Celebrating Our 50th Anniversary

Founded in 1959, ACT is celebrating 50 years of helping people achieve education and workplace success.

Old Capitol Event
ACT Display
ACT Summer Picnic
College and Career Planning Website

Activity, Autumn 2009
ACT State Organization Brochures
Annual Meeting
Washington, D.C., Event

Interactive Timeline:
Follow ACT Through the Years

Old Capitol Event—Friday, August 21

The first organizational meeting of the American College Testing Program (now ACT, Inc.) was held August 21, 1959, in the Old Capitol on the University of Iowa Pentacrest.

An estimated 150 people came together at the Old Capitol exactly 50 years later—Friday, August 21, 2009—to commemorate ACT's founding. Those attending included Iowa Governor Chet Culver and University of Iowa President Sally Mason, along with area business leaders and representatives of the university and ACT.

ACT CEO and Board Chairman Richard Ferguson listens as Iowa Governor Chet Culver addresses the audience at ACT's Old Capitol Event, Friday, August 21.

The event included a reception from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., with a program in the Senate Chambers at 4 p.m.

ACT Display—Friday, August 21

The University of Iowa's Old Capitol Museum now features a display to mark ACT's 50th anniversary.

The displays include a timeline of major events in ACT history and artifacts from ACT's past, including test documents and components from early test scoring machines. Visitors can also view an audio-video display with recordings from early leaders describing how the organization evolved.

The ACT history exhibit will be on display on the second floor of the Old Capitol through the fall during normal museum hours. See the schedule of museum hours.

ACT Summer Picnic—Saturday, August 22

Employees celebrated ACT's 50th Anniversary at a picnic on ACT's main campus.

Activities included:

Cake decorating contest Cakewalk Texting contest for teens and adults Children's tent with crafts, duck pond, treasure hunt, temporary tattoos, parachute game Anniversary photos	1959 car on display, courtesy of the Classy Chassy Cruisers Car Club Bingo Lots of food and beverages! Music by the University of Iowa Steel Drum Band Fireworks display

College and Career Planning Website—Launched September 15

ACT has launched a college and career planning website as a way to thank those who have used our programs and services over the past 50 years.

The website, www.collegeandcareerready.org, is targeted to young adults, ages 15–25, with tools and tips to help in college and career planning.

Activity, Autumn 2009

ACT's 50th anniversary was featured in the Autumn 2009 issue of Activity.

ACT State Organization Brochures

A new set of brochures, produced in conjunction with our 50th anniversary, outlines the history and makeup of 42 of the 44 ACT state organizations.

Annual Meeting—October 18–20

ACT's 50th anniversary provided a focal point for this year's annual meeting. Significant announcements at the meeting included:

establishment of the ACT Scholars Program at the University of Iowa
establishment of a new supporting organization, the ACT Foundation
naming of the Ferguson Center on ACT's main campus in honor of Dr. Richard L. Ferguson

Washington, D.C., Event—Wednesday, October 28

To celebrate 50 years of helping students achieve education and workplace success, ACT presented awards to seven recipients who have demonstrated a strong commitment to college and career readiness at the "Recognizing Exemplary Achievement in College and Career Readiness" ceremony in Washington, D.C.