ACTA - American Council of Trustees and Alumni

09/05/2026

PODCAST: GW President Emeritus Stephen Trachtenberg explains one cause of groupthink in higher ed: most academics now identify more closely with their field than with their university.

This makes professional associations immensely powerful.

09/04/2026

"Teaching history as a series of grievances or as a prelude to the present rather than as a record of what actually happened—tyranny’s body count, communism’s economic failure, the specific reasons 400,000 Americans died between 1941 and 1945—leaves students unequipped. They cannot fathom the Greatest Generation because they have never been required to try."

I am a member of Generation X. In grade school, middle school, and high school I wrote paper after paper on Pearl Harbor, D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge, and the reasons we fought World War II. We stu

09/03/2026

VIDEO PODCAST: Dr. Steve McGuire explains the real problem with the Jason Arday scandal: how many defended his actions as commonplace.

Why does it need to be said? Academia shouldn't be infested with fraudsters!

Watch the full episode of Radio Free Campus on the Jason Arday debacle: https://youtu.be/xbPONpt7Va8

09/01/2026

UNC Chapel Hill's School of Civic Life and Leadership provoked a firestorm of controversy at Chapel Hill, with many putting the civics center in their crosshairs.

Yet court documents show that a UNC-commissioned investigation found the claims against the school and Dean Jed Atkins to be "unsubstantiated."

The faculty tries but fails to ruin the new School of Civic Life and Leadership.

08/31/2026

Legendary university president Stephen Trachtenberg asks how to revitalize the study of American history when it remains dominated by "dreadful" books like Howard Zinn's People's History of the United States, "a litany of our sins".

08/29/2026

ICYMI: ACTA's Michael Poliakoff interviews Lt. General H.R. McMaster and diplomat & scholar John Hillen on what makes America exceptional in history and today - and how to teach this to the next generation of informed patriots.

Watch on Youtube:https://youtu.be/9MEw5gBISQ0

On this episode of Higher Ed Now Civics Edition, ACTA President Mic...

08/29/2026

Strengthening knowledge of the American Founding. Guidance for how to adapt in the age of AI. Oh, and rebuilding US history and civics in core curriculum nationwide.

Just a few things ACTA got up to this summer.

ACTA continued its efforts to strengthen civic literacy and understanding of the American Founding, highlighting A Broadside for the Nation

08/28/2026

📹 General H.R. McMaster explains how the US military has never been tasked with determining policy. George Washington set the precedent, even though he was frequently frustrated by the Continental Congress's broken promises.

08/27/2026

📹"You're part of that tapestry, whether you want to be or not."

On a special video edition of Higher Ed Now, diplomat John Hillen explains the civic tapestry of the United States - the conversations in US history that led us to the present.

08/26/2026

Katherine Johnson is most famous for her 33-year career with NASA. But she studied every subject with zeal, which served her well during her long and storied career. Today’s students must take earning a well-rounded education just as seriously.

Read the new blog post celebrating what would be Katherine's 108th birthday:

Education is taken for granted in the United States. It is readily available, yet many students pursue their studies half-heartedly.