WASHINGTON, November 18, 2021 – UPCEA, the Washington, D.C.-based association for college and university leaders in professional, continuing, and online education, is pleased to announce the election of four new officers and nine new directors to serve on the UPCEA Board of Directors. Elected earlier in November, these individuals will assume their roles at the conclusion of the 2022 UPCEA Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida on April 14, 2022.

“I am so pleased to welcome these exemplary individuals to their leadership roles on behalf of the Governance and Nominations Committee and all of UPCEA,” said Lisa Templeton, Associate Provost, Division of Ecampus at Oregon State University; 2021-2022 UPCEA President-Elect, and Chair, UPCEA Governance and Nominations Committee. “I look forward to working with these strong and qualified leaders during their terms, and I know that our new officers and directors will have a positive impact on both the association and our field.”

“UPCEA’s mission is vitally important to the future of higher education,” said Bob Hansen, UPCEA CEO. “Whether it is leadership in online learning or the rise of alternative credentials, the field needs a Board that is nimble, visionary, and strategic. These new officers and directors bring those attributes to the work of building a truly consequential Board.

UPCEA welcomes four officers and nine Directors At-Large to the 2022-2023 Board of Directors:

David Cillay, Ph.D., Chancellor, Global Campus and Vice President, Academic Outreach and Innovation (AOI) at Washington State University, will serve as Board President-Elect for a one-year term (2022-2023) and then ascend to the role of Board President (2023-2024). Dr. Cillay’s unit is responsible for Identifying, implementing, and sustaining new and innovative access options that expand the reach of Washington State University, support faculty and students in the use of academic technology, and ensure a high-quality educational experience for all students who access WSU through technology. He oversees WSU’s Global Campus, Learn365, Professional Education, and Learning Innovations. 

 

Kim Siegenthaler, Ph.D., Associate Provost for Online Strategies at Georgia State University, will serve as Secretary/Treasurer for a two-year term (2022-2024). Dr. Siegenthaler has 30+ years of experience in higher education as a faculty member, administrator, and distance educator. As inaugural Associate Provost for Online Strategies at Georgia State University, she advances a university-wide strategy for delivering high-quality online courses, certificate programs, degree programs and executive education to traditional and life-long learners. In 2021, she led the launch of Georgia State Online with over 80 online and hybrid program options from the associate to the doctoral level. Dr. Siegenthaler oversees the Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning & Online Education (CETLOE) with its mission to advance the scholarship and practice of exemplary instruction at Georgia State. The center includes units for Teaching Effectiveness, Learning Analytics, Learning Community Development, Learning Design, Learning Technologies and Georgia State Online.

 

Asim Ali, Ph.D., Executive Director, Biggio Center for the Enhancement of Teaching & Learning at Auburn University, will serve as Network Senate Chair for a two-year term (2022-2024). The Biggio Center is a group of five units and 75 professionals that support Auburn’s academic community to enhance their careers, build engaging courses, effectively assess student learning, and implement innovative pedagogy and technologies. Earlier, Dr. Ali served as the founding Director of Auburn Online, tasked with implementing institutional strategic goals for online learning. He earned a bachelor of science in software engineering, masters in information systems management, and PhD in adult education with research focused on self-directed and technology-enhanced learning. Dr. Ali also teaches introduction to information systems management.

 

Jasmeial “Jazz” Jackson, Ed.D., Chief Student Success, Equity and Inclusion Officer at Thomas Edison State University, will serve as Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Committee Co-Chair for a two-year term (2022-2024). Dr. Jackson oversees advising, faculty, career services, military and veteran support, student accessibility services, tutoring services, academic integrity, and equity and inclusion within his role. He collaborates with every institutional division, ensuring a holistic, intentional student experience that equips learners with the knowledge, skills, and support they need from enrollment and beyond to achieve their academic and personal goals successfully. Dr. Jackson works on strategic teams across the university to coordinate university-wide retention initiatives. He has a Doctorate of Education in Higher Education Administration, Master of Business Administration, and a Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering. He lives by a quote by Mahatma Gandhi, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”

 

Tonya Amankwatia, Ph.D., Assistant Vice Provost, Distance Education and Extended Learning at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, will serve as a Director At-Large for a two-year term (2022-2024). Dr. Amankwatia has been active in the larger distance education, faculty development and educational technology fields for more than 20 years. Dr. Amankwatia is a founding faculty member in UPCEA’s Online Professional Development Program and participated in numerous UPCEA programs and groups. As Assistant Vice Provost of  North Carolina A&T’s Extended Campus, the PCO unit at the historically black university, she directed the approval of 6 new online programs in 2021. Dr. Amankwatia has facilitated various international, governmental, regional and corporate PCO collaborations including ones with NATO-ACT, National Cryptologic School, IBM, and AWS.

 

Jennifer Bott, Ph.D., Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Western Michigan University, will serve as a Director At-Large for a two-year term (2022-2024). Dr. Bott is the chief academic officer and chief administrative officer of Western Michigan University with responsibilities including the oversight of all academic activities, as well as the development and execution of long-range planning for the university. Before serving as Dean of the Miller College of Business at Ball State University, Dr. Bott was Associate Provost leading the Online and Distance Education programs, leading administration of over 60 degrees and nearly 10,000 students.

 

Andrea Carroll-Glover, M.B.A., Vice Provost of Online Strategy and Programs at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, will serve as a Director At-Large for a two-year term (2022-2024). In her current role, Carroll-Glover leads innovation and the advancement of online learning initiatives. Carroll-Glover has more than 20 years of executive experience with deep higher education and distance education. She has made significant online education and higher education contributions serving online and traditional universities leading online growth strategies, product innovation, marketing efforts.

 

Stacy Chiaramonte, M.B.A., Associate Vice President, Graduate Studies at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, will serve as a Director At-Large for a two-year term (2022-2024). Chiaramonte is responsible for developing and implementing the strategy for student-centric education programs targeted toward part-time working professionals and other non-traditional students at WPI, as well as the implementation and execution of all online and corporate education programs. During Chiaramonte’s tenure, WPI Online has doubled the number of programs offered and grown the number of enrolled students while increasing student support and quality. Chiaramonte holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and an MBA from Babson College.

 

Yakut Gazi, Ph.D., Associate Dean, Learning Systems at Georgia Institute of Technology, will serve as a Director At-Large for a two-year term (2022-2024). Dr. Gazi’s higher education experience spans over 28 years in four countries. In her current role she oversees the design, development, delivery, and continuous improvement of Tech’s credit-bearing and professional education online courses. A recipient of the American Society of Engineering Education Continuing and Professional Development Division’s 2021 Certificate of Merit, she serves on the Academic Advisory Council for Quality Matters© and is an elected council member and First Vice President of the International Association for Engineering Continuing Education. Dr. Gazi has her Ph.D. from Texas A&M University, and an M.A. and a B.S. from Bogazici University. A Turkish-American, Dr. Gazi is married, with a daughter.

 

George Irvine, Ph.D., Associate Vice Provost for Professional and Continuing Studies and Online Initiatives at University of Delaware, will serve as a Director At-Large for a two-year term (2022-2024). Dr. Irvine leads the Division of Professional and Continuing Studies to annually serve approximately 14,000 online and continuing education students. In prior positions, Dr. Irvine led corporate and international programs at UD’s Lerner College of Business and Center for International Studies. Dr. Irvine has considerable international development expertise due to his work at the German Marshall Fund, IIE, and the Kenan Institute.  His award-winning dissertation from UD’s Biden School focuses on the changing publicness of American research universities.

 

Shino John, M.Div., Associate VP for Strategic Growth and International Development at Rutgers University Division of Continuing Studies (DoCS), will serve as a Director At-Large for a two-year term (2021-2023). John is a leader with over 20 years of experience in higher education, and his portfolio includes continuing education for over 10,000 students and oversight of the Rutgers Makerspace, a collaborative lab environment to prototype and create academic and entrepreneurial projects with advanced design and fabrication equipment. John also chairs DoCS’ award-winning Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee and is a passionate proponent for DEI in professional, continuing, and online (PCO) education. John and the leadership of DoCS are committed to advancing DEI and inclusive excellence in the workplace through continuing education and recruiting candidates from historically underrepresented communities to fulfilling careers in PCO education. John also serves on the Board of Trustees of Pillar College, a HACU Hispanic-Serving Institution based in Newark, NJ.

 

Breeda McGrath, Ph.D., Associate Campus Dean Online at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, will serve as a Director At-Large for a two-year term (2022-2024). A higher education leader, McGrath supervises over 30 graduate programs including international psychology, organizational leadership, behavioral economics, behavior analysis, forensic psychology, counseling, and psychopharmacology. As a licensed clinical psychologist and nationally certified school psychologist, McGrath is an active member of the American Psychological Association and a school crisis prevention and intervention trainer. Originally from Ireland, McGrath collaborates with international colleagues in Indonesia, Senegal, Greece, and India, and provides consultation for immigrant rights groups. McGrath previously served as the UPCEA International Network Chair.

 

Carola Weil, Ph.D., Dean of Continuing Studies and Associate Professor (CAS) at McGill University, will serve as a Director At-Large for a two-year term (2021-2023). Dr. Weil previously served in academic leadership roles in continuing education and communication/journalism studies at the University of Southern California and American University. A political scientist and policy analyst by training, with a focus on international/human security, conflict transformation, public diplomacy, and organizational development, Dr. Weil’s career has straddled public policy, nonprofit and philanthropic sectors as well as higher education, including Women In International Security, and the US Institute of Peace. A dual citizen of Germany and the US, she is multi-lingual and has served on several non-profit boards.

 

Additionally, UPCEA is pleased to announce the selection of two new members of the Diversity & Inclusive Excellence Committee and two new members of the Finance Committee. In their roles on these two Board-level committees, these individuals are undertaking critically important work for the association and the field.

Reba-Anna Lee, Ed.D., Assistant Dean of Distance Learning, School of Professional Studies at Northwestern University, will serve on the 2022-2023 Diversity & Inclusive Excellence Committee. Dr. Lee holds a doctorate in Educational Technology. Her background includes over 10 years of K-12 teaching experience. She has worked in higher education administration and online teaching for over 15 years. In her current role, Dr. Lee is a student advocate and a champion for quality online teaching and learning. Her focus is not only on the learning journey of adult students but also on enhancing the adult student’s online learning experience.

 

Kevin Vaughn, Ph.D., Dean of University Extension and Professor of Anthropology at University of California, Riverside, will serve on the 2022-2023 Diversity & Inclusive Excellence Committee. In his current role, Vaughn oversees the largest continuing education unit in Inland Southern California with 75+ programs serving youth, high school, college, international and adult learners in a number of fields including Business, Education, Technology, the Social Sciences and Humanities. He is also an anthropological archaeologist and conducts research on the south coast of Peru.

 

Diego Britto, M.B.A., Vice President of Finance at Purdue University Global, will serve on the 2022-2023 Finance Committee. Diego is a forward-thinking executive with more than 24 years of fast-track, cross-industry financial and operational success and over 13 years of experience in the education industry. Diego has a diverse background spearheading new business implementations as well as risk-management and cost-saving initiatives. Since joining the University in 2008, Diego has been responsible for the financial support for all the schools and its supporting departments at the University.

 

Aaron Sinkar, M.B.A., the Senior Financial and Administrative Officer for TEXAS Extended Campus (TEC) at The University of Texas at Austin, will serve on the 2022-2023 Finance Committee. Sinkar has spent the past 15 years in higher education, supporting business services functions in a variety of units, including IT, libraries, and continuing education. In his current role, he is responsible for the financial strategy and business operations for the Extended Campus. He is involved with several campus committees supporting the growth and best practices of continuing education at UT Austin.

 

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About UPCEA

UPCEA is the association for professional, continuing, and online education. Founded in 1915, UPCEA now serves most of the leading public and private colleges and universities in North America. With innovative conferences and specialty seminars, research and benchmarking information, professional networking opportunities and timely publications, we support our members’ service of contemporary learners and commitment to quality online education and student success. Based in Washington, D.C., UPCEA builds greater awareness of the vital link between adult learners and public policy issues. Visit www.upcea.edu.

The numbers paint a clear picture of change in demand for higher education. Still unclear is if colleges will adapt from static schools to dynamic institutions in time to survive and thrive.

Businesses are accustomed to changes in the marketplace. The demographics of customers and clients change through time. Products and services are constantly under scrutiny to ensure that they are finely tuned to the needs and desires of the marketplace. Efficiency, effectiveness and cost savings are encouraged and rewarded among employees and managers. Innovation tapping the newest technologies and techniques are integral to the research and development process. Surveys and focus groups are employed constantly to assess products and services matched to the customer. 

Higher education on the other hand over the past decades has become too comfortable in serving an unchanging market with a largely unchanging product, year after year; decade after decade. Other than gross number analysis, many colleges previously did not take a deep dive into demographics of students every semester to detect and adapt to subtle changes in other than the broadest terms. This is especially the case for comparison to competitors that are not degree-granting, such as code academies, Google, Amazon, LinkedIn and others. Curriculum and degree/certificate offerings had not been reviewed every semester to determine how directly they serve the dual customer base of employers and students. Reviews were not always coupled with a serious solicitation of recommendations from the dual audiences.

Equally important to the practices above is how quickly and effectively changes are implemented based on the findings. Stasis in this time means decline. An environment of static stability too often is the norm rather than dynamic responsiveness and growth. By the time some changes make it through the process of changing curricula, colleges, and departments, the market has further changed. 

The enrollment decline since the start of the pandemic is one of the most dramatic in history. The latest preliminary results from the National Student Clearninghouse Research Center show that the number of undergraduate students will likely drop 3.2 percent in the current academic year. All of this, after losing 3.4 percent last year. Overall, accounting for 6.6 percent less undergraduates than prior to the Covid pandemic, online institutions saw a similar dip of 5.5 percent. However, those online institutions are faring better, after seeing an increase of 8.6 percent enrollment in the fall 2020 semester. With the recent dip in enrollment, it is clear young adults increasingly are choosing work over college.

As a result, we see startling data on student enrollments. For example, fewer than half of all high schoolers want to go to a four-year college. CNBC reports, “A recent survey of high school students found that the likelihood of attending a four-year school sank more than 20% in the last year and a half — down to 48%, from 71%, according to ECMC Group, a nonprofit aimed at helping students find success.” The number of African American students declined at an accelerating rate. There is no guarantee that these trends will improve when the Covid pandemic finally subsides. 

The gender balance of the college student population has shifted dramatically over the decades from a twelve-percentage point lead in the number of male students to now a nearly twenty-percentage point lead by female students with only 41% of undergraduate students self-identified as males. 

Not only are the numbers of male students enrolled on the decline, but the numbers of male dropouts exceed those of female students. As Derek Thompson writes in the Atlantic, there are serious and pervasive societal impacts that await us if we are unable to stabilize the gender tilt in learning. The double-digit advantage in numbers of males completing college was harmful in years gone by, adding fuel to the disparity in wages as well as underrepresentation of women in leadership roles. The even larger gap – this time favoring female numbers – continues to grow with unknown consequences. 

The pendulum, swinging even further this time, may bring about changes that we are yet unable to predict in our society. Most assuredly, though, less education for any segment of our society whether it be gender, race, religion, ethnicity, geography, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic, is not a good thing.  An important aspect of higher education’s social compact is to strive to spread learning to everyone, everywhere. 

Even in this emerging age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, change is the constant as the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus cautioned us some 2,500 years ago. He concluded that “nature is change. Like a river, nature flows ever onwards. Even the nature of the flow changes.

Implicit in Heraclitus’ wisdom is that we must adapt to change. That is the key for colleges and universities today. This is not the society of half a century ago – the 1970’s – needs and desires have changed for the two groups we most directly serve: the students and the employers. Our field cannot be uniquely static in a world of change. We must take these changes into account and dynamically respond with new modules, courses, programs, certifications, degrees, all at more affordable price-points, if we have a hope of reclaiming the number of enrollments and the respect of employers that we once had. 

Is your institution collecting deep and clear data on not only the changes that have taken place, but what has motivated those changes? My readings are that there is a shift from a primary need to serve a traditional on-campus freshman cohort to serve the learning needs of upskilling, reskilling, and leadership competencies that we see growing in our society. Given that base, is your institution implementing responsive changes that promise to turn around the old models in time to advance your standing? If these are not happening, or not happening quickly enough, you may be well served to begin looking at other places of employment, or careers, that can best use your abilities to help move from the static to the dynamic, thereby advancing the institution.

 

This article was originally published on Inside Higher Ed’s Transforming Teaching & Learning blog. 

Dear Colleagues,

We are looking forward to gathering with you in-person this spring for UPCEA’s Annual Conference and the Summit for Online Leadership and Administration + Roundtable (SOLA+R), April 11-14, 2022 in Orlando, FL, at Disney’s Coronado Springs. 

For many of us, the Annual Conference and SOLA+R will be the first in-person events since before the pandemic. Since our community’s health and safety are of the utmost importance, we wanted to update you on UPCEA’s plans and policies for these events. 

UPCEA’s in-person events draw members and attendees from across North America and the world. It is our responsibility to our community—our members, your families, your colleagues and students, our event and venue staff—to return to in-person events from a position of risk mitigation. Each of our members and attendees will have to make the choice for themselves as to whether attending the conference in-person makes sense for them. 

Our 2022 in-person event policies are aligned with event practices at leading higher education membership organizations, as well as the larger association industry. UPCEA is also committed to following all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), state, local, and venue guidelines.

Accordingly, UPCEA will require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for attendees to participate in the 2022 UPCEA Annual Conference and the Summit for Online Leadership & Administration + Roundtable. For those who are unable to provide proof of vaccination, a negative COVID-19 PCR test result from within 72 hours prior to checking in at the UPCEA registration desk will be accepted.

Options for providing documentation:

  • Original copy of vaccination card
  • Digital photo of vaccination card on your phone
  • Digital vaccination card via the Clear or VaccineCheck app
  • Printed or digital copy of a negative PCR test result from within 72 hours prior to checking in at the UPCEA registration desk

Hosting the two events together in Orlando is such an exciting opportunity for colleagues to gather with old friends, and to make new connections. We hope you are able to join us to immerse yourself in the latest content and new ideas from our vibrant field, sharing challenges and lessons learned with peers from institutions near and far. 

We look forward to us being together again in April. 


Sincerely,

Nancy Coleman
2021-2022 Board President, UPCEA

Bob Hansen
CEO, UPCEA

I’m pleased to share with you a special offer for UPCEA members: a complimentary opportunity for you and your colleagues to join us for an UPCEA professional development course.

Our professional development courses and certificates have been enthusiastically endorsed and highly rated by participants. Students have appreciated the opportunity to learn from leaders in the profession, network with colleagues across the field, and engage both asynchronously and in weekly live classes.

Each member institution will be eligible for two complimentary enrollments, one for each of the following PCO Pro courses offered this January:

  • The Nature of American Higher Education (Foundations Series), Faculty Member: Jay Halfond, Professor of the Practice Emeritus, Boston University
  • The Language and Culture of Higher Learning (Foundations Series), Faculty Members: Jim Shaeffer, President, Eastern Shore Community College and Peggy Shaeffer

Because we know this opportunity will be popular, we have developed a special model for these offerings—courses will be taught by our Founding Faculty, with small breakout sections facilitated by experienced practitioners committed to shared learning and discovery.

In order to be eligible for this offer, you must receive approval from your Institutional Representative to UPCEA, acknowledge that you are requesting one of two spots available to your institution, and be a first-time enrollee in UPCEA’s Online Professional Development Programs. Fill out this form to apply. If you do not know who your Institutional Representative is, please email [email protected]. An UPCEA staff member will register eligible enrollees for the course and send a confirmation email. Please submit the form by Friday, December 17, 2021.

If you have questions about this offer or UPCEA’s Online Professional Development Programs, contact Patrick Flanigan at [email protected].

 

The numbers are startling. In the wake of deadly Covid infections, quarantines, and isolation, nearly three percent of the entire U.S. workforce resigned in the month of August alone. What is higher ed’s role re-shaping careers and lives?

Hidden behind the hundreds of thousands of deaths in the U.S., the failure of thousands of businesses, the pervasive distancing and shut-in lifestyle, has come a tidal wave of resignations of workers from coast to coast. As Anthony Klotz, organizational psychologist at Texas A&M University, who coined the term “The Great Resignation“ observes, “During the pandemic, because there was a lot of death and illness and lockdowns, we really had the time and the motivation to sit back and say, do I like the trajectory of my life? Am I pursuing a life that brings me well-being?”

As safe practices and vaccinations begin to take hold of this evil plague, bringing down the surge in Covid-19 deaths, one might have expected to see American workers welcome the return to the workplace and a familiar circle of friends and culture. On the contrary, as Derek Thompson writes in the Atlantic: “Look at what we have instead: a great pushing-outward. Migration to the suburbs accelerated. More people are quitting their job to start something new. Before the pandemic, the office served for many as the last physical community left, especially as church attendance and association membership declined. But now even our office relationships are being dispersed. The Great Resignation is speeding up, and it’s created a centrifugal moment in American economic history.” 

It has become apparent that for a growing number of Americans there is no return to the way it was prior to 2019. Gigantic office buildings, work cubicles, water cooler conversations, rigid work hours, massive rush hours, and lockstep career paths are falling away. What are the resigning workers looking for? Of course there is not one answer. However, the mental health strain of the Covid plague and the myriad of ripples across our society has taken a life-changing toll on millions of people. Taylor Telford and Aaron Gregg report in the Washington Post:  

Workers are quitting at or near record levels in nearly every sector tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, going back to 2001. But the pains are most acute among low-wage workers, who economists say are revolting against years of poor pay and stressful conditions. Many are now less willing to endure inconvenient hours and low compensation and are quitting at this stage in the pandemic to find better opportunities elsewhere. Nearly 40 percent of workers who quit in August worked in restaurants and hotels. Quits also are soaring among manufacturing and warehouse workers, who are straining under the pressures of surging demand and crunched supply chains.

McKinsey conducted a survey across industries and found that while those in the restaurant and hotel industries were quitting in high numbers, it was not at all restricted to those fields or only in the U.S.:

Executives who think that employee attrition is easing—or is limited to particular industries—are misguided. Forty percent of the employees in our survey said they are at least somewhat likely to quit in the next three to six months. Eighteen percent of the respondents said their intentions range from likely to almost certain. These findings held across all five countries we surveyed (Australia, Canada, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and were broadly consistent across industries (Exhibit 1). Businesses in the leisure and hospitality industry are the most at risk for losing employees, but many healthcare and white-collar workers say they also plan to quit. Even among educators—the employees least likely to say they may quit—almost one-third reported that they are at least somewhat likely to do so. 

Among the millions of people who have quit their jobs in recent months and those who are expected to continue this trend through the end of year, how can higher education help them reskill, upskill or change career paths to better meet their needs? We have a few clues as to what they desire. As expected, more income seems to be among the factors they are seeking.  

Evergreen Dimes has conducted a study using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, O*NET and PayScale to compile a list of “40 High-Paying Careers in Demand for The Next 10 Years.” 

These may be a good place to start in designing online short-courses, stackable certificates and programs that can lead to a relevant degree. Of course, the programs should offer the kind of flexibility that these prospective students desire. They should feature universal design principles that serve all students. Remember that many of these adults have resigned their jobs in part to escape the rigidity and lack of prospects for advancement at their former places of employment.

However, it is not all about money and flexibility. Over the past two years, we have seen again and again that an empathetic and supportive working culture is valued highly by employees. The pandemic has advanced the importance of wellbeing, inclusiveness, innovation and entrepreneurship. We should be sure to model these practices in the delivery of all programs.

Of course, the programs should be online, affordable, accessible, relevant and robustly supported by academics, advisers, and technical staff.  

Who on your campus is tracking the demographics and needs of those engaged in the “Great Resignation?” Are administrators and faculty aware of the emergence of this growing segment of the workforce? Is your institution agile enough to design new programs to meet the needs of these millions of workers who have called it quits in their current jobs?


This article was originally published in Inside Higher Ed’s Transforming Teaching & Learning blog.