The Rant Podcast

Eloy Ortiz Oakley
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A bi-weekly podcast focused on pulling back the curtain on the American higher education system and breaking down the people, the policies and the politics. The podcast host, Eloy Ortiz Oakley, is a known innovator and leader in higher education. The podcast will not pull any punches as it delves into tough questions about the culture, politics and policies of our higher education system. 

  1. HACE 14 H

    If Learning Is A Commodity, What Makes College Worth It

    Send us a text Trust in college is slipping, yet the desire for opportunity is stronger than ever. We dig into that tension and lay out a clearer path forward: build programs around working learners, publish honest numbers, and align skills with jobs so students see—and feel—real value. We unpack fresh survey findings showing that Americans still view higher education as a path to mobility, but frustration with cost, debt, and opaque outcomes is eroding confidence. From soaring living expenses to schedules that ignore adult realities, the experience often works against the very people it claims to serve. We talk through why earnings-only measurements are too blunt, how better data can tell a fuller story, and what it takes to communicate value before a student ever sets foot in class. We also spotlight lessons from adult-serving institutions like UMGC and their intentional design mindset: modular pathways, flexible pacing, data-driven support, and clear connections between competencies and careers. The takeaway is practical and actionable: every offer letter should state total cost, time to completion, and typical outcomes; every program should maintain a living map between learned skills and local job demand; and every institution should treat continuous improvement as a duty to learners, not a branding exercise. If you care about rebuilding trust in higher education, you’ll find a blueprint here for transparency, employer alignment, and many on-ramps to postsecondary success. Subscribe, share this episode with a colleague who’s ready to rethink student value, and leave a review with one change you want to see on your campus.

    15 min

  2. 28 OCT

    How Americans Feel About Higher Education with Sophie Nugyen

    Send us a text Americans still believe a college education opens doors, but patience is running out for a system that too often feels overpriced, inflexible, and out of touch. We sit down with New America’s Sophie Nguyen to unpack the Varying Degrees 2025 survey and what the data really says about confidence, cost, and the changing needs of working learners. The headline: value and frustration now live side by side. We dig into where Americans agree across party lines—purpose, value, and the importance of job training—while also highlighting what people expect beyond employment: critical thinking, communication, and civic readiness. Sophie explains how opinion has stayed surprisingly stable over nine years, even as support dips slightly on questions about return on investment. We connect the dots to affordability, student debt, and the programs that fail to deliver promised outcomes, then explore clear moves leaders can make to rebuild trust. From UMGC and WGU to ASU and SNHU, we point to models delivering flexibility at scale: online-first design, competency-based pathways, credit for prior learning, and embedded student support. We talk about why the media spotlight on elite campuses distorts public perception and why local open-access institutions deserve a louder voice. With AI reshaping work and adults needing to upskill multiple times, states that act now on flexible, stackable, and transparent pathways will lead the talent race. Ready to rethink what college looks like for working adults—and how we tell that story with evidence, not hype? Tap play, then share your take. Subscribe, leave a review, and pass this along to someone who cares about making higher education work better for more learners. https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/reports/varying-degrees-2025-americans-find-common-ground-in-higher-education/ NewAmerica.org Eloy@4leggedmedia.com

    28 min

  3. 14 OCT

    Serving Working Learners at UMGC

    Send us a text What does it look like when a “global campus” is truly global—and built for working learners from the ground up? We sit with UMGC president Dr. Greg Fowler to trace a line from faculty boarding planes after WWII to teaching through evacuations, tsunamis, and base alerts, all while keeping one promise: meet students where they are and prove value with real outcomes. Along the way, we dig into credit for prior learning mapped directly to military rank, why time is the enemy of the poor, and how skills-first, competency-based assessment can shorten time to degree without lowering the bar.Greg shares how UMGC partners with employers to define the skills that matter, then designs assessments that mirror real work—lead teams, teach a class, solve a problem—rather than lean on brittle tests and essays. We explore AI as augmented intelligence: a personal learning assistant that adapts content, flags gaps early, and enables scalable oral checks and simulations. From submarines in port to rural education deserts, we examine what it means to deliver flexible, high-quality learning across 170+ locations and online, with a steady hand through policy shifts and market uncertainty.If you care about economic mobility, ROI, and restoring public trust in higher ed, this conversation offers a practical playbook: validate experience, personalize support, measure what learners can do, and keep the North Star fixed on better jobs and better lives. Subscribe, share this episode with a colleague wrestling with adult learner design, and leave a review telling us what should count for credit in a skills-first future. UMGC.edu eloy@4leggedmedia.com

    37 min

  4. 23 SEP

    Golden Returns: Measuring Value in California's Two-Year Colleges

    Send us a text Season four of the Rant Podcast kicks off with a deep dive into educational value and economic mobility. Host Eloy Ortiz-Oakley welcomes returning guest Michael Itzkowitz to discuss their groundbreaking "Golden Returns" report examining which California community colleges and certificate programs deliver the strongest financial returns for students. The conversation unveils surprising findings about which two-year institutions truly help students climb the economic ladder. Itzkowitz explains how they measured return on investment by comparing attendance costs against earnings premiums, revealing that some institutions enable students to recoup their educational investment in as little as a year through higher earnings. The analysis spans 327 institutions across 12 California regions, recognizing that most community college students choose schools within driving distance of home. What makes this research particularly timely is its alignment with new federal accountability measures. As Ortiz-Oakley and Itzkowitz discuss, recent legislation will require degree programs to demonstrate that graduates earn more than typical high school graduates – though certificate programs remain exempt despite being analyzed in the Golden Returns report. This accountability gap represents both a challenge and opportunity for institutions and policymakers. Beyond the data, the conversation explores how institutional leaders are responding to these findings. Some college presidents, like Dr. Keith Curry from Compton College, are using even less-than-flattering results as catalysts for improvement, examining program offerings and workforce alignment. This exemplifies the report's ultimate purpose: not to shame institutions, but to spark meaningful conversations about educational value. Whether you're a student weighing educational options, an institutional leader seeking improvement strategies, or a policy advocate working toward greater transparency in higher education, this episode offers invaluable insights into the economics of two-year college education. Check out the full Golden Returns report at collegefutures.org to see how institutions in your region perform. www.collegefutures.org eloy@4leggedmedia.com

    36 min

  5. 5 AGO

    Season 3 Finale

    Send us a text The education landscape has transformed dramatically over the past six months, and we're only at the beginning of what promises to be a defining era for colleges and universities nationwide. As we wrap up Season 3 with our milestone 65th episode, we reflect on the seismic shifts reshaping higher education while looking ahead to even greater disruption in 2025 and beyond. Throughout our journey, we've been fortunate to partner with forward-thinking sponsors who recognize the importance of having candid conversations about higher education's future. Organizations like Arizona State University, RisePoint, Open Classrooms, and others have enabled us to bring you insightful discussions with industry leaders who are navigating these challenging waters. Season 4 promises to tackle the most pressing issues facing educational institutions today: the integration of artificial intelligence into learning environments, the policy impacts of the Trump administration, a new national accountability framework, and the fundamental reconsideration of higher education's value proposition. These aren't merely academic discussions—they represent existential challenges for institutions clinging to outdated models while students demand greater transparency and return on investment. My final rant of the season addresses what's truly at stake: the future of higher education as a vehicle for economic mobility and societal advancement. From the new Workforce Pell Program to accountability frameworks centered on ROI, the message is clear—higher education must confront its shortcomings in affordability, accessibility, and demonstrated outcomes. Leaders who hide from these challenges, who abandon institutional missions in the face of political pressure, will find themselves on the wrong side of history. Instead, we need bold leadership that embraces change while maintaining an unwavering commitment to equity and student success. Which kind of leader will you be? Join us for Season 4 as we continue to pull back the curtain on the people, policies, and politics shaping higher education's future. Subscribe now so you don't miss a single episode of what promises to be our most revealing season yet. eloy@4leggedmedia.com

    10 min

  6. 7 JUL

    Navigating the Next Four Years with Kelly McManus

    Send us a text The higher education landscape is undergoing a profound transformation, with a new focus on measuring value and ensuring economic mobility for students. In this revealing conversation with Kelly McManus, Vice President of Higher Education at Arnold Ventures, we explore the reconciliation bill currently moving through Congress and its far-reaching implications for colleges, universities, and most importantly, students. At the heart of this policy shift lies a deceptively simple question: Are students better off for having attended a particular program? Both Democratic and Republican policymakers increasingly agree that programs receiving federal dollars should demonstrate their value through graduates' economic outcomes. The reconciliation bill represents this emerging bipartisan consensus, with provisions that would end Title IV funding eligibility for programs that leave more than half their students worse off than typical high school graduates. Graduate education faces particularly significant changes, with the bill proposing to end the unlimited Grad PLUS loan program and institute caps of $100,000 for master's degrees and $200,000 for professional programs. This addresses growing concerns about the proliferation of expensive graduate degrees that fail to deliver proportionate economic returns. McManus offers a compelling framework for low-income and first-generation student advocates: these vulnerable populations need protection from predatory programs that promise economic mobility but fail to deliver. True equity requires ensuring that all programs provide genuine value, not just access to debt. Looking ahead, implementation will be crucial. Arnold Ventures is already working with states to develop credentials of value frameworks and scale evidence-based models like CUNY ASAP. As budgets tighten, institutions that truly center students rather than revenue will be those that thrive in this new accountability era. Whether you're a policy professional, higher education leader, or concerned student, this episode provides essential context for understanding how the measurement of college value is fundamentally changing. Subscribe to the Rant Podcast for more insightful conversations on higher education's most pressing challenges. https://www.arnoldventures.org/people?team=higher-education eloy@4leggedmedia.com

    51 min

  7. 24 JUN

    Navigating the Next Four Years with Ted Mitchell

    Send us a text The American higher education system stands at a crossroads, facing unprecedented challenges that threaten its very foundation. In this revealing conversation, Eloy Ortiz Oakley sits down with Ted Mitchell, President of the American Council on Education (ACE), to discuss how colleges and universities across the country are responding to these threats. Mitchell, whose organization represents over 1,700 diverse institutions, offers a compelling perspective on how higher education is uniting across traditional dividing lines. "Higher ed sticks together, especially in times of crisis," Mitchell explains, highlighting the solidarity forming among institutions from community colleges to elite research universities as they face common threats from policy changes, funding cuts, and declining public confidence. The conversation takes a deep dive into the devastating impact of recent research funding cuts, which Mitchell calls "one of the single worst policy initiatives" of the current administration. Beyond the immediate layoffs at institutions like Johns Hopkins and hiring freezes at the University of California, Mitchell paints a vivid picture of the long-term consequences: potential medical breakthroughs abandoned, the next generation of scientists left without training, and top researchers fleeing to more welcoming countries. Perhaps most refreshing is Mitchell's candid acknowledgment of higher education's self-inflicted wounds. From dismal completion rates to opaque admissions processes at elite institutions, he doesn't shy away from the uncomfortable truth: "We've earned some of the disrespect we're being treated with." Mitchell outlines ACE's "Higher Ed Builds America" campaign, which aims to refocus all institutions on their primary mission: student success. Looking forward, Mitchell offers a compelling vision of education transformed through artificial intelligence—not merely as a technological tool, but as a force that could revolutionize student services, faculty capabilities, and learning itself. His call for integrating humanities scholars into AI development to ensure technology partners with humans rather than replaces them reveals a nuanced understanding of both innovation's promise and its potential pitfalls. What emerges is a portrait of an education leader determined to guide institutions through turbulent times by returning to higher education's core purpose: creating opportunity and success for all students. For anyone concerned about the future of American higher education—whether educator, policymaker, or citizen—this conversation offers essential insights into the challenges we face and the changes needed to overcome them. ACENet.edu https://www.acenet.edu/Pages/dotedu/home.aspx eloy@4leggedmedia.com

    36 min

  8. 10 JUN

    Navigating the Next Four Years with Andrew Magliozzi

    Send us a text What happens when artificial intelligence meets human connection? Magic, according to Andrew (Drew) Magliozzi, CEO and co-founder of Mainstay. In this eye-opening conversation from the ASU GSV Summit, Drew reveals the surprising secret behind effective AI in education: human involvement. After a decade of deploying conversational AI to support college students, Mainstay discovered that having just 2% of messages sent by actual humans triples the effectiveness of their system. Students feel comfortable being vulnerable with AI because it doesn't judge them, but they need that human connection to feel accountable. The results speak volumes. When Georgia State University partnered with Mainstay to combat "summer melt" (students who commit but never show up), they saw a 27% reduction in melt and a 4% boost in enrollment. When they expanded to supporting students through graduation, they helped approximately 1,200 students avoid dropping out. Drew takes us behind the curtain of AI implementation, sharing the moment when GPT-4's release prompted him to tell his team to "stop everything" and pivot their entire approach despite having patents on their previous methods. This adaptability highlights a crucial lesson for educational institutions navigating today's AI landscape: focus not just on what AI can do, but what it should do to amplify desired outcomes and close achievement gaps. The conversation explores AI's potential to transform education fundamentally – from providing personalized, on-demand learning experiences to shifting assessment from summative to truly formative. Drew envisions AI not as a replacement for educators but as an "Iron Man suit" that enhances their capabilities. Whether you're an education leader wondering how to approach AI implementation, a faculty member concerned about its classroom impact, or simply curious about how technology can make education more personal rather than less, this conversation offers valuable insights about the human-AI partnership that's quietly revolutionizing student success. Curious about how AI and human support can work together to transform your institution's student experience? Listen now and discover why the future of education technology isn't about replacing people – it's about empowering them. Mainstay.com eloy@4leggedmedia.com

    39 min
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A bi-weekly podcast focused on pulling back the curtain on the American higher education system and breaking down the people, the policies and the politics. The podcast host, Eloy Ortiz Oakley, is a known innovator and leader in higher education. The podcast will not pull any punches as it delves into tough questions about the culture, politics and policies of our higher education system. 

Información

  • Creador
    Eloy Ortiz Oakley
  • Años de actividad
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodios
    69
  • Clasificación
    Explícito
  • Copyright
    © 2025 The Rant Podcast
  • Mostrar sitio web
    The Rant Podcast

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