In the fast-evolving landscape of higher education and workforce alignment, non-degree credentials are surging in popularity. This trend is largely a result of baccalaureate degrees that are not adapting quickly to address more immediate market needs, coupled with a skepticism about the value of the degree. In place of bachelor’s degrees, students are seeking more…
Read MoreWhy Values-Based Influence Matters Now Higher education is undergoing seismic shifts—demographic changes, budget constraints, AI disruption, and questions of relevance. In this environment, how we lead and why we lead matters as much as what we do as leaders. Leaders who operate from a strong internal compass—those grounded in values—offer clarity, stability, and hope. Values-based…
Read MoreIn reflecting on my feelings about the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in our lives, I must report they are mixed. I have the strong sense of the inevitability that this technology will meet and exceed its hype to alter the course of humanity, generally for the better. However, at the same time there is…
Read MoreArtificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming a cornerstone of contemporary practice in higher education. This summer is an ideal time to become AI literate for the fall. Perhaps you just haven’t had time to keep up with the advent of agentic AI. Or, you simply didn’t realize that AI is not just a fad in…
Read MoreUPCEA Signs Letters to Congress on COVID-19 Supports for Students and Institutions
UPCEA joined with ACE and dozens of other organizations to write congressional leadership to outline the ways in which we believe the federal government can assist students, educators and institutions in recovering from the impact of COVID-19. Colleges and universities are uniquely vulnerable to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, as our educational and research…
UPCEA Urges Passage of Online Veteran Student Support Bill in Response to COVID-19
UPCEA, along with ACE, and almost 50 other organizations wrote a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy asking the House to approve a bill ensuring veterans continue to receive their GI bill benefits when campuses move courses online due to COVID-19. S. 3503 would grant the Secretary of the Department of…
UPCEA + 50 Organizations Pen Letter Asking for Student Support during COVID-19 Crisis
UPCEA joined with Higher Learning Advocates with a total of 51 organizations to write to congressional leadership to help support students’ needs. As new cases of COVID-19 exposure and infection arise every day, many of the nation’s institutions of higher education are suspending or moving classes online to do what’s best for the public health…
2020 UPCEA Annual Conference Cancellation
Today we have been forced to cancel the UPCEA Annual Conference originally scheduled for March 18-20, 2020, at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel. This year’s conference will not be rescheduled. As we shared previously, we originally opted to postpone the conference due to conditions stemming from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Though we had every…
Over the last three years, UPCEA engaged in an innovative partnership with the University of Wisconsin–Madison to enable the latter’s Distance Teaching and Learning (DT&L) conference to continue under UPCEA’s leadership. The partnership’s goals included making this valuable event for the distance learning community more sustainable and accessible to online practitioners focused on teaching and…
Read MoreA Movement, Not Just a Community Convergence is emerging as the place where the credential innovation community for higher ed comes together. But more than a community, it’s a movement. Not a movement to make degrees less valuable, let alone obsolete. Rather, it’s a movement to complement degrees by meeting the needs of those for…
Read MoreHow Do You Market to College Students Today? What is the modern student search journey? Today’s students explore school options across various platforms, often following curiosity rather than a set path. Before they even land on a college website, students might watch a dorm tour on TikTok, get advice from Reddit threads, or ask ChatGPT…
Read MoreMany non-academic factors influence learners’ higher education decisions: financial implications, geography, degree paths, sports success, family legacy, and more. While there are many ways for a given institution to market itself, economic, technological, and societal shifts are motivating schools to refocus their marketing on attributes that specifically drive positive outcomes and generate industry-ready graduates: Learners…
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