Fund for Academic Renewal

03/15/2024

Director Rebecca Richards responded to X posts by Elon Musk (since deleted) and another user.

Mackenzie Scott isn't ruining Western Civilization. "Western civilization makes space for this kind of pluralism, which includes solving problems from different ideological perspectives."

Read it on Washington Examiner.

01/26/2024

Just because it's January 26 doesn't mean you can't make New Year's Resolutions 🤓

Read our eight resolutions for savvy college donors in 2024: https://www.academicrenewal.org/blog/resolutions-for-the-savvy-college-donor

The new year offers fresh opportunities to make gifts with a meaningful impact for students and the future…

01/23/2024

📣 "Donors who seek reform should invest in established universities whose leaders are willing to take a stand for the liberal tradition in higher education"

Spoiler alert: Hans Zeiger, President of The Jack Miller Center, mentions our Oases of Excellence as a resource for donors committed to liberalism.

Hans Zeiger of The Jack Miller Center considers how reform-focused higher education donors can speak with their money. https://lawliberty.org/the-next-step-for-disaffected-donors/

12/20/2023

ACTA - American Council of Trustees and Alumni's president, Michael Poliakoff, and VP of philanthropy, Emily Koons Jae, recently joined Michael Hartmann at Capital Research Center to talk about higher ed reform possibilities after Oct. 7.

President Poliakoff says college donors “should not be looked upon as piggy banks or check-writers or guests at the football game. They’re the guardians of values. And this is an opportunity for them to say, ‘It’s not our checkbooks that are an issue now, it’s our values.’”

America's Investigative Think Tank

12/15/2023

Happy Holidays! This month, we quote Fiddler on the Roof's Tevye: "Because of our traditions, we've kept our balance for many, many years."

This year, consider starting a tradition of charitable giving with your family if you don't have one already.

December holidays are a trove of cherished traditions, from religious services and familiar melodies…

11/28/2023

Happy !

We hope you celebrate generosity by giving to a nonprofit or charitable cause you care about.

If you choose to give to a college or university, let us know. 🎓👀

The tradition of GivingTuesday did not start until nearly 400 years after the first Thanksgiving. Despite…

11/03/2023

College endowments, with $691B, easily attract scrutiny.

"Each institution’s ensuing steps will either deepen or erode trust," writes Assoc. Dean of FAU College of Business, Dr. Siri Terjesen

Transparency, sensible fees, regular evaluations and better donor communication are "imperative."

Read her Times Higher Education op-ed with Ahmad Al Asady and Phil Smith.

Endowment funds are important financial safeguards for universities, but transparency on how they are run and governed is an imperative. Here are some ways institutions can inspire confidence in these fiscal safety nets

11/02/2023

Think you have enough books on your bucket list? Think again.

Fund for Academic Renewal director Rebecca Richards gives a short review of Rhodri H. Davies's new book, where he answers the daunting question: What is philanthropy for?

Originally published on .

In his 2023 book What Is Philanthropy For?, author Rhodri Davies illuminates what philanthropy is…

10/23/2023

This week ACTA - American Council of Trustees and Alumni (of which FAR is a program) is awarding Professor Alan Charles Kors our Merrill Award for Oustanding Contributions to Liberal Arts Education, professor emeritus of the University of Pennsylvania and co-founder of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.

We look forward to Prof. Robbie George's tribute speech honoring Professor Kors this Friday.

10/10/2023

Irish-American Chuck Feeney, a retail entrepreneur, passed away on Oct. 9 with a legacy of more than $8 billion donated to charity.

On the Giving Pledge, he said "I cannot think of a more personally rewarding and appropriate use of wealth than to give while one is living"

After piling up billions in business, he pledged to donate almost all of his money to causes before he died. He succeeded, and then lived a more modest life.

10/02/2023

Virginia (Ginny) and Sandy MacNeil spoke to us about giving to Furman University, and the Tocqueville Program that has "has grown far beyond what [they] ever expected."

Read the rest of our conversation here: https://academicrenewal.org/blog/intelligent-college-giving-macneil

09/29/2023

ACTA - American Council of Trustees and Alumni named its 90th center to its program!

Professor Andy Taylor leads The Free and Open Societies at North Carolina State University, which has run undergraduate seminars, courses, research, and lectures to improve its campus's intellectual climate for the past nearly 20 years.

The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) is delighted to welcome the Free and Open Societies…