Imagine your bellwether program stepping into a modern search arena with a glossy tri-fold and a storied reputation, ready to battle any challenger. Across the ring rolls a robotic rival as “The Imperial March” blares over the speakers. The ref signals start; a blinding spotlight from the robot makes your program vanish from view. The…
Read MoreIntroduction At the 2025 UPCEA Annual Conference, the session “Owning Your Awesomeness” reminded us that professional growth isn’t just about mastering skills—it’s about recognizing and amplifying the unique strengths we already have. For leaders and practitioners in professional and online education this means embracing both the outward image we present and the inner narratives that…
Read MoreAI in Higher Ed Will Come Slowly, Until All of a Sudden! Higher education is, by nature, very slow to change. So it is with embracing Artificial Intelligence (AI). Yet, when it finally comes, the changes will come in an avalanche. In discussions with faculty and staff, I have encountered some reluctance to take AI…
Read MoreThere is a new “cliff” in American higher education, and it is not the demographic cliff. Rather, it is the dramatic cliff in math knowledge, skills, and abilities. Let me be clear that other discipline deficiencies are found in this new generation of college students, however they are dwarfed by those in math. These have…
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Leading Digital Learning Organizations Partner to Establish National Council for Online Education
For Immediate Release OLC, QM, UPCEA, WCET join forces to advance online and digital postsecondary education WASHINGTON, April 1, 2020 – Four leading organizations in higher education and digital learning today announced a partnership to establish the National Council for Online Education (NCOE), creating a formidable voice for online and digital education within…
Keeping you connected
While you are leading campus responses to the pandemic, our goal is to help you stay connected to the larger PCO community. This community, this professional association, is one of your greatest assets during this challenging time. Now more than ever we are learning from each other. Helping each other solve problems. Supporting each other. …
Policy Matters | US Dept of Education Issues Guidance for Higher Education + Congressional Action on COVID-19; UPCEA Advocacy and Resources (March 2020)
Much congressional action has been taken since the COVID-19 crisis began. A bill that provides tax relief for businesses to support paid sick leave and free coronavirus testing; one authorizing $8.3 billion to help government agencies respond to the virus; and a bill protecting GI Bill housing benefits for online veteran students, are all now…
UPCEA 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…
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…
Read MoreWe 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…
Read MoreOnline programs are no longer a nice-to-have. They are essential, with many schools looking to online as their primary growth lever amid market headwinds. A strong portfolio of online programs can allow institutions to grow enrollment, reach new student populations, and future-proof their offerings. But building, launching, and sustaining a successful online program operation requires…
Read MoreHalf of prospective students use AI tools every week. Yet, only about a third of higher education institutions have a formal strategy for AI search. That gap isn’t just a metric. It’s a brand visibility crisis. Students are using ChatGPT and Perplexity to research programs, compare universities, and narrow their lists, often before they ever…
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