2025 Education Outlook: Mike Rakes

What are U.S. higher ed officials saying about student preparedness, and how are you tackling the issue at Evangel?
We doubled our team for emotional coaching and maturity development coming out of COVID. That’s been a very good addition to our support system. It was such a challenge – we wanted kids not to have to wait to see somebody, so they could come in and talk to somebody right then when the moment was pregnant with possibility. We did some extra training for our faculty, too; students are really looking for mentorships now. What we’ve learned is that each student is entering in from a different place. Not all had the same high school experience. Some came from very intense private schools where they were learning Latin and this and that, and others came from more of a public school situation. We have kids from every state in the country, and education in each of those states is very different. We try to onboard them into their program and into the college experience by meeting them where they’re at.

President-elect Donald Trump has signaled major changes in education, not the least of which is the planned elimination of the U.S. Department of Education. What do you envision playing out on the national scene?
I’m glad conservatives won in such a strong way – I’m very encouraged by that. I just think we were all really frustrated with the – not so much liberalization, but just becoming too obtrusive into our individual rights. The one thing you’re not allowed to be on a lot of campuses is a conservative. But college is about a diversity of voices interacting, and my mission is to say just because you’re conservative or have a biblically based worldview does not mean you’re intellectually behind the eight ball. I would put my intellectual reading and training up against anybody’s. To me, the strength of a Christian liberal arts education is it’s a little closer to what Socrates had in mind back in the day.

There has long been a dispute about the purpose of higher ed – is it to create well-rounded critical thinkers or to prepare students for careers? What’s your take?
Forty percent of the jobs that exist right now by the time students turn 36 will be gone because of the advancement of technology. They’re having to select a specific trade at 19 years old? I would never have selected to get into higher ed or administration – I wouldn’t even have pictured being a faculty member on my journey. Getting a four-year degree, the data still proves it out, gives them highest earning potential for their long journey. They’ll be able to pivot, should jobs go away. They’re learning intellectual preparedness and cultural literacy, and they’re learning to be competent, holistic leaders for any industry.

You seem to have bucked a trend at Evangel of the closure of small colleges and universities. How have you managed to ensure your viability in these times?
The secret sauce is that we’re staying right on mission. Mission is the energy that drives things, and the missional piece is the main thing that keeps us going and keeps our donors going and believing in our long-term health. We’ve added almost 700 students since I got to town [in 2021]. We’re not going down; we’re on the rise, thank God for it. When you compromise to get students, you’ve already lost. Your mission has to align with where the need is in these students.