Events

JULY 22-24, 2025

2025 UPCEA SOLAR: Summit for Online Leadership and Administration

Portland, OR

SEPTEMBER 29-OCTOBER 1, 2025

2025 Convergence: Credential Innovation in Higher Education

Washington, DC

DECEMBER 2-4, 2025

2025 MEMS: Marketing, Enrollment Management, and Student Success Conference

Boston, MA

Click here to view past events

Save the dates for these upcoming events:

February 4-6, 2026 | 2026 Digital Teaching and Learning Conference (DT&L) | Virtual
April 15-17, 2026 | 2026 UPCEA Annual Conference | New Orleans, LA | Hilton New Orleans Riverside
July 29-31, 2026 | 2026 SOLAR: Summit for Online Leadership and Administration | Boston, MA | Westin Boston Seaport District

Webinars & Chats

February 19, 2025 | 3:00-4:00 PM ET

Coffee Chat | How Do You Engage With Your Government Affairs Team?

Hosted by UPCEA's Policy Committee

Chat with colleagues about examples of how others work with their government affairs teams at different types of institutions. Gather tips and lessons learned, and share your own.

Click here to access the room at 3PM ET on February 19 or download our calendar invite below.

Coffee Chats are informal, unrecorded, live opportunities to connect with UPCEA peers. Typically an hour or less, they provide time to discuss topics of interest, share ideas and connect with others in a casual setting.

February 20, 2025 | 2:00-3:00 PM ET

Webinar | Is an OPM Right for You?

Cohosted by UPCEA and MindMax

Join us for an in-depth discussion about OPMs and your institution — is it the right fit or a temporary solution? Discover how to evaluate OPM partnerships and choose the model—full dependent, independent, or hybrid—that best aligns with your institution’s goals, culture, and needs. Learn to ask the right questions and make informed decisions for long-term success.

Key Takeaways

Institutional Readiness: Are you set up for a productive partnership?
Cultural Alignment: Will an OPM fit your institution’s values?
Operational Needs: Will an OPM fill key gaps?
Financial Considerations: Can an OPM help us scale sustainably?
Choosing the Right Path: Dependent, Independent, or Hybrid?

Presenters:

Lee Maxey, CEO, MindMax
Jim Fong, Chief Research Officer, UPCEA

February 25, 2025 | 1:00-2:00 PM ET

Webinar | Build Workforce-Ready Programs with Proven Partnership Strategies

Hosted by AAPC

Join AAPC and the University of Tennessee - Chattanooga for a discussion on how Continuing Education departments can integrate workforce-aligned programs to meet industry demand and enhance student career outcomes. This webinar will provide practical insights on program development, employer partnerships, and leveraging AAPC’s curriculum licensing to build high-quality, job-ready training.

Presenters:

William Watson, University of Tennessee - Chattanooga
Leonta Williams, AAPC

February 26, 2025 | 1:00-2:00 PM ET

Webinar | Building the Future of Credentials: Guiding Principles for LER Adoption

Hosted by UPCEA as part of the LER Accelerator coalition

Join representatives from the LER Accelerator coalition for an engaging discussion on the core principles for adopting Learning and Employment Records (LERs)—a transformative framework designed to empower learners, bridge education and workforce needs, and support equitable lifelong learning pathways.

This landmark collaboration, endorsed by 12 national higher education associations, establishes nine guiding principles that prioritize learner agency, data privacy, interoperability, and accessibility. These principles provide a roadmap for institutions and organizations to design and implement LERs that are inclusive, secure, and adaptable to evolving workforce demands.

February 27, 2025 | 12:00-12:45 PM ET

Webinar | Expanding Access to Lifelong Learning: Insights From 3 Global Institutions That Successfully Scaled Their Continuing Education Offerings

Hosted by Drieam

Join us for a dynamic conversation featuring panelists from three prestigious institutions— University of St Andrews (Scotland), Jones College’s OWC (U.S.) and TIAS Business School (Netherlands) — on how these institutions have scaled their continuing education (CE) offerings, diversified revenue streams, and aligned their credentialing strategies with broader institutional goals. From executive education to workforce development and academic short courses, you’ll gain practical insights on tailoring continuing education programs to drive growth and create sustainable revenue while ensuring quality across various alternative credential models.

Attendees will gain insights into:

Expanding portfolio of alternative credentials while maintaining institutional quality.
Designing stackable micro-credentials and non-credit-to-credit pathways.
Building employer partnerships to drive enrollment and workforce impact.
Delivering high-quality learning experiences across diverse learning modalities, including online, hybrid, and in-person programs.
Aligning CE initiatives with institutional goals and demonstrating ROI.

Presenters:

Sarah Franke, Head of Digital Strategic Initiatives, University of St Andrews
Michael Trest, Dean of the Online Workforce College at Jones College
Marijn Veijgen, IT Manager Innovation, TIAS
Mieke Ridderhof, Chief Marketing Officer, Drieam

February 27, 2025 | 4:00-5:00 PM ET

Coffee Chat | Skill-aligned Curriculum: Designing Programs for Future Readiness

Hosted collaboratively by UPCEA's Program Planning and Implementation Network and International Network

The International Network is excited to partner with the Program Planning and Implementation Network for an upcoming Coffee Chat focused on Skill-aligned Curriculum: Designing Programs for Future Readiness. This event will delve into the skills gaps observed in global learner populations and explore how various programs are using innovative practices to address these gaps. Our discussion will center on sharing experiences across institutions and highlighting strategies for curriculum development and experiential learning opportunities that reinforce workforce skills. Our aim is an exchange of ideas and best practices to encourage advancements in program design that effectively meet the contemporary needs of learners across professional and continuing education.

Skill-aligned Curriculum: Designing Programs for Future Readiness will take place on February 27, 2025 at 4 pm ET. We hope you can join us!

Click here to access the room at 4PM ET on February 27 or download our calendar invite below.

March 6, 2025 | 12:00-1:00 PM ET (16:00 CET)

Webinar | University of Wisconsin Business School: Using online discussions to bring equity and the real world into onsite classes

Hosted by Harmonize

Enno Siemsen and Peter Commons from the University of Wisconsin Business School use discussion forums to enhance their in-person classes. They focus on elaborating ideas and helping students apply concepts to the real world while ensuring everyone has a chance to participate. We’ll touch on how they use Harmonize to pace, auto-grade, and monitor discussions, keeping conversations going outside the classroom without adding extra work to their plates. Finally we’ll discuss how to close the loop so interesting ideas from the online discussions can be brought back into the in person class and even awarded bonus points to encourage the cycle.

Presenters:

Billy Kardasz, Wisconsin School of Business, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Enno Siemsen, Wisconsin School of Business, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Peter Commons, Wisconsin School of Business, University of Wisconsin-Madison
David Greene, Harmonize

March 10, 2025 | 1:00-2:00 PM ET

Coffee Chat | PCO Support Teams That Work: Staffing & Structure

Hosted by UPCEA's Business & Operations Network

Business support teams are as unique as the units who participate in UPCEA. Designing the most effective staffing, structure and hybrid/remote/in-person mix is key to successful productivity. Join this chat and share an aspect of your structure that works really well so others can learn from your success!

Click here to access the room at 1PM ET on March 10 or download our calendar invite below.

March 13, 2025 | 1:00-1:45 PM ET

Webinar | Stacking Success: University of Illinois’ Gies College of Business Microcredentialing Journey

Hosted by Accredible

University of Illinois’ Gies College of Business has earned global recognition for its innovative and student-centric approach to academic programming. In the last five years, Gies has successfully designed a suite of stackable educational offerings, enabling students to take a course and then apply that credit to the B-school’s highly regarded iMBA or other certificate programs. Since launching the program, Gies has issued nearly 42,000 digital credentials to students — more than 9,000 of which were earned in the last academic year alone.

Granted, establishing a microcredentialing program and ensuring new course offerings met learners’ expectations and were delivered in a consistent way took a lot of planning, determination, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The results didn’t happen overnight, but the effort has been worth it.

Join Amanda Brantner, Director of Content and Educational Portfolio Strategy at Gies Business, and Dan Theckston, SVP of Customer Success at Accredible, as they dive deep into the challenges of building a microcredentialing initiative, how they overcame them, and the results that have led to stakeholder and learner adoption and expanding the initiative across campus.

Presenters:

Amanda Brantner, Director of Content and Educational Portfolio Strategy, University of Illinois’ Gies College of Business
Dan Theckston, Vice President of Customer Success, Accredible

March 13, 2025 | 4:00-5:00 PM ET

Coffee Chat | Know Before You Go: Navigating the 2025 Annual Conference

Whether you’re a newcomer or a pro, join us for an informal opportunity to connect with other #UPCEA2025 Conference attendees. This fast-paced coffee chat will get you up to speed, give you an opportunity to ask questions and start thinking about planning your conference adventure. We’ll cover what you can expect to LEARN, how to get to KNOW attendees and what else you might DO in town.

Click here to access the room at 4PM ET on March 13 or download our calendar invite below.

March 18, 2025 | 2:00-3:00 PM ET

Coffee Chat | Building Bridges: Guiding Faculty to Find Balance in Online Engagement

Hosted by UPCEA's eDesign Collaborative Network

Join us for an engaging conversation on how to guide faculty toward balanced student engagement during the course design process. Instructional designers often encounter instructors who under-engage, hoping the course will run itself, or over-engage, feeling they must respond to every post 24/7. In this chat, we’ll explore practical strategies for fostering open, productive conversations with faculty to align expectations, share sustainable engagement practices, and build trust. Come share your experiences, tips, and success stories for creating courses where faculty presence is impactful and manageable!

Click here to access the room at 2PM ET on March 18 or download our calendar invite below.

April 16, 2025 | 3:00-4:00 PM ET

Webinar | Driving Innovation in Graduate and Professional Education: Key Research Insights from UPCEA and CGS

Presented by UPCEA and the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS)

Join UPCEA and the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) for an engaging webinar focused on key research findings that will shape the future of graduate and professional education. This collaborative session will explore emerging trends, where the convergence of student demand and innovative practices are transforming the landscape of higher education. We will explore recent UPCEA research that highlights enrollment funnel preferences of postbaccalaureate students and examine the heightened emphasis on online graduate education at the institutional level. We will also review results from the NSF-funded CGS research on pathways into masters programs and careers.

Designed for institutional leaders, faculty, and other key stakeholders, this webinar will provide actionable insights to inform strategy and drive growth in graduate and professional programs. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable perspectives from two leading organizations at the forefront of educational research and advocacy.

Presenters:

Bruce Etter, UPCEA
Emily West, UPCEA
Stacy Chiaramonte, UPCEA
Enyu Zhou, CGS
Alessandro Regio, CGS