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

AI Augments, Never Replaces: What the Hybrid Advising Co-Op Teaches Us About Building an Equitable Future for Student Support

May 26, 2026

Will artificial intelligence close the student success gap or widen it into a permanent caste system? That is the question higher education leaders should be asking as AI advising tools move from pilot to procurement. The temptation is to treat AI as a cost-savings lever: deploy a chatbot, deflect the tickets, claim a productivity win.…

Spring Strategies: Leading AI-Driven Change in Higher Education

May 14, 2026

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…

Online: Trending Now

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

For Whom the Bell (Curve) Tolls? Classes That Yield Too Many “A”s!

May 28, 2026

Much is being said about the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the hands of students resulting in “too many “A”s being granted! We are seeing colleges and universities across the country cracking down on “grade inflation.” It is my long-held belief that striving to have a near-equal number of “A”s and “F”s in a…

Leadership Vision of the COLO to Shape Higher Ed Future?

May 14, 2026

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…

UPCEA Updates

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

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…

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UPCEA and AACRAO Announce 2023 Conference to Examine the Emergent Field of Alternative Credentials in Higher Education

‘Convergence: Credential Innovation in Higher Education’ will gather credential innovation stakeholders, Nov. 1-3, 2023, in Washington, DC WASHINGTON, D.C. (Nov. 17, 2022) – The University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) announced today they will jointly present a new conference in 2023 focused on…

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Survey: 3 in 10 Students Lose Significant Academic Credits Transferring Between Colleges

A new study from UPCEA and StraighterLine examines barriers and motivations for transfer students with implications for institutions, finds 30% of students lose at least a quarter of existing academic credit  WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 17, 2022) – UPCEA (University Professional and Continuing Education Association), the largest association of adult and continuing education units at colleges…

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Department of Education Releases Final Rules on 90/10 Rule, Incarcerated Individuals, Borrower Defense, Debt Relief Programs, Among Others | Policy Matters (October 2022)

Major Updates Submission Form for Federal Student Loan Forgiveness Opens; Accepting Applications Through End of 2023 The application for federal student loan forgiveness for up to $20,000 for eligible individuals opened earlier this month. Though the deadline to submit for forgiveness is December 31, 2023, student loan borrowers are encouraged to submit prior to November…

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From the CEO

Musings on trends and updates from UPCEA CEO Bob Hansen.

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…

Foreword by Bob Hansen Featured in The COLO Guidebook

July 10, 2025

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…

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AI Is Already Here. The Question Is What You Do With It.

May 29, 2026

The conversation in higher education around AI has shifted. A few years ago, faculty and administrators were asking whether AI belonged on campus at all. Today, most leaders have moved past that question. Students are using AI tools, regardless of whether institutions sanction them. Employers are already factoring AI fluency into how they evaluate graduates….

Be Bold, or Be Left Behind: Jim Lummus on Higher Education’s New Reality

May 26, 2026

“Higher ed doesn’t have a strategy problem. It has an execution problem,” says Jim Lummus, Executive Vice President at University Solutions. For Jim, that tension sits at the heart of almost every challenge facing universities today. “Universities can identify the problem. They can plan for it. But getting things done is so challenging,” he says….