ACTA - American Council of Trustees and Alumni

Considering study abroad this or next year? Learn a foreign language at the intermediate level so you can travel abroad, see other cultures, and mingle with the native speakers. If you want to learn more about what we mean by an "intermediate foreign language" requirement, visit WhatWillTheyLearn.com/rating-criteria..

“Many Americans choose to pay not much attention to political life and don’t have a strong understanding of American history,” said Bradley Jackson, vice president of policy for the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. “In the absence of that understanding, civil life will erode and decline, creating more potential for disunity and polarization.”

Most college students ignorant of American democracy, survey finds Much like a ‘60s hit song, college students today don’t know much about history … or civics, government and politics, a new academic survey shows.

Dramatist and historical novelist Alexander Dumas was born on July 24, 1802, in Villers-Cotterêts, Aisne, France. After the death of his father, Dumas tried his luck as a lawyer, but ultimately made his fortune by writing for the theater. After receiving great success as a playwright, the author began drafting historical novels, his most famous being The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers. Dumas died on December 5, 1870, in Puys, near Dieppe, France. Find out which schools require literature courses by visiting whatwilltheylearn.com today!

Teaching the Teachers: Subject Expertise Comes First — Minding The Campus Recent polling by College Pulse for the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) reveals that college-aged Americans are abysmally ignorant of our rich historical heritage and knowledge of our most important civic institutions. An implication is that the colleges neglect to instruct students t...

Born in Stagira, Chalcidice, Greece, Aristotle was a philosopher whose writings significantly shaped Western thought and philosophy. Aristotle's interests spanned ethics, metaphysics, and logic, and he laid the foundations for medieval Islamic philosophy and Christian Scholasticism. Although famous for his philosophical treatises, Aristotle was also a pioneer in the study of natural science and wrote on the topics of biology, early physics.

Born on this day in Paris, France, Edgar Degas was a painter, sculptor, and prominent figure in the Impressionist movement. A great admirer of the Florentine masters, such as Michelangelo, and of Venetian painters like Titian, Degas combined the techniques of these Italian artists into his own impressionistic style. His most famous works were those of ballerinas and ballet rehearsals, such as The Ballet Class.

Although not trained as an economist, Henry Hazlitt was one of the most brilliant minds regarding the free market. Left fatherless at a young age, Hazlitt struggled to pay for a formal education and often jumped from job to job within days of each other. Finally, he secured at job at the Wall Street Journal where he finished his first book, Thinking as a Science. His work was very influential, and soon Hazlitt was writing not only for the Wall Street Journal but for the New York Times, Newsweek, and the Nation. His most famous work Economics in One Lesson was published in 1946 and has sold nearly a million copies and is available in at least ten languages.

Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Some of the questions weighing heavily on the minds of all Americans are: is our higher education system strong? Will they be well-educated enough to handle the complexities of engaged citizenship in America's demanding political system, especially during times of turmoil?

Additionally, a July Gallup survey found that only 36% of adults say they have a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in higher education, a steady decline from 57% in 2015. Fewer than 20% of four-year colleges require a course in U.S. History or Civics.

And now, ACTA's latest survey, Losing America's Memory 2.0, reveals the depth of the deficit in American history and civics education. As sober discussions on a course correction for American politics get underway, the reintroduction of required courses in American history and civics education into higher education must be on the agenda.

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Losing America's Memory 2.0 In June 2024, ACTA surveyed over 3,000 college and university students on basic knowledge of American history and government.

How does your region perform when it comes to college-level civics education? Learn more at WhatWillTheyLearn.com

Created by John Robinson Pierce of Bell Telephone Laboratories, Telstar 1 was the first satellite to successfully relay transatlantic television signals. Powered by nickel-cadmium batteries, and recharged by 3,600 solar cells, Telstar 1 weighed 170 pounds and contained more than a thousand transistors. Along with television signals, telegraph, data, and telephone transmissions were successfully transmitted across the Atlantic to European countries. Find out which schools require science courses by visiting WhatWillTheyLearn.com!

This file comes from Science Museum Collections, a website operated by Science Museum Group, a non-departmental public body in the UK.

There is much to cherish about this nation to be sure, especially as we approach our 250th anniversary in 2026. But ACTA's Michael Poliakoff and Bradley Jackson express deep concern for the future of our democratic republic. Their opinion piece in today's Real Clear Education summarizes the findings of our just-released ACTA survey on civic education, Losing America's Memory 2.0. ACTA partnered with College Pulse to query 3,000 college undergraduates on their basic understanding of American civics and history; the survey reveals that generations of college students have been left woefully undereducated about the basic tenets of their own political system and that they are ill-prepared to function as free citizens. This is especially worrisome as the nation navigates complex and controversial issues of the day. ACTA supports a rapid and dramatic course correction and the reintroduction of civic education and basic American history into the core curricula of every American institution of higher education.

Today's Students Are Dangerously Ignorant of Our Nation's History. And Our Failing Education System Is to Blame. When Benjamin Franklin famously said, “A republic, madam, if you can keep it,” he was, as usual, prescient. This summer, the democratic republic known as the United States of America is 24

On this day 248 years ago, the Declaration of Independence was officially adopted by the Continental Congress. It marked the birth of a new nation and has been celebrated every year since with "pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations". (John Adams).

On this day 447 years ago, Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens was born. Considered the greatest exponent of the Baroque style of painting, Rubens's earliest known work, a self portrait, was completed in 1597. Rubens is most famous for his religious and mythological compositions, including The Fall of Phaeton, The Descent from the Cross, and The Assumption of the Virgin.

Irish writer and scholar C.S. Lewis was born on November 29, 1898 in Belfast, Ireland. At the age of five, Lewis began writing fantasy stories, and by 1933 his first prose was published. After his conversion to Christianity in 1931, all of the author's notable works, including Out of the Silent Planet, The Abolition of Man, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe all contained themes that he had wrestled with in his own life and conversion. To find colleges and universities that provide students with high quality undergraduate education, visit WhatWillTheyLearn.com!

On this day in 1865, Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved individuals in Texas, nearly two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. A year later on June 19th, the first official Juneteenth celebration was held in the state, which included prayer meetings, feasting, and the symbolic wearing of new clothes as a sign of newfound freedom. Visit WhatWillTheyLearn.com to discover universities that require students to study U.S. Government or History.

America's first Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson saw foreign language study as essential for cultural understanding and the future of the new Republic. For this reason, his plans for UVA and William and Mary required advanced modern languages for diplomacy and updated scientific education, a new idea in an era where most universities only required classical languages. For more information about the importance of foreign language study, visit WhatWillTheyLearn.com/rating-criteria.

On this day in 1811, American author Harriet Beecher Stowe was born in Litchfield, Connecticut. While accompanying her father and sister to Cincinnati, Stowe was frequently brought into contact with enslaved individuals escaping across the Ohio River into the northern United States. During this time, Stowe learned about life in the south and the institution of American slavery. She began drafting Tom's Cabin, detailing the horrors of slavery. Find out which schools require courses in literature by visiting WhatWillTheyLearn.com.

Born just ten years before the outbreak of World War II, Anne Frank lived with her family in Frankfurt, Germany until they were forced to flee to Amsterdam with Hitler's rise to power. Although Anne died in the Bergen-Blesen concentration camp in 1945, her diary was later published and is the most widely-read diary from the Holocaust today.

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On this day in 1783, French brothers Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier first publicly demonstrated their prototype hot air balloon in a marketplace in Annonay, France. Find out which colleges require science as a part of their core by visiting WhatWillTheyLearn.com!

ACTA President Michael Poliakoff and Vice President of Development & Philanthropy Emily Koons Jae were recently featured in Town & Country Magazine! Read their take on why college donors are revolting against the Ivies.

“This time I think we’re finally seeing a moment when major donors and and alumni are saying that these schools have lost their way. We love them but our wallets are shut until certain core reforms are made… We’ve been seeing some shifting in the past but nothing that I can recall at this scale. This time it looks like they mean it.”

www.msn.com

Originally known as Decoration Day, Memorial day is a U.S. holiday honoring those who have died in service of the nation. Its exact birthplace is unknown, with numerous places in Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Mississippi, and New York claiming to have started the tradition during or after the Civil War. In 1868 John A. Logan and an organization of Union veterans proposed a national holiday on May 30th to honor the dead. It wasn't until after World War I that the observance's name was changed to Memorial Day as it paid respects to those who had died in all U.S. wars, not just the Civil War. Memorial Day is now celebrated on the last day in May.

On this day in 1859, Scottish writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. Though Doyle initially studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh’s Medical School, he is best known for authoring the widely popular Sherlock Holmes series. Discover schools that require Literature courses by visiting WhatWillTheyLearn.com!

"A+" schools put students first and the results speak for themselves. Visit WhatWillTheyLearn.com to learn more!

BREAKING: ACTA's survey of Texas voters reveals that 69% of respondents supported President Hartzell's decision to bring in state troopers to clear encampments that violated The University of Texas at Austin rules on large gatherings, holding disruptive students accountable for their actions.
https://www.goacta.org/2024/05/acta-survey-finds-texans-support-strong-actions-at-university-of-texas-in-response-to-protests/

Meanwhile, the average 4-Year graduation rate in the United States is 52%—44% lower than at "A+" institutions.