Rethinking “Generation Z is Not My Target Market”

While recently visiting an on-campus continuing education unit, I was told by a program director, “Generation Z is not my target market.”  To me, that is dangerous thinking for a professional, continuing and online education (PCO) unit. Generation Z, those under the age of 23, have only graduated their first major cohort of college students.…

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UPCEA Announces 2018 Association Award Recipients

6 Individuals and 9 Programs Receive Association’s Highest Honors WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 – UPCEA, the leader in professional, continuing, and online education, has announced the recipients of the 2018 Association Awards. The UPCEA Association Awards program includes recognition of both individual and institutional achievement across the UPCEA membership. Since 1953, UPCEA has recognized its members’…

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An Insider’s Guide to Generation Z and Higher Education

Generation Z remains a mystery for us, as well as business and industry. Only recently has the media and corporate America invested in better understanding them. In fact, they still argue about their definition and their ages. At UPCEA, we define Generation Z as those born between 1995 and 2005, or those roughly 12 to…

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UPCEA/Pearson Report: Demographic Shifts in Educational Demand and the Rise of Alternative Credentialing, Changes from 2016 to 2017

We live in an age where the pace of change is pounding ahead all around us. For society to survive, universities and their learning programs must adapt to this acceleration or risk losing the central position they hold. Many of the megatrends that framed and motivated the 2016 version of this study have only grown and accelerated:…

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Jim Fong’s 2018 Predictions

While the world economic picture looks strong for 2018, higher education seems to be in flux or transition. Despite political unrest and consumer economic uncertainty, many sectors are expected to grow. The question remains … “Is higher education keeping pace?” As director for UPCEA’s Center for Research and Strategy, I am in a fortunate position…

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Coalition Pens Letter on PROSPER Act

The National Adult Learner Coalition wrote a letter to US House of Representatives leadership of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce regarding H.R. 4508, Promoting Real Opportunity, Success, and Prosperity through Education Reform (PROSPER) Act, and our concerns. We are particularly concerned about this bill’s major structural changes to federal financial aid, and…

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January eDesign Exchange: What’s an eDC ThinkTank?

Date/Time: Thursday, January 25 from 2-2:30 p.m. ET Topic: What’s an eDC ThinkTank? Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/s/8187994674 In January, we will be talking about the idea behind an eDC ThinkTank. What they are, who attends and what we try to accomplish. Our next eDC ThinkTank is in February at Utah State University. We’d like to provide conversation around what…

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UPCEA Joins Cautionary Chorus on House HEA Legislation

National Adult Learner Coalition weighs in on PROSPER Act House HEA Legislation movement UPCEA, along with the National Adult Learner Coalition, joined with many other higher education organizations to join in chorus to urge cautious and deliberative movement on the US House of Representative’s push for a re-authorization of the Higher Education Act, H.R. 4508,…

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Generation Z Isn’t Generation Z-ombie

Generation Z has been inappropriately and ignorantly labeled by other writers from the other generations as Generation Z-ombie. These authors have drawn a conclusion that the generation may be focused selfishly on themselves and their sustenance. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Generation Z is a wildly informed group that moves very quickly,…

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eDC ThinkTank Roadshow

Most conferences have the format of bringing people away from universities to share what they are doing… however, much is lost without seeing things in context. Ours is a “Flipped Conference Model” where we bring people to universities and show them how things work in real time. We meet the team, tour, and then spend…

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