“The Honors College at Houston Christian University shares in the university’s central confession, ‘Jesus Christ is Lord,’ by providing an integrated general education for undergraduate students willing to approach their studies with modesty and reverence. […] In small classes designed for transformative conversations, students and faculty seek truth together,” says program director Gary Hartenburg, Ph.D. “The Honors College curriculum stretches from the ancient world to the twentieth century, and students revel in its poetry, drama, history, art, philosophy, science, psychology, economics, mathematics, and theology. […] Our Honors Scholars come from all over the world and reflect the makeup of Houston as a global leader of diversity and growth. We are grateful to ACTA for recognizing the Honors College at HCU as a Hidden Gem.”

Gabriella Hsu, ACTA’s Senior Program Manager for Curricular Improvement says, “ACTA’s Hidden Gems program highlights major, minor, and certificate programs that offer students an unparalleled education in the liberal arts. Hidden Gems programs are so named for the high caliber of their faculty, thoughtfully structured curricula, and commitment both to the challenges and rewards of liberal education. Students enrolled in Hidden Gems programs are drawn into community and discussion rooted in the rich interdisciplinary study of the liberal arts and sciences. In its mission to support academic excellence, ACTA believes that the Hidden Gems program is an invaluable resource for students seeking a robust, collegial, and enriching education.”

ACTA’s Hidden Gems initiative serves as a complement to our What Will They Learn?^® (WWTL) project. WWTL rates the core curriculum requirements at over 1,100 schools to determine which institutions provide a rigorous, liberal arts-oriented general education. Programs designated as Hidden Gems offer a robust liberal arts education regardless of their home institution’s core curriculum. WWTL and Hidden Gems help prospective students locate universities and programs that will prepare them for successful careers, informed citizenship, and human flourishing.

See a comprehensive list of all Hidden Gems here.

MEDIA CONTACT: Gabrielle Anglin
EMAIL: ganglin@goacta.org

The post ACTA Designates the Honors College at Houston Christian University as a Hidden Gem for its Robust Liberal Arts Curriculum appeared first on American Council of Trustees and Alumni.

Download a transcript of the podcast HERE.
Note: Please check any quotations against the audio recording. The views expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and may not necessarily reflect those of ACTA.

The post Anika Prather: “Classical Education Helps Everyone Flourish” appeared first on American Council of Trustees and Alumni.

Download a transcript of the podcast HERE.
Note: Please check any quotations against the audio recording. The views expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and may not necessarily reflect those of ACTA.

The post Glenn Loury: Defending the Cultural Inheritance of the Liberal Arts appeared first on American Council of Trustees and Alumni.

But many people also seem to implicitly or explicitly understand that higher education is not always delivering on its core mission of, well … higher education. Put another way, we are seeing a growing realization that while people who graduate from even the best universities might be well-schooled, many are not well-educated. And this could have dire implications, not just for individual students, but for the entire country.

A few decades ago, I began to notice that many of the recently minted college graduates I was working with had surprisingly wide gaps in essential cultural and historical knowledge. Casual conversations revealed no idea who Dante was, what William the Conqueror conquered or what happened at the Appomattox Courthouse, to cite just a few real examples. What made these revelations so surprising and even paradoxical was that these folks were generally very smart and had attended some of America’s best universities. I have encountered this phenomenon so often since then that I’m no longer surprised when it occurs.

This is troubling on a number of levels, starting with the well-worn but valid notion that good citizenship and by extension democratic self-government hinge upon our population having an understanding of our common culture and history and the governing institutions that grew out of them. As Winston Churchill said, “A nation that forgets its past has no future.”

But most of us no longer know much about our past. Even though more Americans are going to college than ever before, another recent survey showed that only 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. would pass a basic citizenship test. And as we’ve seen in recent weeks on campuses around the country, a knowledge vacuum can easily be filled with dangerous ideas.

More importantly, millions of students are being denied what is quite possibly the greatest gift our society can bestow upon them: an education that opens the door to the life of the mind — one of continued and enriching learning, productive self-examination and curiosity about our world. Of course, building such a life requires more than knowledge. Developing critical thinking skills and a love of learning are also important. But without a solid foundation of real historical, scientific and cultural knowledge, such a life is simply not possible.

That’s because context is vitally important to good thinking. You may be excellent at connecting dots, but that won’t help you if there are few dots to connect. And you can’t outsource this; Google is not a substitute for real erudition.

Of course, the higher education establishment is not entirely to blame for our ignorance pandemic. Primary and secondary schools are also failing students in this regard. But, in the past, college was where many people began building and deploying the intellectual capital that would carry them for the rest of their lives.

While I had a mother who encouraged me to read and a number of excellent high school teachers, it was at university that I discovered the late quartets of Beethoven, the frescoes of Masaccio, “Citizen Kane” and the novels of Dostoyevsky. University was where I first read the Federalist Papers, the dialogues of Plato and the great historians, from Thucydides to Liddel Hart. 

Perhaps most importantly, it was at college that these and countless other touchstones of learning began to shift from individual points of light into constellations of understanding.

That was 40 years ago, when it was still common for students (particularly in the liberal arts) to spend much if not most of their first two years on campus working their way through a required core curriculum that focused on ensuring graduates were exposed to the great ideas, the great art and the great story of our country and the civilization upon which it is based. But even then, some colleges, particularly elite institutions, were already dismantling these essential core requirements. Today, according to the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, most colleges don’t require students to take any history or literature courses. That needs to change.

The higher education establishment has to once again provide students with a grounding in history and the arts and sciences. That means restoring a rigorous liberal arts curriculum and requiring all who graduate to complete it. 

As one professor told me long ago, “My job is to instill in you love of learning and provide you with a scaffolding of knowledge to help you get started.” That should be every college’s creed and mission.

This piece appeared on The Hill on November, 8, 2023.

The post Americans are very well-schooled. Well-educated is another matter appeared first on American Council of Trustees and Alumni.

John P. McWhorter was the recipient of ACTA’s Philip Merrill Award for Outstanding Contributions to Liberal Arts Education on this date in 2022 because of his extensive scholarly work as a linguist at Columbia University professor and his trenchant social and political commentary. A regular columnist for The New York Times, John McWhorter also has written a best-selling book, Woke Racism, in which he outlined his perspective on the damaging nature of the current anti-racism rubric and its negative impact on higher education and the broader social fabric of America. He appears regularly on The Glenn Show podcast, hosted by Glenn Loury, who was one of professor McWhorter’s tribute speakers at the gala ceremony. John McWhorter’s prodigious contributions to the liberal arts earned him the Merrill Award, which he received on October 21, 2022.

The post On This Date in Campus Freedom: Professor John P. McWhorter Receives Merrill Award appeared first on American Council of Trustees and Alumni.

“In his long and distinguished career as a scholar, teacher, humanist, and citizen of the academy, Professor Kors has exemplified the values and virtues on which true education rests,” said ACTA President Michael Poliakoff. “It is not accidental that the editor-in-chief of the Oxford Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment would also be the most consequential figure of our generation in the struggle to protect campus freedom of expression. He breathes the very spirit of the Enlightenment: an open mind, a commitment to human freedom, and a devotion to intellectual rigor. He has been a storied mentor to the students fortunate to be in his classroom and also to those beyond who have been inspired by his writing and his public lectures. ACTA is privileged to present to Alan Charles Kors the Philip Merrill Award.”

Dr. Kors joined the University of Pennsylvania in 1968, where he now holds the post of Henry Charles Lea Professor Emeritus of European History. He served as editor-in-chief of the Oxford Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment and has written several books and many articles on early modern French intellectual history. He served for six years on the National Council for the Humanities and has received fellowships from the American Council for Learned Societies, the Smith-Richardson Foundation, and the Davis Center for Historical Studies at Princeton University. In 2005, President George W. Bush awarded the National Humanities Medal to Dr. Kors for his dedication to the study of the humanities and the defense of academic freedom. Three years after accepting the National Humanities Medal, Dr. Kors also received the prestigious Bradley Prize. In 1999, Dr. Kors cofounded FIRE with Harvey Silverglate and later served as its pro bono codirector, president, and chairman.

Dr. Kors will accept the award and deliver remarks at ACTA’s Philip Merrill Award Gala on October 27, 2023, in Washington, DC. Tribute speakers will include Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and director of the James Madison Program at Princeton University; C. Bradley Thompson, professor of political science at Clemson University and executive director of the Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism; and American historian Allen C. Guelzo, who serves as senior research scholar in the Council of the Humanities and director of the Initiative on Politics and Statesmanship in the James Madison Program at Princeton University.

To see a full list of ACTA’s former Merrill Award winners, click here.

MEDIA CONTACT: Gabrielle Anglin
EMAIL: ganglin@goacta.org

The post Alan Charles Kors to be Honored as ACTA’s 2023 Philip Merrill Award Winner appeared first on American Council of Trustees and Alumni.

Download a transcript of the podcast HERE.
Note: Please check any quotations against the audio recording.

The post <strong>Jonathan Marks: “Liberal Education Corrects Our Narrowness”</strong> appeared first on American Council of Trustees and Alumni.

Overspecialization within higher education poses similar problems. Most students choose a major their freshman year and then dive immediately into degree-specific courses. At the same time, institutions are throwing out the “outdated” liberal arts core curriculum in favor of general education courses oriented toward individual majors. At first glance, this seems reasonable. Colleges and universities want to make sure that students are as educated as possible in their field of study before graduation. However, students’ career prospects will also be harmed if they do not receive basic training in the liberal arts and sciences. Research has shown that studying these essential subjects develops important abilities that employers prize, like communication and critical thinking skills. Without these skills, they will not be attractive job candidates, even if they have taken every course in their selected degree.

Interdisciplinary study enhances students’ competency in their chosen specialization by helping them understand how their major relates to other disciplines, apply their specialized knowledge in different contexts, and effectively communicate what they know. This style of education goes back to the earliest universities. In 1828, Yale University published its Report on a Course of Liberal Education, which defines the general subject areas that all students should explore and the important skills these subjects cultivate:

From pure mathematics, [the student] learns the art of demonstrative reasoning. In attending to the physical sciences, he becomes familiar with facts . . . In ancient literature, he finds some of the most finished models of taste. By English reading, he learns the powers of the language in which he is to speak and write. By logic and mental philosophy, he is taught the art of thinking; by rhetoric and oratory, the art of speaking.

Each of these disciplines is not only crucial for developing a well-rounded individual but is also highly sought after in the labor market. A 2021 survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers found that the two skills most desired by employers are critical thinking and communication, which employers say most recent graduates lack. These two skills are learned not in the lab, but through writing and close reading, which are activities explicitly taught in literature, philosophy, history, and similar disciplines. An engineering student who has never studied basic composition will struggle to explain clearly his work and abilities not only to a prospective employer in an interview, but also to other contractors when on the job, which could delay important construction projects or result in sub-quality products.

To prepare the strongest possible job candidates, colleges and universities should require every student to take a structured interdisciplinary core curriculum alongside their major-specific courses. Students with a firm grasp of history, mathematics, literature, and other core subjects, in addition to their major, will be best-equipped to succeed in their chosen specialization and to transfer their skills throughout their career.

The post The Benefits of Interdisciplinary Study appeared first on American Council of Trustees and Alumni.

Benno Schmidt, an extraordinary educator and an extraordinary friend to ACTA, has died. We deeply mourn his loss.

There are few who brought such versatility of vision and intellect to the most important issues in education. He was a fierce and consistent defender of campus freedom of expression, deeply committed to the First Amendment and to the principles of Yale University’s C. Vann Woodward Committee Report. He was frequently tested, but never wavered in his devotion to academic freedom and freedom of speech, as his close friend Floyd Abrams said in tribute to him. He ably steered Yale, his alma mater, as the university’s 20^th president, but his civic vision was much wider. His strong leadership of the City University of New York (CUNY) task force and board rescued the floundering CUNY from its low standards and poor reputation. The university that was the alma mater of 13 Nobel laureates once again reclaimed its place as a vibrant, successful institution, giving access to a high-quality education to so many thousands of students.

His career was legendary. After completing his undergraduate studies at Yale College in 1963, he gained his law degree from Yale Law School in 1966 and was clerk to Chief Justice of the United States Earl Warren. After his time in the judiciary, he joined the Department of Justice and subsequently achieved tenure as a professor at Columbia Law School at the age of 29. Later, at the age of 42, he was appointed dean of Columbia Law School. His illustrious trajectory continued as he assumed the presidency of Yale at age 44, serving from 1986 to 1992.

Benno Schmidt’s tenure as president was one of high accomplishment. He successfully expanded the university’s endowment, fostered a better relationship between Yale and New Haven, and displayed visionary leadership by initiating a comprehensive series of renovations to Yale’s buildings. After leaving Yale, Mr. Schmidt took on the role of chief executive officer at Edison Schools, an ambitious enterprise aimed at widening access to high-quality K-12 education through the private management of public schools.

In 1998, Benno Schmidt chaired a task force dedicated to revitalizing the City University of New York. His passion for education led him to serve as vice chairman and then chairman of the CUNY Board of Trustees. Under his guidance, CUNY experienced significant improvements, including the recruitment of hundreds of faculty members and the establishment of an honors college as well as several graduate schools. Toward the end of his career, he served as chairman of Avenues: The World School, an international system of private K-12 schools. He also contributed his expertise as a member of the board of the New-York Historical Society.

ACTA had the privilege in 2010 of presenting him with the Philip Merrill Award for Outstanding Contributions to Liberal Arts Education. Speaking in tribute to him that evening were Floyd Abrams, Colin Powell, and Matthew Goldstein. His message was eloquent and urgent: Governing boards must govern. The changes desperately needed in higher education can only come from focused and energetic board governance. He emphasized the pivotal role of academic standards and courage: “If you as a trustee think change is needed, don’t be talked out of it by even the most strident criticism. You must have the courage of your convictions.”
In 2014, he chaired the Project on Governance for a New Era, leading a commission of 22 distinguished educators and government leaders to address the growing challenges colleges and universities face, in his words “at a time when America’s preeminent role in higher education is threatened.”

Those who had the privilege and pleasure of knowing Benno remember his keen sense of humor and his adventurous, charismatic personality. He was an accomplished folk musician and had cameo appearances in two Woody Allen films, Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) and Husbands and Wives (1992).

Benno C. Schmidt, Jr., passed away suddenly on July 9, 2023. He leaves behind a profound legacy, having made invaluable contributions to constitutional law scholarship and reshaping the landscape of K-12 and higher education. ACTA mourns the loss of a great leader and a great friend.

The post <strong>In Memoriam: Benno C. Schmidt, Jr.</strong> appeared first on American Council of Trustees and Alumni.

Oases of Excellence are outstanding programs at colleges and universities across the country that are dedicated to educating students for informed citizenship in a free society by maintaining the highest academic standards, introducing students to the best of the foundational arts and sciences, teaching American heritage, and ensuring free inquiry into a range of intellectual viewpoints. ACTA’s Oases of Excellence network now includes over 80 programs at a wide range of institutions. The network is a forum for sharing ideas and best practices for running an independent liberal arts program and serves as a valuable resource for donors who are committed to supporting academic excellence.

The Center for Great Books & Human Flourishing at Faulkner University offers undergraduates the opportunity to engage with questions of the good life and a flourishing society through student programming, speaker events, and fellowships. It holds public lectures, hosts visiting faculty, and provides professional development opportunities for teachers. Director Jason Jewell said, “The Center for Great Books & Human Flourishing has had great success showing students and the public the essential connection between a classical liberal arts education and constructive engagement in public life. We are thrilled to receive the Oasis of Excellence designation from ACTA and look forward to a fruitful partnership.”

The Madden Center for Value Creation at Florida Atlantic University seeks to provide students with an intellectual foundation to become value creators in their communities and contribute to overall prosperity within our society. Madden Center Executive Director Siri Terjesen remarked, “In just one year, the Madden Center has launched a free certificate in value creation (currently with over 1,400 students), hosted 12 research conferences, hosted several free speech events, released a book on value creation, organized a biotech and longevity conference, offered civics training to incarcerated persons in South Florida, and hosted many state and national political leaders.” She continued, “We admire ACTA’s important work in universities across the country and are honored to be recognized for our commitment to high academic standards, free inquiry, and donor integrity.”

ACTA is proud of the work of these programs and is grateful to the faculty who make Oases of Excellence possible. ACTA President Michael Poliakoff remarked, “A strong liberal arts education has become all too rare at a time when students need it the most. These centers’ efforts to prepare students for an informed and engaged life of the mind are vital for the strength of our civil society and the health of our nation.”

A complete list of ACTA’s Oases of Excellence can be found here. 

MEDIA CONTACT: Gabrielle Anglin
EMAIL: ganglin@goacta.org
PHONE: (202) 798-5425

The post ACTA Welcomes Two More Programs to Oases of Excellence Network appeared first on American Council of Trustees and Alumni.