The higher education landscape is arguably the toughest it has been in a generation, marked by economic instability, demographic decline, and the constant imperative for greater efficiency. The 2026 Landscape of Higher Education Report confirms this volatile reality: beginning in 2026, many institutions will face a sustained decline in traditional-aged undergraduates. Enrollment growth is now…
There’s a moment from my college days I remember more clearly than any midterm I ever took. I had stepped away from my bachelor’s degree at Penn State because I wanted to live a little. I’d grown up in the same town that I went to college and I just needed an extended reprieve, something…
As we look at Artificial Intelligence in teaching and learning, we must look beyond facts, figures and formulas to ensure that the skill of perceiving and managing feelings, emotions and personalization are engaged in the process. Looking back on my lifelong history of learning experiences, the ones that I would rank as most effective and…
Agentic AI is no longer merely an interactive tool we talk to; it is a colleague that acts for us. In a very active and highly competitive environment, AI has grown at breakneck speed. As with so many technologies, business and industry have moved far faster than academe to embrace the cost savings, capability expanding…
Policy Matters | Are You, Your Students and Staff Registered to Vote? (September 2020)
Major Updates Are You, Your Students and Staff Registered to Vote? College campuses have played a unique role in both Census data collection as well as voting efforts this year, as students who may live on or near campus have been rapidly displaced or decided to move to other places as campuses closed or their…
Supporting Faculty and Staff in the Development of High Quality Online Experiences: Crowdsourced Resources for the 2020-2021 Academic Year
Earlier this summer, at the suggestion of Aaron Brower and Ryan Anderson of the University of Wisconsin Extended Campus, UPCEA led the crowdsourcing of resources to support higher quality remote teaching for the 2020-2021 academic year. The project was bold, audacious, and one that proved to be challenging for a host of reasons, mainly due…
College Faculty and Administrators Feel Prepared to Teach Online This Fall and Are Optimistic about the Future of Higher Education, According to New Survey
The Second Digital Learning Pulse Survey, Conducted by Bay View Analytics on Behalf of OLC, WCET, UPCEA, CDLRA and Cengage, Looks at the Needs of Higher Education Institutions in the Wake of COVID-19 September 22, 2020 — U.S. higher education faculty and administrators agree that they are prepared to teach online this fall, and while…
UPCEA Announces New Vice President of Finance & Administration
UPCEA is pleased to announce the hiring of Jessie Daniels, MBA, as the association’s new Vice President of Finance & Administration. Daniels, formerly of the University of Maine, joins the UPCEA staff as of September 15. As Vice President of Finance & Administration, Daniels is responsible for the overall management of financial, business and administrative…
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…
The student journey has changed — and expectations are rising. Students today are moving faster, arriving more informed, and expecting experiences that feel responsive and personalized. Research behaviors are shifting, and AI is increasingly shaping how prospective students discover and evaluate programs. The path to enrollment is becoming more complex and more personalized, and students…
Introduction Higher education is at a crossroads, marked by declining public trust, diminishing enrollments, substantial budget cuts, and increased scrutiny on post-college outcomes. Recent research from UPCEA underscores growing skepticism about the value of traditional degrees, driving institutions and learners alike to explore innovative educational pathways and revenue models (UPCEA, 2025). To address these challenges…