Each spring, campuses quietly rehearse a familiar transition. The cadence shifts. Energy returns. Commencement ceremonies are scheduled, and multiple beautification processes are underway, from reenergized flower beds to window washing and clean walkways. What was dormant begins to move again. In higher education, this seasonal rhythm offers more than symbolism. It provides a useful leadership lens for…
I have always appreciated how honest wood is. Look at a cut stump and the rings tell a story: good years, lean years, drought, recovery. That feels like the right way to read the newly released 2026 State of Continuing Education report from UPCEA, Modern Campus, and The EvoLLLution. As this partnership reaches its five-year…
The Chief Online Learning Officers at colleges and universities are increasingly charting the future of teaching and learning. It was three decades ago that my career in higher education took a turn. I was promoted to full Professor and given the golden opportunity of my career to lead our campus in the use of the…
Many of us utilize AI daily in our higher education work, yet we may not have assessed the ethical and human-centered nature of the tool we have selected and trained through our prompts. AI tools are no longer a relatively simple search engine that is driven by marketing metrics to help us conduct our research.…
ED 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…
We 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…
Some conferences feel long. This one flew by. And still, I kept thinking I wish I could have attended even more sessions. Over the past few days at the UPCEA Annual Conference, a few very clear themes kept coming back. Not just in presentations, but in conversations with people across institutions. Yes, AI is still very much…
Online enrollment leaders don’t need another mandate to “use AI.” They need relief. Most teams are already stretched thin by demands to manage inquiry volume, follow-up expectations, data hygiene, and prospect responsiveness. They lack the capacity to take on yet another complex initiative, especially one that feels abstract or disruptive. AI mandates promise transformation when…