WASHINGTON, D.C., September 29, 2025 — UPCEA is pleased to announce that the 2025 Jim Fong Grant for Advancing Online and Professional Education has been awarded to Morgan State University’s Center for Continuing and Professional Studies. Morgan State’s submission contained broad ambitions, notable contributions to the field, and aligned with UPCEA’s suite of services.  

“We are deeply honored that Morgan State University has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the Jim Fong Grant,” said David K. Wilson, president of Morgan State University. “This recognition underscores our commitment to advancing innovative, workforce-relevant educational pathways that not only meet the needs of learners in Baltimore and beyond but also set a national example for HBCUs and urban public institutions. With the support of UPCEA, our Center for Continuing and Professional Studies will be well-positioned to expand opportunities, strengthen employer alignment, and further our mission of serving as an engine of access and excellence.” — Dr. David K. Wilson, President, Morgan State University 

Impact to the Field 

This project has the potential to serve as a national model for other Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), public urban-serving institutions, and adult-focused units that are navigating both financial pressures and the imperative for inclusive, workforce-relevant programming. Through its outcomes, the project will strengthen alignment between training offerings and employer demand, particularly in the Greater Baltimore region; demonstrate how HBCUs can lead in non-credit innovation despite constrained institutional research capacity; provide a blueprint for transitioning underfunded units into entrepreneurial, impact-driven operations without sacrificing access or mission. For CCPS specifically, the research will shape its transition to a revenue-generating division, position it as the exclusive provider of non-credit offerings at Morgan State, and ensure its programs are informed by employer and learner needs—not assumptions. 

“Receiving the 2025 Jim Fong Grant from UPCEA is a milestone moment for Morgan State University’s Center for Continuing and Professional Studies (CCPS). Rooted in Jim Fong’s vision of data-driven innovation, this award equips CCPS with the tools to expand market intelligence and design workforce-aligned programs that meet the needs of today’s learners. With President David Wilson’s leadership inspiring our pursuit of innovation, sustainability and excellence, this grant strengthens Morgan’s capacity to serve Baltimore and beyond while positioning Morgan as a model for how HBCUs can reimagine continuing and professional education for modern learners.” — Dr. Nilajah Nyasuma Sims, Executive Director, Center for Continuing and Professional Studies  

UPCEA will conduct an Occupational Opportunity Model, Alumni Survey, and Occupational Mapping Analysis to provide Morgan State University’s Center for Continuing and Professional Studies with foundational market intelligence and programming recommendations that can support the unit’s progress towards transforming the unit into a self-sustaining revenue entity. 

“I am delighted that the Center for Continuing and Professional Studies (CCPS) is the 2025 recipient of UPCEA’s Jim Fong Grant! This recognition affirms the truly transformative work of CCPS and also provides them with vital funding to assess and reimagine their current strategies for engaging and supporting adult learners, while also developing new initiatives and pathways that prepare them for successful and sustainable careers in today’s workforce and beyond. “ — Dr. Patricia Williams Dockery, Associate Vice President, Office of the Provost 

“UPCEA is proud to award the inaugural Jim Fong Grant to Morgan State University, whose innovative work will strengthen workforce relevance and serve as a model for institutions nationwide,” said UPCEA’s CEO, Bob Hansen. “This new award also reflects the immense debt our association and the entire field of online and professional education owe to Jim, whose vision and leadership continue to shape our future.” 

Congratulations to Morgan State University’s Center for Continuing and Professional Studies! 

# # # 

About UPCEA 

UPCEA is the online and professional education association. Our members continuously reinvent higher education, positively impacting millions of lives. We proudly lead and support them through cutting edge research, professional development, networking and mentorship, conferences and seminars, and stakeholder advocacy. Our collaborative, entrepreneurial community brings together decision makers and influencers in education, industry, research, and policy interested in improving educational access and outcomes. Learn more at upcea.edu. 

CONTACT: 

Jean Simmons, UPCEA Director of Marketing 

[email protected] 

Major Updates

Trump Administration Gives Harvard 20 Days to Turn Over Admissions Data

The U.S. Department of Education has given Harvard University 20 days to turn over detailed admissions data in connection with an ongoing federal review of selective admissions practices. While focused on one institution, this move signals heightened scrutiny across higher education. Administrators should be mindful of growing calls for transparency and ensure their own admissions data processes are audit-ready. Read more.

 

International Enrollment Declines, Causing Institutions Financial Strain

A sharp drop in international student enrollment, driven in part by new federal visa restrictions, is beginning to hit university budgets. At some institutions, international graduate enrollment fell by half compared to last year, significantly impacting tuition revenue. Institutions dependent on international enrollments should monitor their own exposure and consider diversifying recruitment pipelines, as this trend may continue under current policies. Read more.

 

Proposed IPEDS Revisions: Comments Open Until October 14

The U.S. Department of Education is proposing revisions to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) to add a new Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement (ACTS). This initiative, aligned with a recent White House directive, would expand required reporting on admissions and transparency practices. The Department is accepting public comments through October 14, and institutions may want to submit feedback on potential administrative burdens and compliance implications. Read more and submit comments here by October 14.

 

Trump Administration Ends Funding for Minority-Serving Institutions

The U.S. Department of Education announced it will end discretionary funding for certain Minority-Serving Institution (MSI) programs that base eligibility on racial or ethnic criteria. This marks a significant policy shift with potential downstream effects on institutional support and equity initiatives. Leaders at MSIs and partner institutions should review funding portfolios to assess programmatic impacts and plan for alternative resources. Read more.

 

Other News

 

Institutions must begin preparing now for 2026 implementation. 

On July 4, 2025, Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), a sweeping legislative package that reshapes federal student aid and accountability policy. Among many consequential provisions for higher education is the creation of Workforce Pell, which will extend Pell Grant eligibility to some short-term, workforce-aligned education and training programs that are at least 150 clock hours or 8 weeks (for credit-hour programs) but less than 600 clock hours or 15 weeks, respectively, in length (H.R. 1, Sec. 83002, 2025).

While much of the early commentary has focused on the community college sector, four-year institutions are not bystanders. Institutions that offer professional certificates, continuing education, and short-term workforce programs may also be well positioned to participate in Workforce Pell, if they can meet new eligibility “guardrails” and if the states in which they are located have sufficient approval mechanisms in place.

Why Workforce Pell Matters for Four-Year Institutions

Workforce Pell represents a structural change in federal financial aid: For the first time, need-based grants will support non-degree, short-term pathways at accredited institutions. Eligible students, including those who already hold a bachelor’s degree but not a graduate degree, can receive prorated Pell funding for qualifying programs beginning July 1, 2026 (U.S. Department of Education, 2025).

This means more financial support for low-income learners, individuals with some college/no degree, career changers, and upskillers at all Pell-eligible institutions, not just community colleges. However, programs must first satisfy numerous eligibility requirements for students to benefit from this new source of financial support. Programs must:

  • Have been in operation for at least one year
  • Demonstrate at least 70% completion and job placement rates, 
  • Align with “high-skill, high-wage” occupations as determined by the state where the institution is located
  • Culminate in a stackable and portable credential (unless preparing students for an occupation for which there is only one recognized credential, provided upon completion),
  • Pass a value-added earnings test (D’Amico & Van Noy, 2025, p. 3).

Note that while distance education programs can qualify, correspondence education will not. 

Institutions that seek to expand short-term offerings in pursuit of Workforce Pell without first ensuring these requirements can be satisfied risk ineligibility or worse, federal sanctions.

Introducing the Workforce Pell Readiness Checklist

To help four-year institutions prepare, we have developed a Workforce Pell Readiness Checklist. While some of the regulatory and compliance details are unknown to us, we have identified action items from the language of the bill, as well as our knowledge of workforce development and state longitudinal data systems. The checklist covers:

  • Program design: Auditing short-term offerings for duration, stackability, and labor market alignment.
  • Data infrastructure: Expanding systems to capture program length, completions, credentials, placement rates, and post-completion earnings.
  • Governance: Engaging state workforce agencies and governors’ offices, who must verify alignment with high-demand industries.
  • Student services: Building advising, career supports, and noncredit-to-credit pathways for new populations of learners.
  • Compliance: Training financial aid staff on dual Pell programs and ensuring tuition aligns with “value-added” tests.
  • Strategy: Positioning institutions as regional hubs for stackable, short-term workforce education.

[Read the full checklist here]

The Bottom Line

Four-year institutions that move early to audit programs, strengthen data systems, and build cross-sector partnerships will be best positioned to benefit from Workforce Pell when it launches in 2026. OBBB is not only a compliance challenge but also an opportunity: it positions short-term, workforce-aligned credentials as relevant to academic mission, highlights their potential to diversify institutional revenue, and elevates  outcomes that are transparent and accountable.

As Mark D’Amico and Michelle Van Noy conclude in their recent analysis, “Workforce Pell could provide states and institutions with an incentive to examine the quality and value of noncredit programs and offer viable pathways to further education” (2025, p. 9). For institutions, the question is not whether to prepare, but how to do so.

Sources

Access the Workforce Pell Readiness Checklist – For Four-Year Colleges & Universities

Content for this resource was developed with the assistance of ChatGPT, an AI language model. All text has been thoroughly reviewed, edited, and approved by UPCEA staff with subject matter expertise. References and links have been verified for accuracy and reliability.

Julie Uranis serves as the Senior Vice President for Online and Strategic Initiatives. In this capacity she leads the planning efforts for the Summit for Online Leadership, which established UPCEA as the source for innovations focused on online leadership, strategy, and management. She also leads the planning of Council of Chief Online Learning Officers convenings focused on thought-leadership and policy.

Protecting students, data, and credentials starts at the top, because hacks don’t take holidays.

Cybersecurity Is Now a Leadership Issue

Universities aren’t just academic institutions anymore. They’re digital enterprises. Student data, research, and online platforms are valuable targets, and attackers know it. That’s why cybersecurity has moved out of the IT basement and into the leadership suite. For presidents, provosts, and deans, protecting digital trust means protecting the mission, enrollment, and reputation of the university.

Breaches Are Costly and Visible

A single breach can set off a chain reaction: compliance fines, angry headlines, shaken student confidence, and hesitant alumni donors. Universities are especially vulnerable because they often juggle lean budgets, third-party platforms, and decentralized operations. The combination creates more openings for attackers and more risk for the institution’s reputation.

Every New Offering Is a New Risk Point

Launching an online course, a certificate, or a new credential platform isn’t just about curriculum: it’s about technology. And every new integration is a potential doorway for cyber threats. Building a cyber risk assessment into the planning stage is like checking the fire codes before opening a new building. It’s common sense, and it prevents far bigger problems down the road.

Credentials Need Special Focus

Among all the systems a university relies on, credentials and digital badges deserve extra attention. They’re not just records of participation. They’re the proof students present to employers. If they’re easy to fake or duplicate, the value of the institution’s offering drops instantly. Put simply: a badge is only as strong as the system behind it.

How Universities Keep Credentials Secure

Securing credentials means protecting the integrity of the achievements students take into the workforce. The most trusted platforms do this by:

  • Giving every badge or credential a unique, verifiable link employers can check instantly
  • Embedding metadata (issuer, date, requirements) that can’t be edited by students
  • Using tamper-proof technology, including blockchain in some cases
  • Restricting issuance to authorized university staff

This ensures that when an employer sees a badge, they know it’s authentic, earned, and backed by the institution.

The Role of Higher Education

Cybersecurity’s got to start where the learning starts: higher ed. You can’t expect students to guard the digital world if the campus can’t guard its own. It’s like teaching driver’s ed in a car with no brakes. You’re not going far. Universities that bake cybersecurity into programs and lock down credentials aren’t just protecting students. They’re sending trusted professionals into the world. The front line of cyber resilience? It begins on campus.

……

Jeff Angle, Head of Academic Partnerships at ISACA (Presenting at 2025 Convergence, with George Washington University & National CyberWatch Center)

About ISACA

ISACA helps colleges and universities embed globally recognized IT credential content into IS, IT, and non-IT degree programs. With credential-ready curriculum, built-in support, and global credibility, ISACA’s Academic Partnerships help institutions prepare students for careers, not just graduation. Learn more at ISACA Academic Partnerships.

A person (Vickie Cook) smiling

By Vickie Cook

Introduction

Enrollment managers face a paradox: students demand personalized service, yet resources are shrinking. While AI is exciting, it is also an expensive endeavor for enrollment management divisions already stretched by staffing and resource challenges. Traditional methods—manual file reviews, siloed systems, and lagging indicators—simply can’t keep up. The solution lies in determining how to leverage AI effectively to serve students more efficiently and strategically.

From Predictive to Agentic AI

Predictive AI is already common. It helps forecast yield, retention, and financial aid leveraging, and is embedded in many widely used enrollment management platforms as well as deployed by consulting teams. Tools like Drift and Element451, for example, use predictive AI to anticipate student questions and trigger personalized communication workflows.

Generative AI enables hyper-personalized messaging at scale, creating authentic communication threads that meet student expectations for immediacy. Increasingly available within EM software platforms, generative AI gives staff the ability to design tailored messages that address individual student needs quickly.

Agentic AI is less common in the EM space but is rapidly emerging. It has the potential to autonomously manage workflows such as transcript review or matching students to program pathways. What once seemed futuristic will soon become standard practice.

What This Looks Like in Practice

  • Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University uses AI to identify students at risk of non-enrollment, prompting proactive advising interventions. (Selingo, 2020).
  • Georgia State University has built predictive models to trigger real-time retention outreach. (NISS, 2025).
  • Georgia Tech’s “Jill Watson” AI assistant pioneered chatbot functionality that now supports students 24/7 with FAQs. (Design Lab, 2025).

Challenges to Address

AI is not a silver bullet. Bias in data, privacy regulations (FERPA, GDPR, PIPL), and the need for staff data literacy are real hurdles. Institutions must adopt governance frameworks that ensure transparency, equity, and ethical use. Leaders must also be vigilant about bias in predictive models—especially in financial aid leveraging, where inequitable outcomes can easily emerge if historical patterns go unchecked (Upton, 2024).

The Future Is Already Here

Enrollment leaders are already reimagining their work with AI. Forward-looking universities are piloting tools to read and interpret transcripts—one of the most manual, error-prone tasks in admissions. Others are applying AI to financial aid leveraging to align resources with yield and enrollment goals. Progress in these areas will depend on our ability to balance innovation with stewardship of limited resources (Flaherty, 2024).

Final Thoughts

A poor experience with an AI customer service agent—stuck in loops, with no human support available—highlights the danger of overreliance on automation. In enrollment management, the lesson is clear: AI should not replace the human element. Instead, it should amplify staff capacity, freeing time for mentoring, advising, and personalized support that algorithms cannot replicate.

Joseph Aoun coined the term Humanics in his 2017 book Robot-Proof, emphasizing that what makes us human is our creativity, mental flexibility, and ability to think across disciplines. These qualities are irreplaceable in an AI-driven world. As Stefano Puntoni observed at SXSW (2025), “Gen AI adoption is really a human capital story more than a tech story.”

Key Takeaway

AI should manage scale, while humans provide connection. The future of enrollment management belongs to professionals who blend AI-enabled insights with authentic, student-centered interactions.

 

Resources

Aoun, J. E. (2017). Robot-proof: Higher education in the age of artificial intelligence. MIT Press.

Design Intelligence Lab. (2025). Jill Watson. Georgia Institute of Technology. https://dilab.gatech.edu/jill-watson/

Flaherty, C. (Host). (2024, December 20). Enrollment management’s AI future (No. 139) [Audio podcast episode]. In The Key with Inside Higher Ed. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/podcasts/key-podcast/2024/12/20/ep-139-enrollment-managements-ai-future

National Institute for Student Success. (2025). Georgia State University. Georgia State University. https://niss.gsu.edu

Puntoni, S. (2025, May 8). Five ways AI is changing workplace identity. Knowledge at Wharton. University of Pennsylvania. https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/five-ways-gen-ai-is-changing-workplace-identity

Selingo, J. J. (2020). Who gets in and why: A year inside college admissions. Scribner.

Upton, B. (2024, November 11). Beyond the hype: Understanding and unlocking AI’s potential in enrollment management. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/reports/2024/11/11/beyond-hype-understanding-and-unlocking-ais-potential-enrollment-management

 

Vickie Cook is the Vice Chancellor for Enrollment and Retention Management and a Research Professor of Education at the University of Illinois Springfield, as well as a Strategic Advisor for UPCEA Research and Consulting.  To learn more about UPCEA Research and Consulting, please contact [email protected].

University budgets across the country are broken. Overall revenue and accumulated financial support appear to be declining at most universities for a wide variety of reasons.

New funding policies, administrative reorganizations such as those at the Department of Education, lean fiscal times for states, diminished regard for higher learning, fewer requirements for degrees among employers hiring for entry-level positions, and the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) all come together to reduce the pool of new students, tuition revenues and grants. As a result, new initiatives are stifled unless they show promise to immediately reduce costs and generate new revenue.

The cost of developing, designing, and teaching classes is often largely determined by the faculty and staff costs. Long-running lower-division classes at some universities may be taught by supervised teaching assistants or adjunct faculty whose salaries are lower than tenure track faculty. However, we are now confronted with highly capable technologies that require little to no additional investment and can bring immediate revenue positive opportunities. Each university very soon will have to determine to what extent AI will be permitted to design and deliver classes, and under what oversight and supervision.

However, few of us in higher ed seem to realize that such technologies are freely available today! The tsunami of new and improving AI technologies have inundated us over the past three years so quickly that many in academe have not been able to keep up.

Case in point is the rapidly expanded and enhanced AI app. We know them by the names Gemini, ChatGPT, Claude and a few others that we tried out in 2023 or 2024. Early on, they were deficient in many ways, including hallucinations and strictly limited lengths of the number of words you could put into a prompt. That has largely changed, though hallucinations can still happen which is why it is good practice to compare prompts submitted at multiple sites as has been suggested previously in this column.

AI is now capable of teaching higher learners in a highly sophisticated way. Given a thoughtful, detailed prompt, it is able to implement most of the proven pedagogical approaches, many of which are unknown to our teaching faculty. It is able to dig more deeply into a topic with more recent data than many of the faculty members are using. It can interpolate, extrapolate and pursue conjectures to their statistical conclusions, revealing unexpected outcomes. It can be friendly, supportive, patient and also challenging at the appropriate times.

My point is that the prompt today can be a most powerful teaching tool that can consistently create a robust, engaging learning environment. It can even offer material through a variety of pedagogies! A well-written, detailed prompt can be the equal of many of our teaching assistants (TAs), adjunct faculty, and, yes, full-time faculty members who have not been deeply trained in effective pedagogy and current practice.

Let’s test out one of these technologies right now!

This one shared by “There’s an AI For That” newsletter, provides an online tutor to teach students using an assortment of time-tested technologies and pedagogies. The first step begins with merely a prompt, albeit not a short one. The “Interactive Learning Tutor” is a virtual instructor that runs on the leading frontier AI app models (Gemini, ChatGPT, and Claude). Most interesting is not only the vast range of topics it is prepared to deliver, but the range of pedagogies it will enable at the request of the learner. So, the learner can “pick their pedagogy” rather than being subject to the designer’s and instructor’s choice of teaching and learning methods!

This prompt turns AI into a dual-role system that first helps learners choose the most effective study techniques for their subject, then switches into live teaching using those chosen methods. In Navigator Mode, the system gathers details about what the user wants to learn and how they prefer to learn it, then presents a curated set of 3–5 evidence-based methods from its catalog. Each method is explained in depth, with strengths, limitations, step-by-step applications, and concrete examples tied to the user’s subject. It also suggests learning archetypes, outlines pitfalls and fixes, creates an integrated action plan, and provides tools like reflection prompts, comparison tables, and pathways matrices to help learners see their options clearly.

This is a highly qualified virtual teaching assistant, eager and well-prepared to take on the task of teaching an individual in an online tutorial or class. Imagine 30 students, with a week or so initial orientation, running this app to achieve specified learning outcomes in an engaging, interactive way. The materials provided in the individual tutorial could be augmented through a syllabus of supplementary readings, reference materials and periodic assessments leading up to a final project or paper to be submitted individually or by groups in the class. The prompt and app take over the most important role of engaging and guiding the student in ways proven to be successful.

So, let’s give this a road test! Step one is to copy the 1,112-word prompt that begins with <role> and ends with </invocation>. Paste this into the input box of your chosen AI app and press enter. After a brief moment for processing, the app will reply with an invitation to share the topic about which you would like to learn. This would be defined by the instructor of the course along with the “learning outcomes” for the class. As an enthusiastic learner who is going to attend an outdoors bluegrass music festival today, I typed in “I want to learn about bluegrass music, including how it evolved, its popularity, the geographic range of its performance, the instruments used, and cultural impact.” Including such learning outcomes will streamline the process for later assessments.

Gemini replied: “That’s a fantastic topic! Bluegrass music has a rich history and a vibrant culture. We can definitely break down its evolution, instruments, and cultural impact.” Gemini went on to write:

Now, to help me suggest the best learning methods for you, could you tell me a bit about how you prefer to learn? For example, when you’re trying to understand something new, do you find it helps to:

    • Discuss it and ask lots of questions?
    • Organize information visually, maybe with timelines or diagrams?
    • Listen to examples (like different songs) and connect them back to the concepts?
    • Try to explain it to someone else to make sure you’ve grasped it?

Gemini also offered a personalized action plan to set the schedule.

Integrated Action Plan

    • Immediate Actions (First 1-2 Hours): Use the Socratic Method to generate a list of foundational questions about bluegrass. Use Dual Coding to create a simple timeline of major events (e.g., Bill Monroe forms the Blue Grass Boys, Earl Scruggs joins, the Newport Folk Festival).
    • Medium-Term Actions (First Week): Use the Storytelling Method to weave those timeline events into a narrative about the birth of the genre. Pick one specific concept (e.g., “the high lonesome sound”) and use the Feynman Technique to explain it in your own words.
    • Long-Term Actions (Ongoing): Continue to build out your visual library (Dual Coding) with instrument diagrams and regional maps. As you learn more, continuously refine your core story (Storytelling) and test your understanding of complex sub-topics (Feynman Technique).

Further details were shared by Gemini in table format to ensure that the learner understood the different approaches. Then it gave me, the learner, the chance to affirm that I wanted to blend those modes. And then we were off and running.

This format seems ideal to prototype “just in time” certificate programs, over-demand programs where insufficient numbers of faculty are readily available, and other instances where time or finances may not permit full design and teaching staffing. Carefully monitor each student by asking them to share their exchanges with the app. Be vigilant to protect the learner’s FERPA rights. Use secure methods for quizzing and other assessments. Compare the outcomes to other such classes and gather feedback from the participating learners. Modify the original prompt to meet your needs and refine the results for the next offering.

 

 

This column was originally published in Inside Higher Ed.

 

29 Recipients Chosen For Three Award Categories

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 17, 2025 — UPCEA, the online and professional education association, has announced the recipients of the 2025 Excellence in Enrollment Management Award, the Excellence in Advancing Student Success Award, and the Excellence in Marketing Award.

All three awards are sponsored by UPCEA’s Marketing, Enrollment, and Student Success Network. Recipients will be honored at the 2025 UPCEA MEMS: Marketing, Enrollment Management and Student Success conference, December 2-4 in Boston, Massachusetts.

“The achievements of this year’s honorees in marketing, enrollment, and student success stand as a powerful example of creativity, dedication, and impact,” said the members of the 2025 MEMS Awards Subcommittee. “We are proud to recognize and celebrate their excellence, and the lasting contributions they are making to the future of higher education.”

The UPCEA Excellence in Enrollment Management Award recognizes an outstanding online and professional continuing education organization (unit or individual) that models best practices and combines process excellence with superior results in enrollment management.

The 2025 recipient is:

  • USG eCore’s Digital Learning Support Model
    University System of Georgia, eCampus

The UPCEA Excellence In Advancing Student Success Award recognizes an institution that has implemented a successful strategic initiative, project, or service that has resulted in significantly advancing the success of adult and/or non-traditional student audiences.

The 2025 recipient is:

  • Office of Online Learning
    Northern Illinois University

The UPCEA Excellence in Marketing Award recognizes marketing campaigns that excel in creativity, execution, and impact. Regardless of institution size or budget, the award focuses on outstanding and effective marketing in the higher ed industry based upon overall creativity, messaging, results achieved by the campaign, and level of design.

The 2025 recipients are:

GOLD

  • Georgia Tech FlexStack Launch & Brand Awareness Campaign, Marketing & Digital Strategy Team
    Georgia Tech Professional Education

SILVER

  • “Learn It Today. Use It Tomorrow.” – USD Online Brand Campaign 2025
    University of San Diego
  • College of Veterinary Medicine, Mizzou Marketing, and Mizzou Online
    University of Missouri
  • Crash Corpse: A Cautionary Tale in Data Security, Marketing and Digital Strategy Team
    Georgia Tech Professional Education
  • Summer Starts Here: Kids & Teens University
    The University of Texas at Arlington, Extension and Extended Campus
  • MCE Campaign: Skill Up. Stand Out.
    McMaster Continuing Education
  • Online Brand Awareness Campaign
    Purdue University
  • Online Master of Economics with Concentration in Econometric and Data Analysis Marketing Launch, Marketing and Admissions Support Team, Office of Teaching and Technology
    University of Florida
  • Put a Little U of A on Your Resume with Continuing Education
    University of Alberta
  • Reimagining Digital Strategy in Higher Ed: The Kent State Online Model
    Kent State University
  • Sacramento State CCE’s CSAD2B Campaign
    Sacramento State’s College of Continuing Education
  • 2024 Melt Campaign
    Shippensburg University
  • What’s Next, Janine Raino, Justine Kestner
    York University School of Continuing Studies
  • What’s Your Next?
    SDSU Global Campus
  • Where Careers Move Forward
    The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education, Toronto Metropolitan University

BRONZE

  • AlamoONLINE Made for You
    Alamo Colleges Online
  • edXpress: Reimagining Lifelong Learning With Innovation & Inclusion
    McMaster University Continuing Education
  • From ‘I Am’ to ‘We See You’: Transforming Student Voices into Recruitment Personas
    Mississippi State University
  • Community Channels Campaign, Jimmie L. Sanders
    DePaul University
  • Online Masters of Science in Analytics Alumni Campaign, Marketing and Digital Strategy Team
    Georgia Tech Professional Education
  • Once a Bearcat, Always a Bearcat, UCO Marketing Team
    University of Cincinnati
  • Learn for Life Webinar Series, Sandy Rodriguez
    DePaul University
  • Strategies for Success Campaign
    Sacramento State’s College of Continuing Education
  • Summer Session at Sacramento State Campaign
    Sacramento State’s College of Continuing Education
  • We Go There
    Colorado State University Global
  • We See You, UCO Marketing Team
    University of Cincinnati
  • Welcome Kit Campaign, UCO Marketing Team
    University of Cincinnati

Congratulations to all of the 2025 Award recipients!

# # #

About UPCEA

UPCEA is the online and professional education association. Our members continuously reinvent higher education, positively impacting millions of lives. We proudly lead and support them through cutting edge research, professional development, networking and mentorship, conferences and seminars, and stakeholder advocacy. Our collaborative, entrepreneurial community brings together decision makers and influencers in education, industry, research, and policy interested in improving educational access and outcomes. Learn more at upcea.edu.

CONTACT:

Jean Simmons, UPCEA Director of Marketing

[email protected]

 

UPCEA joins colleagues, friends, and the broader higher education community in mourning the passing of Dr. James P. Pappas, who dedicated his career to advancing the reach, relevance, and impact of online, professional and continuing education. Dr. Pappas, a former President of UPCEA, was the 1999 Walton S. Bittner Service Citation Award recipient and 2006 recipient of the Julius M. Nolte Award for Extraordinary Leadership. He also was a contributor to the UPCEA Hallmarks of Excellence in Professional and Continuing Education. Dr. Pappas leaves behind a legacy of innovation, service, and vision that transformed countless lives.

Dr. Pappas began his academic journey at the University of Utah, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology. He went on to complete a master’s in counseling psychology at the University of Ohio and a doctoral degree in clinical psychology at Purdue University. Returning to the University of Utah, he built a distinguished career over two decades as professor of counseling psychology, associate director of the counseling center, director of academic advising, associate dean of liberal education, and associate dean of the Division of Continuing Education. At Utah, he pioneered early applications of computers and instructional technology to continuing education, introduced new approaches to marketing using business and advertising strategies, and managed international programs in Mexico and Saudi Arabia.

In 1987, Dr. Pappas accepted the position of Vice Provost for Outreach and Distance Education and Dean of the College of Liberal Studies at the University of Oklahoma. Over the next 30 years, his visionary leadership reshaped OU Outreach and the College of Liberal Studies, now known as the College of Professional and Continuing Studies, into a nationally and internationally recognized leader in lifelong learning. Enrollment in the college grew by 500 percent, five new degree programs were established, and the college moved into its own dedicated building. Under his direction, OU was consistently ranked among the nation’s best providers of online education, including programs serving military learners stationed across the globe. 

Pappas championed initiatives such as Partnership 21 with the Federal Aviation Administration, resource centers with the U.S. Department of Education, expanded graduate military programs in Europe, technical training for the U.S. Postal Service, a satellite training network with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, and international development programs supported by USAID. His administration also helped re-establish OU’s aviation program, which has since risen to be ranked the top aviation program in the nation. Upon his retirement in 2016, he was the longest-serving dean in OU history, and in 2018 the University of Oklahoma honored his legacy by dedicating the James P. Pappas Administration Building.

Dr. Pappas’s influence extended well beyond his home institutions. He served not only as Treasurer and President of UPCEA but also as President of the Association for Graduate Liberal Studies Programs, Executive Vice President of the Association for Continuing Higher Education, and Chair of the Council on Extension, Continuing Education, and Public Service of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, where he also served on the executive board. He published extensively on adult education, counseling, and higher education administration, contributing practical and scholarly insights that informed the profession for decades.

“Jim was a towering figure in the field of continuing education,” said Dr. Robert Hansen, CEO of UPCEA. “His leadership within UPCEA and across the profession will continue to serve as an inspiration for generations to come. His legacy will endure in the institutions he shaped, the colleagues he mentored, and the students he served.” 

Dr. Pappas’s many achievements earned him widespread recognition. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame in 2008 and the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame, where he later served as executive director. His receipt of UPCEA’s Julius M. Nolte Award for Extraordinary Leadership in 2006 reflected his extraordinary impact on our field and his unwavering commitment to expanding educational access and opportunity.

Those who worked alongside Dr. Pappas remember not only his bold vision but also his deep humanity. As colleagues have reflected, his work was a calling rooted in a belief that education is not just about knowledge but about dignity, hope, and the courage to dream. He inspired faculty, staff, and fellow leaders as a mentor and as a model of what it means to be an innovator in higher education. His efforts transformed OU’s outreach and online learning enterprise, but more importantly, they transformed the lives of thousands of learners across the world.

As we honor Dr. Pappas, we celebrate a life defined by purpose, compassion, and the conviction that education has the power to change lives.

September 29-October 1 conference to take place in metro Washington DC area

WASHINGTON, D.C., ISSUED SEPTEMBER 9, 2025. UPCEA, the online and professional education association, and AACRAO, a non-profit organization that supports higher education professionals, are again joining together to present Convergence: Credential Innovation in Higher Education, an event exploring the future of alternative credentials in higher education.

To be held at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia, from September 29 – October 1, Convergence 2025 takes place in the nation’s capital region and within reach of where critical policy decisions are made. With federal higher education policy in a period of transition, this gathering comes at a pivotal moment, following recent shifts such as the expansion of Pell Grants to support short-term, career-focused training programs.

The conference will convene key campus leaders and stakeholders from across academia to examine emerging models, share best practices, and shape institutional strategies for credential innovation. From deans of professional education and chief online learning officers to registrars and their staff, the event is designed to assist institutions in building strategic approaches to alternative credentials. As higher education navigates a changing regulatory landscape, the conference offers a timely forum for institutional leaders to align strategy with emerging federal priorities.

The conference captures the momentum of a rapidly developing but still largely unstructured movement – one that is redefining how learning is recognized and valued. The event serves as a unique platform for professionals from diverse backgrounds and across disciplines to come together, exchange ideas, and become catalysts for progress in the ever-evolving credential innovation landscape.

Through a mix of interactive workshops, collaborative roundtables, and peer-led sessions, this year’s Convergence event promises to engage attendees in a dynamic experience that informs, inspires, and empowers.

The conference will also provide an opportunity for UPCEA to release its most recent Advocacy Committee deliverable, “The Future is Now: Essential Conversations for Building Tomorrow’s University Today.”

“Credential innovation is one of the most pressing priorities facing higher education today,” said Robert Hansen, CEO of UPCEA. “Convergence gives institutions the chance to both learn from peers and lead together, and we are proud to partner with AACRAO to drive this important work forward.”

“By embracing new approaches to credentials, higher education can strategically respond to the public’s call for stronger alignment with workforce needs, demonstrating clear institutional ROI.” said Melanie Gottlieb, Executive Director of AACRAO. “It’s not just about adapting to change; it’s about leading it, to effectively appeal to new and emerging markets, which is absolutely critical in times of challenging demographics and shifting expectations.”

For more information, or to register, please visit https://upcea.edu/convergence.

 

ABOUT UPCEA

UPCEA is the online and professional education association. Our members continuously reinvent higher education, positively impacting millions of lives. We proudly lead and support them through cutting-edge research, professional development, networking and mentorship, conferences and seminars, and stakeholder advocacy. Our collaborative, entrepreneurial community brings together decision-makers and influencers in education, industry, research, and policy interested in improving educational access and outcomes. Learn more at https://upcea.edu and follow @UPCEA on social media.

ABOUT AACRAO

AACRAO is a non-profit, voluntary, professional association working to make higher education more responsive to learners. With a membership of more than 18,000 higher education professionals at approximately 2,300 institutions in more than 40 countries, collectively representing over 16.5 million enrolled learners, the association provides advocacy, research, and policy-based guidance and training to higher education professionals to smooth the path for learners at every stage of their journey. Learn more at https://AACRAO.org

In late August, I had the opportunity to join the National Governors Association’s Intersectional Policy Lab on Non-Degree Credentials and Skills-Based Practices in Minneapolis. This first in-person gathering of NGA’s Data and Non-Degree Credential Learning Community and Skills in the States Community of Practice brought together state leaders, researchers, foundations, and employers for two days of hands-on learning and strategy-building.

For those of us in professional, continuing, and online education (PCO), the conversations were highly relevant. States are moving quickly to align credentials with labor market needs, while employers continue to voice both enthusiasm and skepticism about skills-based hiring. The challenge, and opportunity, for higher ed is clear: we must become more agile partners in shaping the credential ecosystem.

Three Lessons for Higher Education Leaders

1. Data Is Driving the Definition of Value
The Burning Glass Institute’s (BGI) Credential Value Index was shared with attendees. BGI’s research found that only about 1 in 5 in-demand CTE credentials delivers clear wage and mobility gains, roughly $5,000 in earnings on average. Walmart is funding pilots in Arkansas, Indiana, Tennessee, and Rhode Island to test this framework at scale. While earnings are a problematic measure, especially for high-demand, low-wage, high-debt areas of study such as social work and childcare/education, they will likely be important in credential ROI considerations.

What it means for PCO leaders: Institutions will increasingly be judged on whether their programs show demonstrable outcomes in wage gains, mobility, and job quality. Building stronger data linkages with state longitudinal systems and employer partners will be critical. Focusing on the accountability measures in the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB), which rely on these linkages, will move four-year institutions that much closer to realizing the funding source Workforce Pell may provide in the future.

2. Employers Want Skills, But Still Use Credentials as Filters
Employer panels were candid: while many have announced “skills-based hiring,” most still rely on experience, references, relationships and credentials as initial filters. Credentials become more relevant in promotion pathways than at entry level. HR systems also struggle to parse skills data.

What it means for PCO leaders: Our job is twofold, to design programs that help learners articulate skills clearly, and to work with employers so those skills are visible and valued. Embedding skills evidence into learning and employment records (LERs) and digital credentials is an important step.

3. Workforce Pell Could Reshape the Market
A closing workshop on Workforce Pell underscored its disruptive potential. Expanding Pell eligibility to short-term programs could bring a wave of new learners, but only if guardrails ensure program quality. States, institutions, and employers will all have a stake in defining “credentials of value.”

What it means for PCO leaders: This is a moment to position non-degree programs strategically. Institutions that can demonstrate ROI, integrate with state-approved credential lists, and align with employer demand will be best placed to capture new opportunities.

Why This Matters for Professional, Continuing, and Online Education

  • Community colleges and universities alike will need to refine or phase out programs that don’t deliver equity or economic mobility.
  • Employer partnerships, like those highlighted by IBM SkillsBuild and Google Employability, are no longer optional; they are essential pipelines.
  • AI and automation are accelerating the pace of change, shortening the shelf life of skills and forcing institutions to rethink program cycles.

Moving Forward

As higher education leaders, we have an opportunity, and responsibility, to shape the credential landscape so that learners trust the time and money they invest will pay off. That means:

  • Partnering with states on data sharing and outcomes measurement
  • Embedding skills frameworks into programs
  • Ensuring our offerings align with credentials of value frameworks emerging in states, such as the examples from Florida and Indiana
  • Preparing for a Workforce Pell future by focusing on data collection and alignment [CIP codes, completion rates, job placement, post-completion earnings relative to tuition (“value-added income”)]

The message from Minneapolis was clear: credentials may open the door, but skills are what move learners through it. Institutions that act now to measure, validate, and signal those skills will be best positioned to lead in the years ahead.

Julie Uranis serves as the Senior Vice President for Online and Strategic Initiatives. In this capacity she leads the planning efforts for the Summit for Online Leadership, which established UPCEA as the source for innovations focused on online leadership, strategy, and management. She also leads the planning of Council of Chief Online Learning Officers convenings focused on thought-leadership and policy.

A special thank you to Justin Vinton, Research Associate, Education and Employment Research Center, Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations and Brennan Parton, Vice President, State Policy and Advocacy, Data Quality Campaign for the great discussion during our session, Stage Setting: The State of State Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) – Creating the Connections and Driving Policy.