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. JAN 27

    From Classroom Hours To Competencies: How WGU And Calbright Build Value For Working Learners

    Send us a text Skills without progress are just potential. We sat down with WGU Provost Courtney Hills McBeth and Calbright College President and CEO Ajita Talwalker Menon to break down how competency-based education turns learning into jobs, promotions, and lasting economic value for working adults. No hype—just practical models that measure what you can do, not how long you sat in class. We dig into two complementary approaches: WGU’s course-based CBE that maps to the credit hour, and Calbright’s direct assessment for short-term, skills-forward credentials. Both start from the same promise: meet learners where they are, honor prior knowledge, and personalize the path using AI, data dashboards, and one-to-one mentorship. You’ll hear how faculty roles are redesigned around proactive support, how pacing flexes with life and work, and how durable skills like problem solving and communication anchor technical training to outlast industry shifts. Economic mobility runs through every choice. WGU won’t launch programs without strong regional job demand and tracks factored graduate return to keep tuition low and value high. Calbright broadens the definition of outcomes to include wage gains, career pivots, benefits, and flexibility—because security is more than a paycheck. We also spotlight embedded work-based learning at scale: simulations, micro-internships, clinicals, and teacher apprenticeships at WGU, plus Calbright’s Career Bridge projects with partners like Riipen and HubSpot that produce real portfolio artifacts and references. Accreditation is changing, too. Our guests outline why quality assurance must recognize multiple pathways to outcomes, support speed to market for workforce-aligned programs, and evaluate direct assessment with clear standards. Finally, we talk partnerships—WGU and Calbright are building seamless pathways from short-term credentials to degrees, while employers and rural communities signal where talent is needed most. If you care about adult learners, ROI, and making education count at work, this conversation is your playbook. Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a review to help more people find the show. WGU.edu Calbright.edu eloy@4leggedmedia.com

    50 min

  2. JAN 13

    Public-Private Partnerships As A Path To Economic Mobility with Fernando Bleichmar

    Send us a text What if the ROI debate could be settled with simple math and clear outcomes? We open the year by pulling apart the “enrollment cliff” narrative and focusing on what actually moves learners forward: affordable, workforce-aligned online programs with measurable value. Our guest, Risepoint CEO Fernando Bleichmar, shares Ipsos data showing average tuition around $20,000, first-year salary gains near $13,000, and compounding earnings growth by year three—plus a surprising stat that more than half of surveyed graduates took no loans. We talk through how regional universities can compete with mega players by designing for the modern learner and linking tightly to local employers. That means building programs around real demand, offering flexible formats, and telling a sharper story to the community. We dig into practical services that make a difference—analytics to spot melt, PR to reach the right audiences, and student experience tools that support persistence—so presidents and deans can focus on teaching and outcomes. AI gets the “human in the loop” treatment here. Faculty can use generative tools to accelerate course design and free up time for high-impact interactions. Marketing adapts as search behavior changes and AI answers reshape discovery. And along the student journey, technology handles speed and personalization while people step in at moments that matter. We also unpack the policy landscape: long-standing federal clarity on public-private partnerships and emerging state frameworks that prioritize transparency and accountability. If you care about economic mobility, regional strength, and real outcomes for working adults, this conversation offers a grounded playbook: start with ROI, build programs for the learners you have, connect to employers, use AI wisely, and measure everything. Subscribe, share with a colleague who needs a fresh strategy, and leave a review to tell us what you want to hear next. https://risepoint.com/ https://risepoint.com/student-roi/ eloy@4leggedmedia.com

    43 min

  3. 12/16/2025

    Agentic AI and the Student Experience with Lev Gonick

    Send us a text What if AI actually made college more human—more supportive, more accessible, and more affordable? We sat down with Arizona State University CIO Lev Gonick to unpack how agentic AI, low-code tools, and faculty communities are transforming the student journey from recruitment to graduation. Lev takes us inside “Agentic AI and the Student Experience,” a standing-room-only event that drew 650+ attendees from 25 countries. The focus wasn’t jargon; it was outcomes. We talk about “Experience AI” as a design principle that keeps value visible: faster curriculum design with human-in-the-loop checks, assessment aligned to skills and competencies, and agents that scout resources, research, and opportunities while faculty sleep. You’ll hear how ASU empowers staff and instructors through CreateAI, a low-code platform that moves innovation closer to the work, and why the university is replacing data silos with “data rivers” that support learners end to end. We also dive deep on trust. Privacy, IP protection, and security aren’t footnotes; they’re the foundation. Lev explains how ASU differentiates its environment from consumer platforms, educates students and faculty on how AI engines operate, and uses principled innovation to set ethical guardrails. The result is a culture that scales experimentation without abandoning accountability. On the access front, we explore how agentic, multimodal recruiting tools help first-gen and low-income students discover pathways, compare programs, and get timely guidance that used to be out of reach. If you care about student success, equity, or the future of learning, this conversation offers a clear, usable playbook: build communities of practice, define your trust posture, pilot targeted use cases, and scale what proves value. Enjoy the episode, share it with a colleague, and if it resonates, subscribe and leave a review so more educators and leaders can find it. https://ai.asu.edu/ eloy@4leggedmedia.com

    31 min

  4. 11/25/2025

    Earnings Premium Under The Microscope with Phil Hill

    Send us a text A single number now threatens to define whether a program survives: does it deliver an earnings premium over a high school diploma? We sit down with Phil Hill to unpack how federal accountability just shifted from dashboards to consequences, why the current metric is misaligned with how real labor markets work, and what leaders must fix before 2026. We break down the design choices that matter—statewide medians versus sub‑state regions, demographic blind spots, and the absence of program cost and debt from the core test. Phil points to stronger models in state systems and long‑running research from Georgetown CEW, then lays out practical steps for negotiated rulemaking that would keep accountability sharp while avoiding collateral damage to open‑access colleges and regionally constrained programs. The conversation turns to graduate loan caps and the end of easy cross‑subsidies. Expect new pricing discipline, tougher portfolio management, and experiments in financing that need safeguards to avoid a repeat of the 2000s. We also map the OPM shakeout: why some giants stumbled, how mid‑market firms are adapting, and where state‑level transparency rules are reshaping contracts. With generative AI accelerating change in curriculum, support, and marketing, universities need partners—and policies—that keep pace without losing sight of honest outcomes. If you care about ROI, mobility, transparency, and the future of online learning, this is your field guide to the next era of higher ed policy. Listen, share with a colleague who owns program strategy, and leave a review telling us which metric you’d add—or drop. https://onedtech.philhillaa.com/ eloy@4leggedmedia.com

    44 min

  5. 11/11/2025

    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

  6. 10/28/2025

    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

  7. 10/14/2025

    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

  8. 09/23/2025

    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
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Ratings & Reviews

4.2
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

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. 

Information

  • Creator
    Eloy Ortiz Oakley
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    73
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Rant Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Rant Podcast