Imagine your bellwether program stepping into a modern search arena with a glossy tri-fold and a storied reputation, ready to battle any challenger. Across the ring rolls a robotic rival as “The Imperial March” blares over the speakers. The ref signals start; a blinding spotlight from the robot makes your program vanish from view. The…
Read MoreIntroduction At the 2025 UPCEA Annual Conference, the session “Owning Your Awesomeness” reminded us that professional growth isn’t just about mastering skills—it’s about recognizing and amplifying the unique strengths we already have. For leaders and practitioners in professional and online education this means embracing both the outward image we present and the inner narratives that…
Read MoreMost of us in higher education are now familiar with generative AI bots, where you formulate a prompt and get a reply. Yet, we are now beginning the advancement to agentic AI, the autonomous 24-7 project manager. The dramatic enhancement in the capability of AI as it moves from bots to agents will bring about…
Read MoreTwo weeks ago, we examined the transformation of higher education in the next five years. Today, we look at how this transformation will shift the emphasis of our teaching. As with the prior column, this week’s thesis evolves out of the Zoom Keynote to the Rethink AI Conference, sponsored in part by the International Academy…
Read MoreED Announces Negotiated Rulemaking with Distance Education, State Authorization, Among Others | Volunteers Sought – Policy Matters (January 2023)
Major Updates Department of Education Announces Intent to Rewrite of State Authorization, Distance Education, Third-Party Servicers Among Others The Biden Administration announced in the first days of 2023 their intent to rework this year eight different areas of higher education regulations via negotiated rulemaking. The topics include many in which the UPCEA community has…
Congressional Members Request Information from Department on OPM Revenue Sharing | Policy Matters (December 2022)
Major Updates Congressional Members Request Information from Department on OPM Revenue Sharing Following previous congressional outreach on the matter, a new letter to Secretary Cardona from Senators Murray, Warren, Smith, and House members Scott and DeLauro as been issued. It highlighted again the increased pressure from congress since the Government Accountability Office (GAO) earlier this…
UPCEA Welcomes New Board and DEI Committee Members
WASHINGTON, December 15, 2022 – UPCEA, the Washington, D.C.-based association for college and university leaders in professional, continuing, and online education, is pleased to announce the election of new officers and new directors to serve on the UPCEA Board of Directors. Elected in November, these individuals will assume their roles at the conclusion of the…
UPCEA Announces Creation of Gregory Milton Memorial Scholarship
WASHINGTON, December 7, 2022 – UPCEA, the Washington, D.C.-based association for college and university leaders in professional, continuing, and online education, is honored to announce the establishment of the Gregory Milton Memorial Scholarship. The memorial scholarship, created through a generous donation from Linda Rose, honors the life of her son, Gregory Milton, Ph.D. A longtime…
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…
Read MoreWe are pleased to share the foreword by UPCEA CEO Bob Hansen from the newly released Chief Online Learning Officers’ Guidebook: A Framework for Strategy and Practice in Higher Education. The guidebook, now available from Routledge in paperback, hardback, and eBook formats, provides a comprehensive framework for today’s online learning leaders. Learn more and purchase…
Read MoreStudent success starts with the right conversation. By uniting data, technology, and human connection, institutions can shift from reactive outreach to proactive engagement that strengthens trust, equity, and long-term retention. Every Student Is a Story, Not a Segment “On the other side of every data point, every phone number, every email address, there’s a person…
Read MoreSearch behavior has evolved, and so has the path to enrollment. Generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google’s AI Overviews shape how people gather information, verify details, and form opinions. For higher education marketers, that means program visibility depends on showing up wherever students look for answers, not only in search results but across…
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