Listen to this episode to unlock the future of education and workforce development with me, Eloy Ortiz Oakley, as we explore a groundbreaking bipartisan initiative that could transform the Pell Grant program. This isn't just another policy discussion; it's a glimpse into an educational revolution where short-term credentials are poised to redefine our approach to upskilling and reskilling America's workforce. I'll guide you through the complexities and potential of this legislation, unpacking the pivotal role community and technical colleges can play, while also tackling the tough questions around funding and the risk of for-profit exploitation.
But that's just the start. We're also setting our sights on the technological horizon with a preview of the ASU GSV Summit and the AIR Show in San Diego. As a veteran attendee, I'll share firsthand insights into the AI-driven innovations that are shaking up learning technologies and how they're creating unprecedented access to education. It's time to think big, beyond the bounds of traditional classrooms, and prepare for the tidal wave of change set to reshape our educational institutions. So, whether you're a leader in higher education or simply passionate about the evolution of learning, this episode is your ticket to the forefront of innovation.
Listen to this episode to unlock the future of education and workforce development with me, Eloy Ortiz Oakley, as we explore a groundbreaking bipartisan initiative that could transform the Pell Grant program. This isn't just another policy discussion; it's a glimpse into an educational revolution where short-term credentials are poised to redefine our approach to upskilling and reskilling America's workforce. I'll guide you through the complexities and potential of this legislation, unpacking the pivotal role community and technical colleges can play, while also tackling the tough questions around funding and the risk of for-profit exploitation.
But that's just the start. We're also setting our sights on the technological horizon with a preview of the ASU GSV Summit and the AIR Show in San Diego. As a veteran attendee, I'll share firsthand insights into the AI-driven innovations that are shaking up learning technologies and how they're creating unprecedented access to education. It's time to think big, beyond the bounds of traditional classrooms, and prepare for the tidal wave of change set to reshape our educational institutions. So, whether you're a leader in higher education or simply passionate about the evolution of learning, this episode is your ticket to the forefront of innovation.
Eloy Ortiz Oakley:
Hi, this is Eloy Ortiz Oakley and welcome back to the RANT, the podcast where we pull back the curtain and break down the people, the policies and the politics of our higher education system. In this episode, I want to take some time to cover two important topics. First, the proposal in the House of Representatives to expand the Pell program to cover short-term credentials, otherwise known as short-term Pell. I want to talk about where this proposal is at and why I think this is important for higher education leaders in community and technical colleges throughout the country. The second is an event that I want to bring to everyone's attention and some of you may already be attending, but it's the air show at the upcoming ASU GSV conference in San Diego. I will let you know why I think this is important for higher education leaders to better understand the innovations and technologies that are being driven by AI and how this is going to impact your learners. But first let's start with short-term Pell. Very rarely do I ever get to come on camera or to talk to people throughout the country and actually look at you with a straight face and say that there is a bipartisan proposal in Congress and, in particular, the House of Representatives, to expand access to the Pell program to individuals who are looking to upskill or to reskill. Just saying that there is bipartisan support for a higher education bill in Congress is something that you never hear, but this is actually what is happening right now. The two leaders of the House Workforce and Education Committee, chair Representative Virginia Fox, and the ranking member on the Democrat side, bobby Scott who, by the way, was formally the chair of the committee are both locked arm in arm on this issue of creating a short-term Pell program. They've jointly authored a piece of legislation that has gotten out of the House Education Committee and is waiting to be taken up on the floor of the House of Representatives. There's also support in the Senate for some type of short-term Pell program, so there is legitimate bipartisan support going on for this program.
Eloy Ortiz Oakley:
Why? The reason is that it targets individuals who need to be upskilled or reskilled through these short-term credentialing programs so that they can better participate in today's economy. We all know that the economy is creating new jobs that require different skills, and workers who are just trying to make ends meet need the opportunity to get these credentials and these new skills in order to better participate in the economy. Anyone who's worked in a community or technical college knows how this works and knows the need that exists in communities throughout the country, particularly for our lowest income workers, for our lowest income learners. So to me this should be a no-brainer.
Eloy Ortiz Oakley:
However, like anything else, we have the politics of the policy. The politics involve the pay-for mechanism that's in this bill, which requires an endowment tax on the wealthiest institutions in the country in order to pay for this. So this has gotten the attention of lobbying groups like the American Council on Education, which has opposed the bill because of this pay-for mechanism, because their members are primarily representative from these wealthier institutions. So I get the concerns about that mechanism, and there's also the concern raised by some advocacy organization consumer protection groups that creating a short-term Pell program will only fuel the for-profit industry to create programs that lead to nowhere. Is there truth behind that? Of course, career practices exist whenever governments create programs to serve individuals who need those benefits. However, this also creates an opportunity for community and technical colleges, for four-year regional universities that support credentialing in their communities, to expand these efforts and to allow for their learners to be able to finance these credentialing programs. There is still a lot of research that needs to be done about the ROI on these programs. Work that I have seen here in California suggests that some create great value, particularly computer science in the healthcare industries. Those credentialing programs do lead to significant wage gains, but then there are other programs that do not.
Eloy Ortiz Oakley:
So I get the concern from the advocates, but I think that we need to move forward with this proposal and straighten out those concerns along the way, because I don't know if you've noticed lately, but I certainly have there are a lot of desperate people in the economy, still as many jobs that are being created. There's still a lot of people that are struggling to get into good-paying jobs because they lack the skills necessary to compete. So we want to create a federal program that allows for these workers to better compete, to be able to access these credentialing programs, to have the federal government help finance for low-income individuals, low-income learners, low-income workers, in the same way that they can access hell to complete a program of study, either an associate's degree or a four-year degree. Again, I know that there are plenty of advocates on the other side of this issue that have very legitimate concerns, everyone from New America to TICUs to many others. I still think that we can work through those concerns without killing this bill. Think about it. Why in the world would we kill an opportunity where Republicans and Democrats have actually come together in support of learners? We should be building on that momentum, not destroying the momentum.
Eloy Ortiz Oakley:
Finally, representative Fox, chair Fox and her colleague Bobby Scott jointly address the business roundtable and they were very clear, arm in arm, wanting support for this piece of legislation. I think one of the quotes was it's going to take all hands on deck and this was representative Virginia Fox talking about how important this is to employers, to workers, to community and technical colleges, to those individuals that help and support these low income workers who need access to these skills. So if you're in a community college, a technical college somewhere in this country, if you serve adult working learners, if you want to better serve your community at a regional four university and want to better help upskill low income workers, then you should be talking to your representative in the house about this piece of legislation. I'm not here to tell you how to advocate, but I'm here to tell you that you need to be paying attention to this because this is really a once in several year opportunity to actually engage in a process where there is agreement on both sides of the aisle, where there is support on both sides of the aisle for something different, something new, something novel, something innovative to be done in Congress on behalf of learners in America. So, as you can tell, I'm a little worked up about this. I appreciate the need to protect learners. There are a lot of not a lot there aren't so many anymore, but there are some predatory for profit individuals out there and I think it's gonna take efforts by the Department of Education, the police and the insectivity. I get that they don't have a lot of resources. It's gonna take states to have focused time and attention on this issue, but at the end of the day, there will be more people served in ways that allow them to improve their economic mobility than not. At least, that's my opinion. I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts about the short-term Pell Initiative, the short-term Pell piece of legislation, your thoughts about whether this is a good thing, a bad thing, or how we can ensure that we help Congress craft a piece of legislation that does what it's intended to do and, at the same time, protects the learners, the individuals who are actually going to be paying for this.
Eloy Ortiz Oakley:
On another topic, I want to talk about the ASU GSV conference that's coming up. Many of you probably have attended ASU GSV. It's a summit held jointly sponsored between Arizona State University and GSV Ventures. It really highlights innovation that's happening throughout education and higher education. You see all sorts of types, lots of startup types, venture fund folks, people who are in the innovation space, either talking about or pushing products or pushing technologies. Last year, bill Gates was there to talk about what's going on with AI and how it's going to impact education. Of course, it seems like a million years ago that the last ASU GSV conference was held, soon after the release of chat GPT. A lot has happened since then.
Eloy Ortiz Oakley:
What ASU GSV coordinators are doing is they're offering another segment to the program. It's called the AIR Show. It's happening the weekend before the ASU GSV summit. I believe the dates are April 13th and 14th. It's a free exhibition to individuals who want to come by and see what the latest technology, learning technologies are, how AI is impacting learning tools. This is an opportunity for educators, for higher education leaders. I believe it's incumbent upon higher education leaders to come out and see what's happening. This is a free event for them. I get, you have to pay for your travel down to San Diego, but this is a great showcase of the different innovations that are happening in higher education and different innovations, the impact that AI is having on technologies that will help learners better gain access to opportunities for greater learning, for upward mobility.
Eloy Ortiz Oakley:
I'm sure there'll be a lot of stuff at the AIR Show that will wither on the grave find that won't even exist a few months from now, but there is so much happening, so much in these technologies that will impact our role as educators. That will impact learners access to information. This is already happening. Learners are voting with their feet. They're not just consuming learning from their colleges and universities anymore. They are going to large language learning models, they're going to YouTube, they're going to a variety of different places to get their information. They're using these tools in ways that us older folks, older generations still having quite mastered how to use. It's incumbent upon leaders in higher education, individuals who are leading community colleges for your universities, who want to better understand what are the technologies coming, what is their potential, what are some of the names that are out there. I'm not saying that you need to come to this AIR Show and start buying products off the shelf, but it gives you an idea of what's happening so that you can better position your institution, your program, your department, for the future of AI. That is my commercial for today.
Eloy Ortiz Oakley:
Asugsv is not paying me for this. I have attended ASUGSV for probably the last seven, eight years. I always find it interesting. I always find it entertaining. It's like watching a bunch of startup folks and venture capitalists jockey for time with each other and then talk about how great their products are. But in the center of all this, at the heart of all this, is how technology is moving faster and faster, and what are those technologies that are starting to gain a foothold that could actually help learners improve their access to a better education, how institutions can use AI to improve their efficiency and their effectiveness. So I think it is incumbent upon all of us.
Eloy Ortiz Oakley:
Educators are notorious for not wanting to look outside of their own classrooms or departments, but this is a great opportunity to do that relatively risk-free, and if you're in California, arizona or anywhere close by, it's not too far away to come to beautiful San Diego. Anyway, that's my rant for today. Take a hard look at what's going on with short-term Pell in the house, weigh in on your thoughts, what your representatives and if you are anywhere near San Diego, beginning on Saturday, april 13th, come on down to San Diego, check out the air show and, if you wanna, stick around for the ASU GSV Summit. I know it's pricey, but it's always a fun event. So thanks for being with me. Everybody, if you're watching us on this YouTube channel, hit subscribe. Make sure you hit the bell for notifications on when the next rant podcast is published. Continue to follow us on your favorite podcast platform and we will be back to you again soon. Thanks for joining everybody and we'll see you soon. Upbeat music playing.