UPCEA Blogs

See below for the full set of all blogs hosted by the association.

Learn more about UPCEA publications. If you want to be sure to get updates from us, be sure you're a UPCEA member.

The Pulse of Higher Ed

Perspectives on Online and Professional Education
from UPCEA’s Research and Consulting Experts

Tighter Budgets, Bigger Opportunity: How Intrapreneurship Positions Online and Professional Continuing Education Units to Lead

August 10, 2026

Higher education is facing significant financial pressure. Revenue is growing more slowly than costs across the sector. State funding is contracting. The demographic cliff has arrived. The institutions feeling this most acutely are being asked to do something that sounds simple but is not: spend less and generate more at the same time. For a…

Leading Digital Learning Enterprises | Part 1: From Advocacy to Integration: Building a Digital Learning Enterprise

July 31, 2026

The recently released UPCEA Hallmarks of Excellence in Digital Learning Enterprises reflect the continued evolution of digital learning from an emerging modality to a mission-critical component of institutional strategy. This series explores each Hallmark, why it matters for today’s institutions, and how institutional leaders can begin using the accompanying benchmarks to assess progress and guide…

Online: Trending Now

Unique biweekly insights and news review from Ray Schroeder, Senior Fellow at UPCEA

From Knowledge Building to Wisdom Building in Higher Education

August 6, 2026

In years gone by, we said that students went to college to gather knowledge. Now, college is appropriately expected to be much more about building wisdom. The expectations of prospective students and families, employers and society at large have shifted. Knowledge and information have become instantaneously available at speeds approximating personal recall. The next step…

What if the U.S. Government Owned Stock in AI Companies?

July 16, 2026

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has floated the idea that the United States Government should become a stockholder in Artificial Intelligence (AI) companies. Yes, actually own shares of the thriving major AI companies! Of course, it is not without precedent that the feds assume partial ownership of private companies. Benjamin D. Connard of Carnegie Investments reports…

UPCEA Updates

Your one-stop shop for the latest Association happenings, policy updates, plus thoughts from UPCEA Senior Leaders.

Workcred, APLU, and UPCEA Awarded Lumina Grant to Connect Degrees and Certifications

Partnership Aims to Create Opportunities for Students to Earn Credentials with Labor-Market Value New York, December 17, 2018: Workcred, an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) affiliate, has been awarded a grant from Lumina Foundation to partner with the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) to…

Read More...

UPCEA Welcomes 58 New Member Institutions in 2018

UPCEA was pleased to welcome 58 new member institutions in 2018: Arapahoe Community College Baylor University Borough of Manhattan Community College Broward College Campbell University College of Lake County College of William & Mary Collin College Concordia College Dixie State University Drake University Duke University Duquesne University Endicott College Franciscan University of Steubenville George Mason…

Read More...

Reflecting on 2018, and (Tentatively) Projecting the Future (Inside Higher Ed)

Just like that, another year is almost over. If it’s been as much of a whirlwind for you as it has for us, you’re likely struggling to make sense of all that changed on the digital learning landscape this year. Our second annual year-end recap is here to help. We gathered some of the most…

Read More...

UPCEA Submits Comments on Proposed Public Charge Rule

Higher education groups request exemption for Title IV student aid and international students ​UPCEA today joined over 150,000 groups and individuals submitting comments on the Trump administration’s proposal​ to overhaul how the government evaluates whether a would-be immigrant is “not likely to be a public charge”—that is, not likely to use public benefits such as food stamps or Medicaid,…

Read More...

From the CEO

Musings on trends and updates from UPCEA CEO Bob Hansen.

The Future of Professional Learning Starts with Us

August 4, 2026

In 1915, UPCEA’s founders built this association on a simple idea: carrying knowledge to the people. That founding purpose never had an expiration date, and it does not have one now. It is why, more than a century later, the question in front of us was never whether professional learning needs to change. It is…

Constructing the Future: Why Credential Innovation Needs Bold Leadership

November 21, 2025

The tagline for Convergence, Credential Innovation in Higher Education, raises two important questions: First, what kind of credentials are we talking about?  Is the scope of credentials unlimited, blue sky, or confined to incremental changes on the margins of the status quo?  And second, who is leading that innovation, and what do they need to…

Valuable insights from UPCEA's trusted corporate partners.

How AI Is Reshaping the Adult Learner Experience

June 24, 2026

Adult learners have become an increasingly important focus for higher education institutions. Today, adult learners are not an emerging population. They are the reality shaping the future of higher education. According to the Risepoint 2026 Voice of the Online Learner report, 89% of online learners work while pursuing their education, including 77% who work full…

What a Single Program Page Reveals About Your AI Search Visibility

June 4, 2026

Your next prospective student has already formed an impression of your program. They just haven’t visited your website yet. Half of prospective students now use AI tools at least weekly. 79% read Google’s AI Overviews. Before a student fills out an RFI form, an AI tool has likely already answered their questions about your program,…