The world is changing at lightning speed. Technology is reshaping how we learn, work, and live. Leaders are making critical decisions on tighter timelines. And students looking to lead in this environment want to be prepared to take these challenges head on. How can higher education keep up?
Nancy Staudt, vice president at RAND and the Frank and Marcia Carlucci Dean of the RAND School of Public Policy, ponders this question every day.
“Having the applied skills to hit the ground running is so important in today's world,” said Staudt.
Recently ranked among the nation's top 10 graduate schools for public policy analysis by U.S. News & World Report, the RAND School sits at the intersection of policymaking and research. Staudt is leading the school at a moment when higher education is being pushed to evolve in a world defined by constant change.
For someone who has never heard of the RAND School, how would you describe it—and what makes it different?
The RAND School is singular because it sits within one of the world's leading research organizations—RAND.
RAND's researchers work in a nonpartisan, objective, and data-based way to help decisionmakers navigate policy challenges that affect their communities. Those same researchers serve as our faculty. During the day, they are working on urgent policy issues. Then they come into the classroom in Santa Monica or Washington, D.C. and teach students how to think critically about those issues, analyze them, and help policymakers make informed decisions.
That is a huge differentiator for us. Our faculty are not just professors; they are mentors and researchers doing the work in real time and in the field. Our students are learning inside a world-renowned research environment unlike anything I have seen in higher education.
Our students are learning inside a world-renowned research environment unlike anything I have seen in higher education.
What do you think students are looking for in higher education today?
Students want to know that what they are learning has relevance beyond the classroom. They want employable skills, resume-building experiences, and networks they can lean on as they build their careers. Just as important, they want confidence that what they are learning now will still matter as the world keeps changing. That is why students are so eager for applied education. Theory and philosophy are important, but students also want opportunities to put ideas into practice.
What does learning look like at the RAND School?
Students engage with real policy challenges from the start. They work with data, collaborate with researchers, and apply their learning to issues policymakers are actively confronting.
Sometimes that means experiences they would not find in a traditional classroom setting. I recently spoke with a student who was calling in from the middle of a drone racing competition hosted by the U.S. Air Force—an experience he said he never would have had anywhere else. These are the types of hands-on opportunities that students crave and that get them excited for the future.
Our students say the same thing to me over and over: They cannot believe they are a part of conversations happening around the most critical policy challenges of the moment.
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To learn more about the RAND School of Public Policy—including its graduate programs, campuses, application deadlines, scholarships, and how to connect with the admissions team—visit rand.edu/admissions.
How is AI affecting the way RAND School students are trained today?
Like all schools, the RAND School recognizes that technology is changing every discipline and every sector. We are eager to use what this technology can offer, both in how we teach and in helping students develop the skills to use it well.
Some faculty bring AI directly into their teaching, and we encourage students to use AI as they learn and think through ideas and topics. At the same time, we recognize its limits. We want to make sure students are graduating with the skills they need, while not relying only on the technology for everything.
It really is a dual approach: helping students learn to use AI effectively while also making sure guidelines are clear and limitations are widely understood. Future leaders are going to need both of those capacities.
What advice would you give to people interested in becoming public leaders?
Stay curious. The best leaders remain open to new ideas, new evidence, and different perspectives. Be flexible and thoughtful, especially in uncertain times. Lastly, remember that leadership is fundamentally about service. It requires asking the right questions, listening carefully, and helping people make the best possible decisions with the best possible evidence.
What gives you confidence in the next generation of policy leaders?
Today's students give me so much hope for the future. They are talented, committed, and filled with a sense of purpose that is inspiring. As I recently prepared for commencement, I met with our graduates, and the way they talked about their experience at the RAND School—and their goals—made me so excited for the nation and the world. They are not shying away from complexity or change. They want to be at the center of it—to understand it, learn it, and be part of it. I see a generation prepared not only to navigate change, but to lead through it.
