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

UPCEA’s Corporate Member Blog Series #3 | The Partner Playbook: 5 Ways to Help Universities Win the “Modern Learner”

April 6, 2026

The “traditional” student is quickly becoming a relic of a bygone era. The future of enrollment is concentrated in new, non-traditional markets: adult learners seeking rapid re-skilling, dual-enrolled high school students, and the millions of Americans with “some college, no credential” who represent a significant scalable opportunity for growth. Universities know they must pivot decisively…

Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Student Recruitment

March 23, 2026

I recently contributed a chapter in the recently released book, AI Applications in Online Higher Education Administration: Strategies for Maximizing Returns and Improving Outcomes edited by Kathleen Ives, Marie Cini, and Ray Schroeder. This blog highlights key take-aways from my chapter. Higher education recruitment is undergoing one of the most significant transformations in decades. Traditional…

Online: Trending Now

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

What Deans and Department Chairs Must Do Before Fall

April 16, 2026

The spring semester is coming to a close with the normal host of routines. Yet, beneath those routines, something is unfolding in the labor market that will greet your new graduates who will face an incrementally tighter job market. I asked Claude Sonnet 4.6 Extended Thinking to research the tasks relevant to preparing our new…

What to Teach Now?

April 2, 2026

Technologists, economists, and visionaries are warning us that in the next three to 18 months, we are going to experience rapid and pervasive disruption of our professional lives, workplace models, and distribution of income. Professional positions requiring college degrees will be lost, remade into highly-productive, cost-efficient, hybrid human-AI models where human contributions and compensation will…

UPCEA Updates

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

Biden Administration Announces Long-Awaited Student Debt Forgiveness, Signals End of Student Loan Payment Pause | Policy Matters (August 2022)

Major Updates Biden Administration Announces Long-Awaited Student Debt Forgiveness, Signals End of Student Loan Payment Pause After years of anticipation, the Biden Administration rolled out its student debt forgiveness and repayment package. While the $10,000 in forgiveness for any individual making less than $125k per year (or $250k jointly) which was included in the final…

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New Portal Login Security Verification Step

In order to improving the security and functionality of our member login, we would like to inform you about an email verification step you will see soon. Starting on Friday September 9th, when you log in to your user profile on the UPCEA member portal, you will receive an email from: Sender: MemberSuite Support <[email protected]>…

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Conference Committee Nixes Short-Term Job Training Pell Grants from Final Compromise Computer Chip Bill | Policy Matters (July 2022)

Major Updates Conference Committee Nixes Short-Term Job Training Pell Grants from Final Compromise Computer Chip Bill After months of internal negotiations between a conference committee working out differences between the House and Senate passed legislation focusing on competitiveness with China, a much narrower compromise bill has come forth. Smaller than the House of Representatives’ original…

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UPCEA/MindEdge study finds mature adult learners have complex views about education

One size doesn’t fit all — Differences among Boomer learners, retirees, and the mature adult learner BOSTON, MA and WASHINGTON, DC (July 29, 2022) – Driven by Baby Boomer retirements and the Great Resignation, a new wave of mature learners is looking at options in continuing education – but not necessarily to learn new job skills,…

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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…

Valuable insights from UPCEA's trusted corporate partners.

Using AI to Support Enrollment Teams, Not Replace Them

April 2, 2026

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…

How to Explain AI SEO ROI to University Leadership (Without Overpromising)

March 9, 2026

Discover how to explain AI SEO ROI to university leadership when attribution is imperfect, with insights and strategy from Search Influence. Across higher education, marketing teams are being asked to explain AI search visibility before institutions agree on how to measure it. Leadership discussions are moving quickly, while reporting frameworks remain centered on keyword rankings,…