Illinois
and Minnesota
.
In November 2001, in the wake of the September 11 attacks, ACTA published Defending Civilization: How Our Universities Are Failing America and What Can Be Done About It. Based on a comparison of public and campus responses to 9/11, the report concludes that there is a divide between mainstream American responses and those within the academy. As evidence, the report lists 117 statements by college administrators, faculty and students that “ranged from moral equivocation to explicit condemnations of America.”
The report generated much controversy and debate. Critics denounced the report as a “blacklist” that signaled “the emergence of a new McCarthyism directed at the academy.”
Others replied that “When anyone has dared to disagree with these statements and to condemn them publicly, the cry has gone up that this is somehow a threat to free speech -- as if free speech includes the right to silence others who disagree.”
The report is no longer available on ACTA’s website (but it can be found here).
In 2000, ACTA published Losing America’s Memory, a report on historical illiteracy among college students. The report found that none of the leading 55 liberal arts colleges and universities surveyed included American history as a graduation requirement. The report also found that while students could easily identify pop culture icons, 65% of those surveyed failed the 34 question multiple-choice test on American history and government.
The report led to the adoption of a joint unanimous resolution of Congress expressing “the importance and value of United States history” and calling on boards of trustees, college administrators and state officials to strengthen American history requirements.
General Education Requirements
American History
Shakespeare
Intellectual Diversity and Academic Freedom
Grade Inflation
Accreditation
and is funded by grants from foundations and gifts from individuals. Major foundations that have donated to ACTA include the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, the John M. Olin Foundation
and the Lumina Foundation for Education
.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
whose stated mission is to "support liberal arts education, uphold high academic standards, safeguard the free exchange of ideas on campus, and ensure that the next generation receives a philosophically rich, high-quality college education at an affordable price."
ACTA does so primarily by calling on trustees
Board of governors
Board of governors is a term sometimes applied to the board of directors of a public entity or non-profit organization.Many public institutions, such as public universities, are government-owned corporations. The British Broadcasting Corporation was managed by a board of governors, though this role...
to take on a more assertive governing role. It is based in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and its current president is Anne D. Neal
Anne D. Neal
Anne deHayden Neal is the president of the non-profit organization American Council of Trustees and Alumni .-Biography:Ms. Neal spent her childhood in Indiana, where her father was the editor of the small-town newspaper, the Noblesville Daily Ledger. She graduated as a member of Phi Beta Kappa from...
.
History
ACTA was founded in 1995 as the National Alumni Forum by former National Endowment for the HumanitiesNational Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
chairman Lynne V. Cheney, former University of Colorado at Boulder president and U.S. Senator Hank Brown
Hank Brown
George Hanks "Hank" Brown is a former Republican politician and U.S. Senator from Colorado who served as president of the University of Colorado system from April 2005 - January 2008.-Education:...
, sociologist David Riesman
David Riesman
David Riesman , was a sociologist, attorney, and educator....
, Nobel Laureate Saul Bellow
Saul Bellow
Saul Bellow was a Canadian-born Jewish American writer. For his literary contributions, Bellow was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the Nobel Prize for Literature, and the National Medal of Arts...
, U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman
Joe Lieberman
Joseph Isadore "Joe" Lieberman is the senior United States Senator from Connecticut. A former member of the Democratic Party, he was the party's nominee for Vice President in the 2000 election. Currently an independent, he remains closely affiliated with the party.Born in Stamford, Connecticut,...
, and others. With the exception of the current President, Anne D. Neal
Anne D. Neal
Anne deHayden Neal is the president of the non-profit organization American Council of Trustees and Alumni .-Biography:Ms. Neal spent her childhood in Indiana, where her father was the editor of the small-town newspaper, the Noblesville Daily Ledger. She graduated as a member of Phi Beta Kappa from...
, all those who were involved in ACTA’s founding have since retired. In 1996, the organization changed its name to the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. Jerry L. Martin
Jerry L. Martin
Jerry L. Martin is chairman of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. He served as president of ACTA from its founding in 1995 as the National Alumni Forum until 2003, when he was succeeded by Anne D. Neal...
, a former Philosophy professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
, was president from the founding until 2003 when Neal took over.
Organization Objectives
ACTA’s stated goals are to promote academic freedom, academic excellence, and accountability in higher education. In practice, ACTA argues for a strong core curriculum, exposing students to a broad range of ideas, a more active role for governing boardsBoard of governors
Board of governors is a term sometimes applied to the board of directors of a public entity or non-profit organization.Many public institutions, such as public universities, are government-owned corporations. The British Broadcasting Corporation was managed by a board of governors, though this role...
, and greater transparency and accountability in higher ed. According to ACTA, a university education should prepare its graduates to become "informed citizens, effective workers, and lifelong learners."
Academic Freedom
ACTA argues that students should be free to expose their views on campus. In this regard, the organization is closely aligned with the Foundation for Individual Rights in EducationFoundation for Individual Rights in Education
The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education is a non-profit group founded in 1999 and focused on civil liberties in academia in the United States...
and the two often collaborate on particular cases.
ACTA opposes speech codes.
ACTA also pushes universities to expose students to a broad range of ideas in and out of the classroom. Classes should introduce students, in ACTA’s words, "to the scope of accepted scholarly opinions in the subject area studied."
Outside the classroom, ACTA has spoken out against the dis-invitation of speakers and called on universities to use guest speakers to add to the mix of ideas.
Roger Bowen, the former General Secretary of the American Association of University Professors
American Association of University Professors
The American Association of University Professors is an organization of professors and other academics in the United States. AAUP membership is about 47,000, with over 500 local campus chapters and 39 state organizations...
, has criticized ACTA on the grounds that non-academics should not weigh in on academic questions.
Academic Excellence
ACTA’s efforts in this regard have primarily focused on strengthening general education requirements. According to ACTA, a core curriculum should include, at a minimum, the following seven requirements: Composition, Literature, Foreign Language, American Government or History, Economics, Mathematics, Natural or Physical Science.ACTA has also spoken out against grade inflation
Grade inflation
Grade inflation is the tendency of academic grades for work of comparable quality to increase over time.It is frequently discussed in relation to U.S. education, and to GCSEs and A levels in England and Wales...
,
the "beer and spectacle" climate at many universities,
and the civic and economic illiteracy of college graduates.
It has also opposed the ban of Reserve Officers' Training Corps
Reserve Officers' Training Corps
The Reserve Officers' Training Corps is a college-based, officer commissioning program, predominantly in the United States. It is designed as a college elective that focuses on leadership development, problem solving, strategic planning, and professional ethics.The U.S...
(ROTC) programs on campuses.
Accountability
To address the problems it says exist in higher education, ACTA primarily calls on university governing boards to hold administrations and professors accountable: “Trustees are guardians of the public interest and have the fiduciary responsibility to ensure the academic and financial health of their institution.”ACTA argues for a much more active approach to trusteeship than the Association of Governing Boards
Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges
The Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges is an American higher education association committed to the improvement of academic governing boards and boards of institutionally related foundations—those boards that oversee the workings of colleges, universities, and their...
.
On the financial front, ACTA calls on governing boards to keep costs under control—in particular administrative spending—and not reflexively increase tuition.
ACTA has also spoken out on the need to raise graduation rates as a cost-saving measure.
ACTA has been a vocal critic of the current system of federal accreditation, arguing that the system as it is structured today pays no attention to the quality of the education that students receive (learning outcomes) and hampers the transfer of credits between institutions.
Governing Boards
ACTA primarily works with governing boards to address its core issues. Its trustee guides are sent to some 10,000 trustees at 600 institutions. ACTA also writes to boards to draw their attention to particular issues at their institution and, through its Institute for Effective Governance, holds trustee training seminars. Unlike the Association of Governing BoardsAssociation of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges
The Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges is an American higher education association committed to the improvement of academic governing boards and boards of institutionally related foundations—those boards that oversee the workings of colleges, universities, and their...
, it is not a membership-based organization.
Alumni
ACTA also works with alumniAlumni association
An alumni association is an association of graduates or, more broadly, of former students. In the United Kingdom and the United States, alumni of universities, colleges, schools , fraternities, and sororities often form groups with alumni from the same organisation...
, advising them on how to target their giving,
and helping them to organize alumni groups.
Policymakers
ACTA has testified before state legislatures and before the U.S. Secretary of Education's Commission on the Future of Higher EducationCommission on the Future of Higher Education
The formation of a Commission on the Future of Higher Education, also known as the Spellings Commission, was announced on September 19, 2005 by U.S. Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings...
.
Parents and students
In 2009, ACTA launched What Will They Learn.com, an online college guide that allows parents and students to compare universities based on the strength of their general education requirements.Philip Merrill Award for Outstanding Contributions to Liberal Arts Education
Each year, ACTA gives out the Philip Merrill Award for Outstanding Contributions to Liberal Arts EducationThe Philip Merrill Award for Outstanding Contributions to Liberal Arts Education
The Philip Merrill Award for Outstanding Contributions to Liberal Arts Education is an annual prize given by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni to an individual who has “made an extraordinary contribution to the advancement of liberal arts education, core curricula, and the teaching of...
. This award “honors individuals who advance liberal arts education, core curricula, and the teaching of Western civilization and American history. In 2009, Robert David “KC” Johnson
KC Johnson
Dr. Robert David Johnson , also known as KC Johnson, is a history professor at Brooklyn College and the City University of New York Graduate Center...
, professor of history at Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College is a senior college of the City University of New York, located in Brooklyn, New York, United States.Established in 1930 by the New York City Board of Higher Education, the College had its beginnings as the Downtown Brooklyn branches of Hunter College and the City College of New...
and the City University of New York Graduate Center
CUNY Graduate Center
The Graduate Center of the City University of New York brings together graduate education, advanced research, and public programming to midtown Manhattan hosting 4,600 students, 33 doctoral programs, 7 master's programs, and 30 research centers and institutes...
, received the award.
Reports
ACTA publishes reports on various aspects of higher education, as well as guides to advise trustees, alumni, donors and policymakers.In 2009, ACTA published What Will They Learn? A Report on General Education Requirements at 100 of the Nation’s Leading Colleges and Universities. The report assigns a letter grade to each university based on how many of the following seven core subjects are required: Composition, Literature, Foreign Language, American Government or History, Economics, Mathematics, Natural or Physical Science. ACTA concludes that most of the country’s leading universities do not have rigorous general education requirements. 42 institutions receive a “D” or an “F” for requiring two or fewer subjects. Only 5 institutions receive an “A” for requiring six subjects and none require all seven.
The report and the companion website What Will They Learn.com, which looks at a greater number of schools, were endorsed by Mel Elfin, founder of the U.S. News & World Report College Rankings.
New York Times higher education blogger Stanley Fish
Stanley Fish
Stanley Eugene Fish is an American literary theorist and legal scholar. He was born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island...
agreed that universities ought to have a strong core curriculum, but disagreed with some of the subjects ACTA includes in the core.
In 2007, ACTA published a reported entitled The Vanishing Shakespeare. It found that 55 of the leading 70 colleges and universities surveyed did not require their English majors to take a course in Shakespeare.
In 2005, ACTA began publishing report cards on state public universities. The report cards offer a Pass or Fail grade in the following four areas: what a college education costs, how the universities are governed, what students are learning and whether the marketplace of ideas is vibrant. So far, ACTA has released report cards in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
.
In November 2001, in the wake of the September 11 attacks, ACTA published Defending Civilization: How Our Universities Are Failing America and What Can Be Done About It. Based on a comparison of public and campus responses to 9/11, the report concludes that there is a divide between mainstream American responses and those within the academy. As evidence, the report lists 117 statements by college administrators, faculty and students that “ranged from moral equivocation to explicit condemnations of America.”
The report generated much controversy and debate. Critics denounced the report as a “blacklist” that signaled “the emergence of a new McCarthyism directed at the academy.”
Others replied that “When anyone has dared to disagree with these statements and to condemn them publicly, the cry has gone up that this is somehow a threat to free speech -- as if free speech includes the right to silence others who disagree.”
The report is no longer available on ACTA’s website (but it can be found here).
In 2000, ACTA published Losing America’s Memory, a report on historical illiteracy among college students. The report found that none of the leading 55 liberal arts colleges and universities surveyed included American history as a graduation requirement. The report also found that while students could easily identify pop culture icons, 65% of those surveyed failed the 34 question multiple-choice test on American history and government.
The report led to the adoption of a joint unanimous resolution of Congress expressing “the importance and value of United States history” and calling on boards of trustees, college administrators and state officials to strengthen American history requirements.
Reports
State Report Cards- At a Crossroads: A Report Card on Public Higher Education in Minnesota (2010)
- For the People: A Report Card on Public Higher Education in Illinois (2009)
- Show Me: A Report Card on Public Higher Education in Missouri (2008)
- Shining the Light: A Report Card on Georgia’s System of Public Higher Education (2008)
- Governance in the Public Interest: A Case Study of the University of North Carolina System (2005)
General Education Requirements
- What Will They Learn? A Report on General Education Requirements at 100 of the Nation’s Leading Colleges and Universities (2009)
- The Hollow Core: Failure of the General Education Curriculum (2004)
American History
- Restoring America's Legacy (2002)
- Losing America's Memory: Historical Illiteracy in the 21st Century (2000)
Shakespeare
- The Vanishing Shakespeare (2007)
- The Shakespeare File: What English Majors Are Really Studying (1996)
Intellectual Diversity and Academic Freedom
- Protecting the Free Exchange of Ideas: How Trustees Can Advance Intellectual Diversity on Campus (2009)
- How many Ward Churchills? (2006)
- Intellectual Diversity: Time for Action (2005)
- Politics in the Classroom (2004)
- Defending Civilization: How our Universities are Failing American and What Can be Done about it (2002)
Grade Inflation
- Degraded Currency: The Problem of Grade Inflation (2003)
Accreditation
- Can College Accreditation Live Up to Its Promise? (2002)
Trustee Guides
- Trouble in the Dorms: A Guide to Residential Life Programs for Higher Education Trustees (2009)
- Restoring a Core How Trustees Can Ensure Meaningful General Education Requirements (2009)
- How to Think or What to Think? A Case Study from Missouri for College Trustees (2009)
- Orientation or Indoctrination? The University of Delaware's Troubling Residential Life Program and Trustee Responsibility (2009)
- The Higher Education Opportunity Act and You: What the Legislation Means for Boards of Trustees (2009)
- Measuring Up: The Problem of Grade Inflation and What Trustees Can Do (2009)
- Asking Questions, Getting Answers: A Guide for Higher Ed Trustees (2008)
- The Spellings Commission and You: What Higher Education Trustees Can Do in Light of the Department of Education's Recent Report (2007)
- Assessing the President's Performance: A "How To" Guide for Trustees (2006)
- Strategic Planning : And Trustee Responsibility (2005)
- Selecting a New President: What to do Before You Hire a Search Firm (2004)
- Becoming an Educated Person: Toward a Core Curriculum for College Students (2003)
- Teachers Who Can: How Informed Trustees Can Ensure Teacher Quality (2003)
- Educating Teachers: The Best Minds Speak Out (2002)
- The Basics of Responsible Trusteeship (2002)
Guides for Policymakers
- The Spellings Commission and You: What State Policymakers Can Do in Light of the Department of Education's Recent Report (2007)
- Why Accreditation Doesn't Work and What Policymakers Can Do About It (2007)
- Accountability in Higher Education: Governors Provide Leadership (2004)
- Any State Can! A Model for Improving Higher Education: The Colorado Example (2004)
- We the People: A Resource Guide to Promoting Historical Literacy for Governors, Legislators, Teachers and Citizens (2003)
Funding
ACTA is a non-profit organizationNon-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
and is funded by grants from foundations and gifts from individuals. Major foundations that have donated to ACTA include the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, the John M. Olin Foundation
John M. Olin Foundation
John M. Olin Foundation was a grant-making foundation established in 1953 by John M. Olin, president of the Olin Industries chemical and munitions manufacturing businesses. Unlike most non-profit foundations, the John M. Olin Foundation was charged to spend all of its assets within a generation of...
and the Lumina Foundation for Education
Lumina Foundation for Education
Lumina Foundation for Education is a private, Indianapolis-based foundation with about $1.4 billion in assets. Its mission is to expand student access to and success in education beyond high school...
.
Board of directors
- Chairman: Robert T. Lewit, M.D.
- Treasurer: Lee E. Goodman
- Secretary: John D. Fonte
- Stephen H. Balch
- Edward F. CoxEdward F. CoxEdward Ridley Finch Cox , is the chairman of the New York Republican State Committee and the son-in-law of the late President Richard M. Nixon. Cox is a lawyer in the Manhattan law firm of Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP where he has served as the Chairman of the Corporate Department and a...
- Edwin Meese III
- Anne D. NealAnne D. NealAnne deHayden Neal is the president of the non-profit organization American Council of Trustees and Alumni .-Biography:Ms. Neal spent her childhood in Indiana, where her father was the editor of the small-town newspaper, the Noblesville Daily Ledger. She graduated as a member of Phi Beta Kappa from...