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…
When we reflected on the first three weeks of the UPCEA AI Study Groups in early June, one theme had already become clear: AI implementation is not simply a technology challenge. It is a leadership challenge. By the end of the six-week pilot, that theme had deepened. Across two cohorts of UPCEA members, participants moved…
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…
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…
Justice Department Threatens College Funding Over DEI Policies; Administration Requests Detailed Admissions Data | Policy Matters (August 2025)
Major Updates Justice Department Threatens College Funding Over DEI Policies; Administration Requests Detailed Admissions Data The U.S. Department of Justice has issued guidance warning that colleges and other federally funded institutions could lose federal support if they continue certain diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices. The DOJ’s new memo flags a sweeping range of campus…
UPCEA’s 2025 Online Education Benchmarking Report Provides Vital Data for University Leaders
Second annual study provides new KPI benchmarks around enrollments, finance, and budget, explores the impact of AI, and provides strategic recommendations for online leaders to thrive in these uncertain times. WASHINGTON, D.C., ISSUED AUGUST 12, 2025…UPCEA, the online and professional education association, today announced the release of a new research report, “Benchmarking Online Enterprises: Insights…
Congress Passes President Trump’s OBBB—Workforce Pell Included, but Higher Ed Gets $300 Billion Slash | Policy Matters (July 2025)
Major Updates Congress Passes President Trump’s OBBB—Workforce Pell Included, but Higher Ed Gets $300 Billion Slash President Trump’s newly signed One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB) overhauls the federal approach to higher education policy. Short-term Pell advocates (of which UPCEA has been a long supporter) have something to be thankful for, as it opens Workforce…
Synchronizing Pathways: Advancing the National Dialogue on Credentials and Learning Mobility
Incubator grant supports critical work to align data practices and learning mobility frameworks to benefit today’s learners WASHINGTON July 31, 2025 – UPCEA, the online and professional education association, has launched a national initiative to advance credential transparency and learner mobility through improved data quality and institutional capacity-building. The project titled, “Synchronizing Pathways: Expanding Institutional…
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…
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…
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…
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,…