AMERICAN COUNCIL OF TRUSTEES AND ALUMNI

The 'American Council of Trustees and Alumni' (ACTA) was founded in 1995 by former National Endowment for the Humanities chair Lynne Cheney, former Colorado Governor Richard Lamm, former Colorado Senator Hank Brown, social scientist David Reisman, and acclaimed writer Saul Bellow. Cheney is now Chairman Emeritus of ACTA and also a member of its National Council. Anne D. Neal is currently the president of ACTA.
The goal of ACTA is to promote academic freedom and diversity, academic excellence, and accountability in higher education. To this end, it works to empower students, alumni, donors, and trustees.
A major focus of the organization is to promote a genuine "marketplace of ideas" through wider intellectual diversity. Other concerns include grade inflation, the dearth of what it considers solid core curricula, and courses lacking significant academic substance.
Publications of ACTA include ''Inside Academe'', its quarterly newsletter, a set of guides to help trustees perform their responsibilities, and multiple reports.
ACTA also gives out annually the Philip Merrill Award for Outstanding Contributions to Liberal Arts Education. This award directs recognition towards individuals who promote the study of Western civilization and American history.

Contents

National Council

Reports

External links

National Council

★ 'Chairman:' Jerry L. Martin

★ 'Vice Chairman:' Richard Lamm

★ Jacques Barzun

★ William J. Bennett

★ Georgie Anne Geyer

★ Judith Richards Hope

★ Max Kampelman

★ Irving Kristol

★ Hans Mark

★ Martin Peretz

★ William K. Tell, Jr.

★ Curtin Winsor, Jr.

Reports

★ ''The Shakespeare File: What English Majors Are Really Studying'' (1996)

★ ''The Intelligent Donor’s Guide to College Giving'' (1998)

★ ''A Failure to Set High Standards'' (1998)

★ ''Losing America’s Memory: Historical Illiteracy in the 21st Century'' (2000)

★ ''Defending Civilization: How Our Universities Are Failing America and What Can be Done About It'' (2001)

★ ''Restoring America’s Legacy: The Challenge of Historical Literacy in the 21st Century'' (2002)

★ ''The Basics of Trusteeship'' (2002)

★ ''We the People: A Resource Guide to Outstanding Programs and Projects in American History with a Toolkit for Governors and Legislators'' (2003)

★ ''Becoming an Educated Person: Toward a Core Curriculum for College Students'' (2003)

★ ''Can College Accreditation Live Up to Its Promise?'' (2003)

★ ''Educating Teachers: The Best Minds Speak Out'' (2003)

★ ''Teachers Who Can: How Informed Trustees Can Ensure Teacher Quality'' (2003)

★ ''Degraded Currency: The Problem of Grade Inflation'' (2003)

★ ''Politics in the Classroom'' (2004)

★ ''The Hollow Core: Failure of the General Education Curriculum'' (2004)

★ ''Accountability in Higher Education: Governors Provide Leadership'' (2004)

★ ''Governance in the Public Interest: A Case Study of the University of North Carolina System'' (2005)

★ ''Intellectual Diversity: Time for Action'' (2005)

★ ''How Many Ward Churchills?'' (2006)

★ ''The Vanishing Shakespeare'' (2007)

External links

★ ACTA homepage

★ ACTA Blog

★ Source Watch entry on ACTA