The recently released UPCEA Hallmarks of Excellence in Digital Learning Enterprises reflect the continued evolution of digital learning from an emerging modality to a mission-critical component of institutional strategy. This series explores each Hallmark, why it matters for today’s institutions, and how institutional leaders can begin using the accompanying benchmarks to assess progress and guide…
When we reflected on the first three weeks of the UPCEA AI Study Groups in early June, one theme had already become clear: AI implementation is not simply a technology challenge. It is a leadership challenge. By the end of the six-week pilot, that theme had deepened. Across two cohorts of UPCEA members, participants moved…
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has floated the idea that the United States Government should become a stockholder in Artificial Intelligence (AI) companies. Yes, actually own shares of the thriving major AI companies! Of course, it is not without precedent that the feds assume partial ownership of private companies. Benjamin D. Connard of Carnegie Investments reports…
Remarkably, in this highly-partisan era of American history, there is a newly-formed, non-partisan association with the stated purpose of “partnering with governors, employers, and training partners to help the American workforce make a successful transition to an AI economy.” This is the first large-scale independent entity formed to address the challenge that is top-of-mind of…
Wellesley College Associate Provost and Founding Director of Strategic Growth Initiatives Nancy Coleman Serve as UPCEA Board President-Elect
WASHINGTON, April 2, 2020 – UPCEA, the Washington, D.C.-based association for university leaders in professional, continuing, and online education, welcomed Dr. Nancy Coleman as the association’s 2020-21 Board President-Elect during a virtual Board of Directors Meeting on March 18. Coleman is Associate Provost and Founding Director of Strategic Growth Initiatives at Wellesley College. As UPCEA…
University of Washington Continuum College Vice Provost Rovy Branon to Serve as UPCEA Board President
WASHINGTON, April 2, 2020 – UPCEA, the Washington, D.C.-based association for university leaders in professional, continuing, and online education, welcomed Dr. Rovy Branon as the association’s 2020-21 Board President during a virtual Board of Directors meeting on March 18. Branon is vice provost for the University of Washington Continuum College. Branon notes that the timing…
Encourage your students to complete the Census
We are excited to announce that we are partnering with the U.S. Census Bureau to support the 2020 Census. As a partner, we will be working to make sure our community is accurately represented in the upcoming decennial count. The census counts everyone in the United States. Census results are the basis for congressional…
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…
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…
Adult learners have become an increasingly important focus for higher education institutions. Today, adult learners are not an emerging population. They are the reality shaping the future of higher education. According to the Risepoint 2026 Voice of the Online Learner report, 89% of online learners work while pursuing their education, including 77% who work full…
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,…

