Summary
Highlights
The podcast opens with an introduction to "Learning English," a daily 30-minute program from Voice of America, designed for English learners. The hosts, Dan Friedell and Caty Weaver, explain that they speak slowly and use specially written words and phrases. This episode, the last of the year, will feature Anna Matteo discussing goals for 2024, a story about solar panel recycling, and a review of Barack Obama's presidency.
The program reviews the top higher education stories of 2023. Key topics include a major Supreme Court decision on college admissions, the return of international students to U.S. colleges, the closure of small colleges and study programs, and the resignation of an Ivy League president under pressure. The Supreme Court's ruling in late June ended affirmative action in college admissions, impacting cases involving Harvard and the University of North Carolina. Chief Justice John Roberts stated that students should be treated based on individual experiences, not race. This decision stemmed from a lawsuit by 'Students for Fair Admissions,' who argued that Asian and white students were disadvantaged. President Joe Biden supported racially diverse colleges, and many universities are adapting by changing application requirements to learn about applicants' life experiences. The next focus for activists is 'Legacy Admissions,' with a group taking legal action against Harvard for favoring students whose parents attended the university or donated money.
The discussion continues with the return of international students to U.S. colleges to pre-pandemic levels, largely due to a significant increase in students from India, which offset a drop in Chinese students. New policies by the Biden administration, allowing STEM students to stay longer for work experience, contributed to this rise. However, many American young people are expressing concerns about the value and high cost of a college degree. The segment highlights the challenges faced by universities like West Virginia University (WVU), which is experiencing declining enrollment and a $45 million budget deficit, leading to program cuts and job losses. Additionally, several small colleges, such as Alliance University in New York City, closed in 2023 due to financial problems, raising concerns among higher education experts like Brian Alexander about the future of small institutions.
The segment addresses the stepping down of Liz McGill, President of the University of Pennsylvania, in early December. McGill, along with Harvard President Claudine Gay and MIT's Sally Kornbluth, faced questioning from Congress on December 5th regarding calls for violence against Jewish people on their campuses amidst anti-Semitic protests related to the Israel-Hamas conflict. The leaders' responses, which emphasized protected speech, drew criticism from influential donors and alumni, leading to McGill's resignation. While Gay and Kornbluth received mixed support, they retained their positions, sparking a debate among professors and legal experts about political pressure influencing university policies.
The podcast transitions to Adam Sergei from 'We Recycle Solar' in Arizona, who is addressing the issue of what to do with solar panels reaching the end of their 30-year lifespan. His company is working to collect and reuse old panels, prevent them from going into landfills, and extract valuable materials like silver, copper, glass, and silicon. This process, termed 'urban mining,' took engineers three years to perfect and can recover up to 99% of useful materials. Meng Tao, an expert from Arizona State University, foresees a peak in solar panel installations in about 20 years, at which point the number of new panels will equal old ones going out of service. He emphasizes the need for government funding for recycling to make it a more viable option than landfill disposal.
Anna Matteo discusses the word “goal” in the context of New Year's resolutions and personal aspirations. She explains that a goal is something one wants to achieve and works toward. The segment uses sports analogies, such as scoring a goal, goal lines, and goalposts, to illustrate the concept. It also introduces the idiom 'moving the goalposts,' meaning changing the rules or conditions to suit one's own needs, making it harder for others to achieve their objectives. The importance of setting clear plans and celebrating small steps towards a goal is emphasized.
Dan Friedell and Anna Matteo reflect on their personal experiences in 2023 and set goals for 2024. Dan shares his significant year of marriage, home projects, and moving to a new state, along with his puppy's growth. Anna expresses pride in her work with students in Bangladesh and Ukraine, hoping for more such experiences. For 2024, Anna aims to resume studying Chinese, playing the piano, and writing songs. Dan's primary goal is to make new friends in his new state, as he finds it challenging as an adult. Anna advises putting oneself out there and trying new things to meet people. They revisit the idiom 'moving the goalposts,' with Anna sharing an example from a real estate show where house hunters constantly changed their requirements, frustrating the agent. They conclude that a good goal for 2024 should involve stable goal lines.
The podcast features a segment on Barack Obama's presidency, highlighting his historic election as the first African-American president in 2009 and his reelection in 2012. It emphasizes the symbolic importance of his presidency in a country with a history of slavery and underrepresentation of African-Americans in government. Obama's background, with a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas, is discussed. The segment notes that his election brought pride and hope to many, with a public opinion survey showing belief in resolving racial conflicts. His parents met at the University of Hawaii, and after their separation, Obama lived with his mother in Indonesia before returning to Hawaii to live with his grandparents and complete high school. He attended Occidental College, Columbia University, and Harvard Law School. His early career as a community organizer in Chicago profoundly influenced his understanding of the legal process. After working as a lawyer, writing a book, and marrying Michelle Robinson, he started his political career, serving three terms in the Illinois State Senate before his landslide victory to the U.S. Senate. His impactful speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, where he articulated his life story as an American story and called for unity beyond racial and political divisions, foreshadowed his presidential election four years later.