Elijah Rutledge

#googecloud, BI, Big Data, AI, analytics, sales enablement, Oregon Ducks, traveling, mountain biking, backpacking,

[Elijah Rutledge @elirutledge]

@stoolpresidente This isn’t aging well 😬

[Jason Rosenthal @jasonrosenthal]

Too often, American colleges and universities are failing in a core part of their mission:

Training students to think rigorously and analytically and engage in civil discourse about complex ideas and issues.

While continuing to dunk on the congressional testimony delivered by the @harvard, @penn, and @MIT presidents is tempting and cathartic, it distracts from the mission drift that has been brewing in academia over the course of the last 30 years.

I was honored to serve as a @pomonacollege trustee for over two decades and credit the education I received there with unlocking numerous personal and professional opportunities for me in subsequent years.

During the majority of my time as a trustee, there were intense, productive debates amongst faculty, staff, students and trustees about how best to deliver on the core mission of the college in the service of future generations of students.

Frustratingly, over the course of the last decade (and accelerating with the 2016 election and COVID), the width of the Overton window in which these conversations could be had shrank dramatically at colleges and universities across the country. The focus of discussions shifted to ever more niche areas of inclusion with an emphasis on using the right language often at the expense of clarity, results and progress.

Historically, our colleges and universities have been a major source of competitive advantage for the United States and the need for rigorous intellectual training is more important than ever as the system of the world becomes increasingly nuanced and complex.

In order for these institutions to remain relevant and and vital in the decades ahead, I believe it’s essential to ask college presidents, trustees, faculty, and staff the following questions:

Teaching students to think critically:
Are institutions doing everything in their power to train students to think critically such that they can hold two seemingly conflicting ideas in their mind at the same time while dispassionately analyzing the merits of each point of view? If not, what changes could be made both in and out of the classroom to help students develop these skills?

The role of the faculty:
Are there members of the faculty who are more interested in being activists outside of the realm of scholarly discourse rather than educators? Is it in keeping with the role of a professor to demand that students follow their views rather than asking students to form their own views and chart their own path? If a faculty member has a track record of using their college or classroom as a platform for advancing and espousing their personal beliefs, this should have an impact on tenure decisions and their future employment.

Upholding the free exchange of ideas:
If one of the core tenets of a high functioning institution is the open exchange of ideas, are the right policies in place to ensure that faculty, staff, or students who seek to stunt this debate through verbal or physical intimidation face the appropriate consequences? If so, how are these policies being pursued and enforced in the current environment?

Creating a safe, inclusive environment for all students:
For the free exchange of ideas to flourish, it is imperative that all students feel safe on campus. Many institutions have worked hard for decades to increase representation and to foster a sense of inclusion for students from diverse backgrounds. However, as we’ve seen since October 7th, there is much work to be done to ensure that these efforts encompass all members of the student body. What programs and systems need to be overhauled or invented to achieve success in this area?

American colleges and universities have a potentially critical role to play in educating and training the next generation of leaders. However, the time is now to ask the hard questions and make the necessary course corrections to ensure they are up to the opportunity and challenge ahead.

[Elijah Rutledge @elirutledge]

@afoyle3131 Congrats Adonal!! So happy for you.

[Elijah Rutledge @elirutledge]

@jerryhjones So when are you starting your pumpkin pie business?

[MeidasTouch @MeidasTouch]

Jon Stewart just destroyed Ted Cruz and the Republicans’ lies about why they voted against giving toxin-exposed veterans healthcare and you have to watch

[The Daily Show @TheDailyShow]

The Supreme Court ruled that the EPA doesn’t have the authority to protect the environment… so what IS their job now?

[Nnedi Okorafor, PhD🕷️ @Nnedi]

It’s this simple.
It’s not a discussion.

[The Daily Show @TheDailyShow]

Conservatives think abortion rights should be left up to the states. Let’s take that argument a few steps further…

[Stephen Curry @StephenCurry30]

Night Night

[Elijah Rutledge @elirutledge]

Love to see this!!

[Madison Wade @madisoncwade]

This is incredible!

Hundreds of people gathered in South Lake Tahoe to thank and say goodbye to all the firefighters who helped save their city!

This happened as many firefighters were leaving town to go home after the #CaldorFire so they were very surprised ❤️

[Elijah Rutledge @elirutledge]

@arollerskates @AirbnbHelp Exactly. The fact that they aren’t telling people to stay away and not recognizing the impact of sending more vacationers into the area during this challenging time is beyond me.

[Elijah Rutledge @elirutledge]

So let me get this straight. @Airbnb is telling its customers like me that they don’t consider the #CaldorFire to be a natural disaster that falls under their extenuating circumstances language. Thoughts @CALFIRE_CHIEF @bchesky @GavinNewsom ?

[Elijah Rutledge @elirutledge]

@FredaMoon @Airbnb @CALFIRE_CHIEF @bchesky @GavinNewsom I’ll message you privately to connect on this. Thank you for the quick response

[Elijah Rutledge @elirutledge]

@JessikaRang @Airbnb @CALFIRE_CHIEF @bchesky @GavinNewsom It’s unfortunate the host is left to deal with it. We have reached out and the host has taken a stance of no refund as well with little empathy for what is going on in Tahoe. I’m all for finding a middle ground as it’s a crappy situation for all.

[Elijah Rutledge @elirutledge]

@SFGate are you tracking this as well? Seems like VRBO isn’t the only one ignoring the danger of having vacationers drive up to Tahoe this week.

[Elijah Rutledge @elirutledge]

I guess Mandatory evacuations, road closures, high AQI warnings + pleas from #CALfire and most local businesses and state officials to stay off the roads and not come to Tahoe don’t seem to be enough for @Airbnb

[Elijah Rutledge @elirutledge]

@AirbnbHelp @AirbnbHelp still no follow up from you. We’ve spoken to your offshore customer support team 3 times over the last week with no solutions provided. You should close all bookings in the Tahoe area. No one should be driving into that area as the firefighters have enough to deal W/

[Elijah Rutledge @elirutledge]

@AirbnbHelp Even better can you turn turn this into an opportunity to match donations to the people affected by the fires?

[Elijah Rutledge @elirutledge]

@grapeshakewell @Airbnb @CALFIRE_CHIEF @bchesky @GavinNewsom Apologies for that. We feel terrible for all the homeowners and locals up there dealing with this. My intention was to get Airbnb to take responsibility and not take advantage of hosts and customers during a tragic natural disaster. I’ve been going to Tahoe for decades. So sad

[Elijah Rutledge @elirutledge]

@JessikaRang @Airbnb @CALFIRE_CHIEF @bchesky @GavinNewsom That’s very cool of you. We did contact the host as well. I just hate putting it on the hosts as the company should back them in this type of situation that was out of our control. Feel terrible for all the locals and homeowners up there dealing with this. Hope your place is safe

[Elijah Rutledge @elirutledge]

@erika_e_hughes @Airbnb @CALFIRE_CHIEF @bchesky @GavinNewsom Booked this 6 months ago way before all the fires.