Posts by UPCEA
Build Back Better Act Gets Pared Down | Policy Matters (October 2021)
Major Updates Build Back Better Act Gets Pared Down President Biden and Democrats’ $3.5 trillion spending bill has been pared down to $1.75 trillion in light of a lack of full Democratic party support for the larger amount, and no Republican votes expected. The bill retained measures to significantly fund climate change initiatives and other…
Read MoreIs the Metaverse Finally Emerging?
The Web is constantly evolving. Emerging now is a more immersive 3D environment that features augmented reality (AU), virtual reality (VR), and persistent connections. It is called the “Metaverse,” and it may transform online learning. Coming out of science fiction is the vision of a three-dimensional Web in which we all are connected virtually, wherever…
Read MoreHigher Ed: Short Term & Long Term
We are witnessing the remaking of higher education. Strategies for mainstream colleges and universities must change from the short term to the long term as large-scale collaboratives and huge corporations enter the field. The pandemic has accelerated trends that were already established in the past decade. Over the prior centuries, universities competed for students with…
Read MoreAI Is Leading a Revolution in Roles, ROI and Opportunities
The world is in the advent of the fourth industrial revolution, which is what the World Economic Forum describes as a new era that extends the impact of digitization in new and unanticipated ways. The fourth industrial revolution has shown up first and most prominently in the high-tech fields. Unsurprisingly, they are the ones leading…
Read MoreInfrastructure Package Passes Senate + $3.5 Trillion “New Deal” Budget Passes House of Representatives | Policy Matters (August 2021)
Major Updates Infrastructure Package Passes Senate + “New Deal” Budget Passes House of Representatives The bipartisan infrastructure package passed the Senate, 69-30, providing a major upgrade to American transportation, broadband investment, water systems, and more, totaling $1 trillion. The legislation includes $14 billion to provide financial assistance to eligible households, including students who receive a…
Read MoreDemise of the Baccalaureate Degree
Overpriced, outdated and no longer required by an increasing number of employers; is the baccalaureate in a death spiral? Enrollments at American colleges and universities have been on a decade-long skid. This past year, enrollments dropped by 600,000 or 3.5%. While some of those drops may have been prompted by the pandemic, the trend is clear; fewer…
Read MoreTrends in the Near Term and an Emerging Concern for Higher Ed
We have experienced dramatic changes in the past year and a half as Covid disrupted our campuses, classes, research and services. What can we expect in the coming academic year? Turmoil persists as we approach the opening of the fall term. With only a couple of weeks to go, we are experiencing a massive new surge…
Read MoreUPCEA Seeks Nominations for 2022 Leadership Positions
The UPCEA Governance and Nominations Committee invites nominations for the following positions: Board positions: Board President-Elect 2022-2023, serving as the Board President in 2023-2024 Secretary-Treasurer, 2022-2024 Network Senate Chair, 2022-2024 Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Committee Co-Chair (2022-2024) Board Director At-Large (7), 2022-2024 Non-Board Positions: Finance Committee members (2), 2022-2023 Diversity & Inclusive Excellence Committee members…
Read MoreThe Dark Shadow of COVID: Mental Health Impact Persists
In recent months, more and more campuses have announced they will reopen, but the dark shadow of mental health issues will extend into the fall semester and beyond. We are now experiencing a rise in COVID cases around the country, but hope persists that science will eventually be successful in quelling this deadly virus. However,…
Read MoreAcademic Cheating: Are We Asking the Right Questions?
In recent months we have frequently seen reports of cheating among students at colleges, universities and even military academies. Is this entirely the fault of students or are faculty contributing to the problem by emphasizing rote memory of facts, figures and formulas? The popular press seems to attribute an apparent rise in academic cheating to…
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