The Post 2024 Election Rant

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Unlock the key to higher education's future as we dissect the post-2024 election landscape with me, Eloy Ortiz-Oakley, on the Rant Podcast. This episode promises to unravel the pressing demand for transparency and career alignment within the education sector, highlighting the vital shifts needed to match academic offerings with the economic ambitions of today's students. We'll explore the electorate's clear message: economic mobility and opportunity are paramount, and educational institutions must evolve to meet these expectations.

Join our discussion on the essential role of work-based learning and how employers are becoming pivotal players in educational transformation. With voters demanding accountability, especially for first-generation learners, we examine the transformative strategies that could redefine the relationship between academia and the workforce. Discover how these changes can pave the way for a more prosperous society by ensuring that education is a true stepping stone to career success and economic stability for individuals and their families.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:10):
Hi, this is Eloy Ortiz-Oakley and welcome back to
the Rant Podcast, the podcastwhere we pull back the curtain
and break down the people, thepolicies and the politics of our
higher education system.
And oh boy, do we now have somepolitics in our higher
education system.
And oh boy, do we now have somepolitics in our higher
education system.
So in this episode I will sharesome of my thoughts about the

(00:31):
2024 election and what thismeans going forward for higher
education and specifically forthe Rant podcast.
But before I jump into my rantabout the 2024 election, I want
to take a moment to recognizeour sponsors here at the Rant
Podcast.
With their support, we're ableto continue to pull back the
curtain on the higher educationsystem, we're able to break down

(00:55):
the people and the politics andwe're able to bring you great
guests with some really keeninsights as to what's going on
in America's higher educationsystem.
So let me thank Arizona StateUniversity Open Classrooms, reup
Education, ellucian AlliantInternational University,

(01:19):
southern New HampshireUniversity, education Strategy
Group, rise Point College,futures Foundation and Brand Ed.
These organizations areproviding support for students
and creating greater on-ramps tohigher education, to a great
post-secondary experience forlearners throughout this country

(01:40):
.
So thank you to our sponsors.
Now let's jump into the 2024election.
I know for some of you this maybe too early.
For some of you may still berecovering.
Some of you may still becelebrating.
For me, I'm more on therecovery mode.
But first let's talk about whatthe voters said.

(02:02):
I'm not going to get into thetalking head recreation of the
politics of the 2024 election.
I'm going to let CNN and FoxNews take up that airspace.
I'm not going to drone on andon and on about the chaos and
the crazy that we just electedinto office just elected into
office but I will talk aboutwhat I think this means to

(02:25):
higher education, to highereducation leaders, to our
policymakers and to our statesas we think about the road
forward for the next four years.
Let's start with what theAmerican people said in this
election.
In my view, american peoplespoke very clearly.
They reminded us that it isabout the economy stupid.

(02:46):
It's about access toopportunity.
It's about the changes in theeconomy that are taking place,
the cost of living throughoutAmerica.
It's about opportunity for ourchildren, for our grandchildren.
I know me here in California.
It's about my children andtheir children being able to
continue to live in Californiaand be able to thrive.

(03:10):
People in this country wanteconomic mobility and they want
economic security and they lookto higher education, to a
post-secondary experience, asone way to get grounded in that
economic mobility.
And they've also said that theyno longer trust.
No longer trust what highereducation leaders are putting in
front of them.

(03:30):
They're demanding more from allof us.
Higher education leaders needto stop pretending.
The students are coming totheir institutions solely to
become enlightened or to preachto.
They're coming to ourinstitutions to improve their
lives.
They see a post-secondaryexperience as a means to improve
the pathway to economic success, to opportunity for themselves

(03:53):
and for their families and forgenerations to come.
The voters, the American public,is looking for more
transparency.
They're looking for clearerconnections to career pathways.
They want to understand whatthey're paying for and why
they're being asked to pay.
They want to understand whatthe return on investment is.
When they do pay, they want tohave clarity about what they're

(04:16):
getting and how long it's goingto take them to pay back that
investment.
They also want betterinformation, particularly for
first-generation learners.
They need better information.
They want better information.
They want better informationabout the choices they're making
and why those choices are infront of them.
They need to understand howthey connect to the goal that
they want for themselves and fortheir families.

(04:37):
They want greater economicmobility.
They want access to opportunity.
As we look forward into 2025 andbeyond, I think you'll see a
lot more discussion about thingslike work-based learning.
Work-based learning is a key tobringing in the employer,
getting them involved in theeducation process, giving the

(04:58):
learner an opportunity to seethemselves in the workplace and
to see how their education,training and skills are
connecting to the career oftheir choice.
There's going to be a lot moreemployer connections.
Employers are going to be askedto step up to the table and
participate in the designing ofregional and local workforce

(05:22):
pathways.
Employers have already done alot of work to upskill and to
reskill their own employees andthey're going to be asked to do
more and it's going to be intheir best interest to do more
to build that pipeline of talentthat they're going to need to
continue to thrive in stateslike mine here in California.
We're also going to hear moretalk about short-term Pell, how

(05:44):
the federal government actuallyincentivizes this kind of
upskilling and reskilling of theAmerican workforce, which will
be interesting, since there's alot of talk about doing away
with the Department of Educationand there's going to be more
focus on working learners outthere in the workforce that

(06:06):
didn't have a greatpost-secondary experience or
never got a post-secondaryexperience, but need the skills
necessary to be able to competein today's economy and have a
foothold in the workforce.
And you'll see a lot more talkabout personalized learning and
personalized upskilling.
With the push for generative AIin education technology, you're

(06:27):
going to see a lot moreopportunities to be able to
reach demographics of learnersthat higher education hasn't
been able to reach before andgive them a personalized
learning experience that allowsthem to continue to move forward
in this economy.
So that will be some of thethings that I see coming in 2025

(06:47):
.
And we will jump into thoseconversations as we think about
what Iran is going to be allabout in the new year and you
know what it's about time wetalk about some of these issues.
While I may disagree with howthe country went in its
presidential election, I doagree that it's time to talk
about everyday working Americans, the opportunities that they're

(07:11):
seeking and how post-secondaryinstitutions lean into that
ensure that they are payingattention to what learners want
and designing their curriculumand their learning environment
to reach them where they're at.
Curriculum and their learningenvironment to reach them where
they're at.
So what does that mean for theRAND in 2025?

(07:39):
In 2025, we are working tolaunch a series solely focused
on leading higher education overthe next four years.
We will talk about things likethe Department of Education
should it close and, if not,what should it look like going
forward?
We will discuss the impact onDACA students and immigrant
learners and talk about how thisimportant demographic for the
workforce needs to be allowed toaccess opportunity, even with

(08:02):
all the anti-immigrant sentimentthat the new administration's
rhetoric is all about.
We'll also talk to leadersleaders who successfully led
their institutions through thelast Trump administration.
And we'll also talk to leaderswho fought back during the last
Trump administration and stoodup for the learners in their

(08:22):
community.
And we'll talk to new leadersnew leaders that will be
emerging through the next fouryears, that are listening to the
people on the ground, workingin their institutions to get
them focused on the needs oflearners, as well as leaders who
are developing new models,whether it be in technology, new
non-profits, new third-partyintermediaries.

(08:44):
We'll talk to leaders who willemerge in these next four years
that help us bring greater focus, create more on-ramps to the
middle class through a greatpost-secondary experience.
So I hope you stay tuned.
We still have a lot to cover inthe rest of 2024, but as we
turn the corner into 2025, thoseare some of the things that you

(09:07):
can expect from the RantPodcast team and we look forward
to diving into these issueswith you.
So thanks for continuing tofollow us here on the Rant
Podcast.
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(09:27):
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You can always reach me at Eloy, at fourleggedmediacom.
I'll put my email address inthe comment sections.
Please leave us your comments.
Let us know how we're doing it,and if there's any other topics
that you want us to tackle,leave them in the comments
sections.
Please leave us your comments,let us know how we're doing it,

(09:47):
and if there's any other topicsthat you want us to tackle,
leave them in the comments.
So thanks for joining useverybody.
Look forward to seeing you onthe next episode of the Rant
podcast and look forward todiving into some of the issues
that we covered today.
Take care everybody.
Thank you.