Then & Now ACTA’s 25-Year Drive to Restore the Promise of Higher Education ANNUAL REPORT 2020 Stephen Joel Trachtenberg Sidney L. Gulick III Board of Directors President Emeritus and University Professor Emeritus Professor of Mathematics, University of Maryland Edwin D. Williamson, Esq., Chairman of Public Service, The George Washington University Robert “KC” Johnson Partner, Sullivan & Cromwell, LLP (ret.) Michael B. Poliakoff, Ph.D. Professor of History, CUNY–Brooklyn College Robert T. Lewit, M.D., Treasurer President, ACTA (ex-officio) Anatoly M. Khazanov CEO, Metropolitan Psychiatric Group (ret.) Ernest Gellner Professor of Anthropology Emeritus, John D. Fonte, Ph.D., Secretary & Asst. Treas. Council of Scholars University of Wisconsin; Fellow, British Academy Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute George E. Andrews Alan Charles Kors John W. Altman Evan Pugh University Professor of Mathematics, Henry Charles Lea Professor Emeritus of History, Entrepreneur Pennsylvania State University University of Pennsylvania Former Trustee, Miami University Mark Bauerlein Jon D. Levenson George “Hank” Brown Emeritus Professor of English, Emory University Albert A. List Professor of Jewish Studies, Harvard Divinity School Former U.S. Senator Marc Zvi Brettler Former President, University of Colorado Bernice and Morton Lerner Distinguished Professor of Molly Levine Janice Rogers Brown Judaic Studies, Duke University Professor of Classics, Howard University Former Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Cir. William Cook George R. Lucas, Jr. Former Justice of the California Supreme Court Emeritus Distinguished Teaching Professor and Emeritus Senior Fellow, Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership, Jane Fraser Professor of History, SUNY–Geneseo United States Naval Academy President, Stuttering Foundation of America Paul Davies Joyce Lee Malcolm Heidi Ganahl Professor of Philosophy, College of William & Mary Professor Emerita of Law, George Mason University Fellow of the Royal Historical Society Founder, SheFactor & Camp Bow Wow David C. Doughty, Jr. Paul S. Levy Professor of Physics and Provost, Christopher Matthew A. Malkan Managing Director, JLL Partners Newport University Professor of Astrophysics, UCLA Mark Ridenour William Fagan Michael Podgursky President, DALE Management Co., LLC Distinguished University Professor and Chair of Biology, Chancellor’s Professor of Economics, University Former Chairman, Board of Trustees, Miami University University of Maryland of Missouri David Bruce Smith Judith Farr James A. Sellers Founder, Grateful American™ Foundation Professor of English Emerita, Georgetown University Professor and Associate Head for Undergraduate Mathematics, Pennsylvania State University Stuart Taylor, Jr. Niall Ferguson Author and Journalist Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University Senior Fellow, Center for European Studies, Harvard University Photo: 1880 illustration of the Library of Alexandria in Egypt . Then & Now ACTA’s 25-Year Drive to Restore the Promise of Higher Education ANNUAL REPORT 2020 The American Council of Trustees and Alumni is an independent, nonprofit organization committed to promoting academic freedom, academic excellence, and accountability at America’s colleges and universities. Founded in 1995, ACTA works with alumni, donors, trustees, and education leaders across the country 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 education at an affordable price. The goal from day one was always to achieve a change on the ground. Change that will benefit the students, benefit the faculty, benefit the intellectual life of academe. “ —Jerry L. Martin, Founding President American Council of Trustees and Alumni CONTENTS From the President 2 Academic Freedom THE THREE “A’s” Building a Culture of Free Expression on Campus 4 Resisting Cancel Culture 4 Defeating Bias Response Teams 8 ACADEMIC FREEDOM Healing Political Polarization 9 Help institutions preserve and foster a campus culture that champions intellectual diversity, Launching a Donor Revolution 10 open inquiry, and the free expression of ideas. Academic Excellence Preparing Students for Success 12 ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE Driving Curricular Reform 12 Work with colleges and universities to Helping Students Choose the Right College 14 promote high academic standards and Restoring Civics Education 15 rigorous liberal arts curricula that prepare students for the challenges of career and Advancing Academic Renewal 16 informed citizenship. Accountability Fortifying Institutional Governance 18 ACCOUNTABILITY Tackling Administrative Bloat 19 Empower trustees and higher education Supporting Engaged Governing Boards 21 leaders to advance accountability at colleges and universities through increased Bringing Solutions to Policymakers 22 engagement on issues of quality and cost. National Reach Informing the Public Conversation 24 Reaching the Higher Education Community 26 GoACTA.org Celebrating Our 25TH Anniversary in 2021 26 fb.com/GoACTA About Us 28 @GoACTA Our Staff 28 GoACTA.org/higher_ed_now/podcasts 2020 Financial Statements 29 Our Partners 30 youtube.com/GoACTA From the President the mathematics department at the University 2020 was a year that tried the soul of our of California–Davis. She defied vilification from nation, and our trials have not ended. The pandem- her colleagues to expose the University of ic is not over, and there are weaknesses in the body California System’s oppressive diversity screening politic that call on all of us to do better. It is for us to requirement. Pandemic notwithstanding, ACTA realize the vision of our Founders and the promise was proud to travel to Princeton University to that America holds for its citizens and the world. present the same award to Professor Joshua Katz, We must ensure that higher education is part of the who bravely resisted a faculty-led initiative to way forward. It will shape the values of the gradu- establish procedures to punish colleagues deemed ates who will go on to be the staff and leadership of out of step with Princeton’s purported “anti- corporations and businesses large and small. And racism” protocols. We published a brilliant essay by It is for us to realize the vision of our former ACLU president Nadine Founders and the promise that America Strossen, Resisting Cancel Culture: Promoting Dialogue, Debate, and Free holds for its citizens and the world. We Speech in the College Classroom, which must ensure that higher education is we will soon send to nearly 25,000 part of the way forward. Its effects on trustees and college leaders. And we continue building an alliance of donors “American prosperity and American culture who will bring their generosity to will always be profound. bear not only in moving institutions to commit themselves to freedom of it will shape the values of those who will be our expression but also to live by that commitment. elected officials, preside in our courts, and teach From the boardroom to the Washington Post, our children. Its effects on American prosperity and ACTA’s work to make a solid core curriculum part American culture will always be profound. of every undergraduate’s collegiate experience th In our 25 anniversary year, ACTA focused on continues to resonate. By expanding our database the importance of the free exchange of ideas on of high school counselors to more than 50,000 campus. So as the pandemic closed in, we moved in 2020, we made that message sound loudly the campus debate program that we sponsor with in secondary schools, helping college-bound Braver Angels online. In 2020, over 800 students students and their families make wise choices. from 24 campuses met in civil, parliamentary- Americans are hungry to know the nation’s history, stye debates on controversial issues ranging from and we were proud to publish Professor Allen defunding the police to building the border wall. Guelzo’s outstanding essay, 10 Things Everyone We intend to change “cancel culture” to a culture of Should Know About American History, with a brilliant intellectual affirmation. introduction by Wilfred McClay. We registered It was a privilege to name as a Hero of Intellectual over 104,000 digital downloads, distributed Freedom Professor Abigail Thompson, chair of nearly 30,000 printed copies, and have gone into 2 THEN & NOW ACTA’s 25-Year Drive to Restore the Promise of Higher Education a second printing. Our publications are among the many Since ACTA’s birth, we have counseled trustees to be ways that ACTA counters the misinformation increasingly informed, engaged, and confident fiduciaries. Nothing -ex forced into school and college curricula. We often find emplifies better ACTA’s groundbreaking work to empower student allies. At Louisiana State University, the students trustees than our HowCollegesSpendMoney.com website. themselves expressed their dismay at the “D” grade their With a few keystrokes, it becomes clear whether an insti- core curriculum “earned” in ACTA’s What Will They tution prioritizes academic over administrative spending. Learn?® rating system, but agreed the low grade was In 2020, the Iowa Board of Regents used the site to make merited. We promote institutions not always well known, budgetary decisions; other schools base presidential per- but that are distinguished for their devotion to a disciplined formance reviews on it. This same year, its data became and rigorous liberal arts education. part of a