Neal is co-founder and president of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, a nonprofit committed to advancing academic quality, accountability and affordability at colleges and universities in the U.S. What is one of the most surprising things you have discovered on this job?

America depends on an educated citizenry. The country wants to assure that colleges and universities produce graduates who are armed with the skills and knowledge to be effective citizens. And yet recent studies have shown some very depressing results about the quality of the education our students are receiving.