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 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…
Read MoreMost of us in higher education are now familiar with generative AI bots, where you formulate a prompt and get a reply. Yet, we are now beginning the advancement to agentic AI, the autonomous 24-7 project manager. The dramatic enhancement in the capability of AI as it moves from bots to agents will bring about…
Read MoreNext for SNHU: Game-Based Learning and Digital Badges for Middle Schoolers (Inside Higher Ed)
Southern New Hampshire University is again trying to disrupt the status quo in higher ed — this time by attempting to link middle schoolers with college degrees. The nonprofit university, which has one of the largest online enrollments in the country, announced today that it is acquiring the nonprofit LRNG — a Chicago-based organization that helps young…
2018 UPCEA Marketing and Enrollment Award Recipients Announced
WASHINGTON, D.C., October 18, 2018 — UPCEA, the leader in professional, continuing, and online education, has announced the recipients of the 2018 Excellence in Enrollment Management Award and the 2018 Marketing Awards. The UPCEA Excellence in Enrollment Management Award, recognizes an outstanding professional, continuing, and/or online organization (unit or individual) that models best practices and…
Tell your complete educational story to potential employers (FIU News)
Some skills are considered too “small” or specific to become a degree program and aren’t often listed on a student’s academic transcript. Yet, it’s a collection of these very skills that employers know are a big deal in the rapidly-changing 21st century workforce. This is where badges come in. These digital icons represent achievements or skills in a…
Department of Education Announces Formal Rulemaking Committee, Seeks Nominations
Following their request for input on a wide-ranging set of topics to be placed into a single negotiated rulemaking session, the Department has formally announced their intent to hold sessions in January, February, and March related to these issues. The department has decided to split this rulemaking session into one main committee regarding “Accreditation and…
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 MoreStudent success starts with the right conversation. By uniting data, technology, and human connection, institutions can shift from reactive outreach to proactive engagement that strengthens trust, equity, and long-term retention. Every Student Is a Story, Not a Segment “On the other side of every data point, every phone number, every email address, there’s a person…
Read MoreSearch behavior has evolved, and so has the path to enrollment. Generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google’s AI Overviews shape how people gather information, verify details, and form opinions. For higher education marketers, that means program visibility depends on showing up wherever students look for answers, not only in search results but across…
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