Across higher education, the conversation about artificial intelligence has moved rapidly from curiosity to consequence. Institutions are no longer asking only whether AI will affect their work; they are asking how to lead through that change responsibly, strategically, and in ways that advance mission. That shift is at the center of UPCEA’s AI Study Groups,…
As leaders in online and professional continuing education, we often find ourselves at the intersection of hope and pragmatism. We see the transformative power of a postsecondary credential for an adult balancing career and family. Yet, we also hear a recurring, disheartening refrain from prospective students: “I simply can’t afford it.” There’s a persistent myth…
Do you recall when continuing professional education was considered outside the mainstream of the higher education hierarchy, often relegated to extension services? It wasn’t that long ago that professional education was the less-respected, fragile forum for night school, weekend programs, extension and applied study at many colleges and universities. More recently housing the nascent online…
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…
UPCEA Announces 2021 Association Award Recipients
7 Individuals Receive Association’s Highest Honors WASHINGTON, March 2, 2021 – UPCEA, the leader in professional, continuing, and online education, has announced the recipients of the 2021 Association Awards. The UPCEA Association Awards program includes recognition of both individual and institutional achievement across the UPCEA membership. Since 1953, UPCEA has recognized its members’…
Policy Matters – American Rescue Plan Moves Through Congress, Towards President’s Desk (February 2021)
Major Updates American Rescue Plan Moves Through Congress, Towards President’s Desk The fifth major Coronavirus relief bill and the first for President Biden, the American Rescue Plan is moving through Congress. Democrats have decided to use the budget reconciliation process, a parliamentary maneuver with a lower vote threshold for passing bills in the Senate. This…
UPCEA Welcomes Nine New Board Members
WASHINGTON, February 22, 2021 – 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 two new officers and seven new directors to serve on the UPCEA Board of Directors. Elected earlier in February, these individuals will assume their roles at the…
UPCEA Congratulates Members Recognized in the 2021 U.S. News & World Report Ranking of Best Online Bachelor’s Programs
23 of 27 Institutions Ranked in Top 25 are UPCEA Members WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 8, 2021) — UPCEA, the association for college and university leaders in professional, continuing, and online education, is pleased to congratulate the many UPCEA members recognized in the 2021 U.S. News & World Report Best Online Programs rankings. U.S….
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…
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,…
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….