What Matters More: Skills or Degrees?

We increasingly hear employers, prospective students, and futurists saying that it is all about the skills, not about the degree.  What does that mean for higher ed? Historically, employers made the baccalaureate, and in some cases advanced degrees, the gateway to an interview. If you did not hold the sheepskin, you would not get in the…

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UPCEA and U.S. News Hold Joint Focus Group About Online Program Rankings

UPCEA (the University Professional Continuing Education Association) and U.S. News & World Report recently hosted a lively and important discussion on the U.S. News rankings of online programs. The focus group convening, held on June 10 in the event space of 1 Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C., was facilitated by Eric Brooks, Senior Data Analyst…

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Leadership at the Crossroads

The state of higher education today is new for most institutions and disruptive for many.  Having to lead through disruption can be rewarding yet risky.  Leaders may have experience in continuing and online education, as well as strong business and operational insights, but do they have good intuition into the impact of alternative credentialing and…

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UPCEA Co-Signs Letter to Senate Supporting Legislation on Dreamers

UPCEA, along with American Council on Education and 42 other higher education associations wrote Senate leadership to urge legislation as soon as possible to provide permanent protection for “Dreamers,” young, undocumented, high-achieving individuals who contribute to our college and university system. Senators Graham and Durbin reintroduced the bipartisan Dream Act of 2019 (S.874), which was…

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UPCEA PCO Blog Reaches 1 Million Views!

The Professional, Continuing, and Online Education Update blog, curated by Ray Schroeder, recently surpassed 1,000,000 views!  The blog has featured daily updates of news, research and trends important to professionals in online and continuing education since December 28, 2010. Every day, Schroeder reviews more than 150 articles, research reports, news releases and other information sources…

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UPCEA and Columbia University School of Professional Studies Convene Business and Academic Leaders for the Forum on the Future of Work

Inaugural Forum on the Future of Work: Day 1  On June 21 and 22, UPCEA and the Columbia University School of Professional Studies (SPS) hosted the Inaugural Forum on the Future of Work.  The Forum brought together academics and industry leaders to discuss the changing leadership landscape, new ways to nurture employee talent, and the…

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Policy Matters | Public Comment on Regulations Due July 12

Major Updates The U.S. Department of Education has released Proposed Regulations for Public Comment.The regulations cover a wide range of topics including changes to accreditation, state authorization, student notifications, and other topics. If finalized before November, these changes would not go into effect until July 1, 2020. We encourage you to comment as an individual, from…

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What Does Free Community College Mean for Professional Learning Spaces?

By SmartBrief Editors This post is produced in partnership with UPCEA.   The idea of offering free access to community college, and even entire degree programs, has gained steam in recent years. CNBC reports that 11 states in the country offer at least some tuition-free community college programs to qualified students and nine more have…

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UPCEA Member Analytics: Managing a Marketing Infrastructure

No longer is marketing just the development of a catalog, viewbook, brochure or billboard. It now includes marketing strategy and customer engagement as well as brand management.  In an evolving economy fueled by data analytics, making wise marketing resource and infrastructure decisions is critical.  Earlier analyses have shown that there has been a clear shift…

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Emergence of Blockchain

Blockchain is evolving into a robust platform that may shake many aspects of higher ed. We all have heard much about the potential for blockchain, particularly how it might serve as a distribution, validation and secure ledger of transcripts and associated certifications.  MIT did the early work on this.  Two years ago they began offering the distribution…

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