Association Award Recipients Highlighted at Event

WASHINGTON (July 17, 2025) – UPCEA, the online and professional education association, is pleased to recognize the recipients of this year’s online and distance education awards.

Award recipients will be showcased at the Summit for Online Leadership and Administration (SOLAR) Conference, July 22-24 in Portland, Oregon. The annual SOLAR conference brings together leaders, practitioners, and innovators who are shaping the future of digital learning and strategic leadership in higher education.

“Each year, UPCEA has the privilege of recognizing extraordinary individuals who exemplify excellence, innovation, and impact in our field. This year’s recipients embody the spirit of our profession — advancing access, transforming teaching and learning, and leading with vision” said Julie Uranis, Senior Vice President of Online and Strategic Initiatives for UPCEA. “Their contributions reflect the best of what we strive for as a community of online leaders. We are honored to celebrate their achievements at SOLAR and are inspired by their commitment to our shared mission.”

The recipients of this year’s awards are as follows:

Ray Schroeder Leadership Award for the Advancement of Digital Learning

The Ray Schroeder Leadership Award for the Advancement of Digital Learning recognizes the lifetime achievements and professionalism of online and digital learning practitioners. Awardees have had long and distinguished careers, advancing the cause of online and digital learning in postsecondary education. Award recipients have elevated the field, advanced scholarship, demonstrated intellectual curiosity, and embodied a pioneering spirit, through both academic and more publicly available publications, research, advocacy, and mentorship. The award is not necessarily given each year.

Recipient: Marie Cini, University of the People

 

Phillip E. Frandson Award for Literature

The Phillip E. Frandson Award for Literature recognizes the author and publisher of an outstanding work of continuing higher education literature. It is given in memory of Phillip E. Frandson, Dean of Extension, University of California, Los Angeles, and NUEA President, 1977–78.

Recipient: High-Impact Design for Online Courses: Blueprinting Quality Digital Learning in Eight Practical Steps, Bethany Simunich, Quality Matters, and Andrea Gregg and Penny Ralston-Berg, The Pennsylvania State University

 

UPCEA Outstanding Service in Postsecondary Instructional Design

Instructional Design is necessary for the development of engaging quality teaching and learning experiences across a wide variety of modalities and contexts. The UPCEA Outstanding Service in Postsecondary Instructional Design Award recognizes outstanding service to the field of instructional design in one or more of the following areas: modeling and disseminating research (via workshops, webinars, conferences, papers, etc.), best practices, innovative methods, and/or mentorship, all for the betterment of the instructional design community. This award celebrates the connective power of instructional design professionals within the learning design process, chiefly their role in highlighting the critical need for educators of all roles to work in partnership in support of student success.

Recipient: Naomi Pariseault, Brown University

 

UPCEA Strategic Innovation in Online Education Award

The UPCEA Strategic Innovation in Online Education Award recognizes an institution of higher education (i.e. campus, system, or consortium) that has, at an institutional level, set and met innovative goals focused on online education and been strategic in the planning, development, implementation and sustainability in line with the institutional mission. Examples include authentic institutional online organizational structure, partnership models to achieve specific goals, maximizing resource efficiencies, improving the learning experience for faculty and students, or the use of technology and learning design to advance online education and address institutional goals. The award recognizes an institution (broadly defined) that has achieved excellence and innovation in strategies used to meet goals and objectives focused on online education.

Recipient: IU Online Programs of Scale, Indiana University

 

All four awards are part of UPCEA’s Association Awards program. Nominations for Association Awards are accepted in October/November, and recipients are selected and notified the following February.

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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 about us at UPCEA.edu and follow us on online @UPCEA.

CONTACT:

Jean Simmons, UPCEA Director of Marketing, [email protected]