Industry Insights

Valuable insights from UPCEA's trusted corporate partners.

AI Is Already Here. The Question Is What You Do With It.

May 29, 2026

The conversation in higher education around AI has shifted. A few years ago, faculty and administrators were asking whether AI belonged on campus at all. Today, most leaders have moved past that question. Students are using AI tools, regardless of whether institutions sanction them. Employers are already factoring AI fluency into how they evaluate graduates.…

Be Bold, or Be Left Behind: Jim Lummus on Higher Education’s New Reality

May 26, 2026

“Higher ed doesn’t have a strategy problem. It has an execution problem,” says Jim Lummus, Executive Vice President at University Solutions. For Jim, that tension sits at the heart of almost every challenge facing universities today. “Universities can identify the problem. They can plan for it. But getting things done is so challenging,” he says.…

UPCEA Annual Conference: where energy, honesty, and real progress come together

April 27, 2026

Some conferences feel long. This one flew by. And still, I kept thinking I wish I could have attended even more sessions. Over the past few days at the UPCEA Annual Conference, a few very clear themes kept coming back. Not just in presentations, but in conversations with people across institutions. Yes, AI is still very much…

Using AI to Support Enrollment Teams, Not Replace Them

April 2, 2026

Online enrollment leaders don’t need another mandate to “use AI.” They need relief. Most teams are already stretched thin by demands to manage inquiry volume, follow-up expectations, data hygiene, and prospect responsiveness. They lack the capacity to take on yet another complex initiative, especially one that feels abstract or disruptive. AI mandates promise transformation when…

How to Explain AI SEO ROI to University Leadership (Without Overpromising)

March 9, 2026

Discover how to explain AI SEO ROI to university leadership when attribution is imperfect, with insights and strategy from Search Influence. Across higher education, marketing teams are being asked to explain AI search visibility before institutions agree on how to measure it. Leadership discussions are moving quickly, while reporting frameworks remain centered on keyword rankings,…

Other Blogs and News:

COLO Compass | Who Leads Next? Building the Pipeline of Online Leaders

COLO Compass: Evidence and practical direction for chief online learning officers. Throughout National Distance Learning Week, I’ve written about how much online learning leaders are now expected to handle: AI governance, the financial case for online education, relationships with policymakers, financial aid fraud, and operations that extend well beyond their own units. The question for…

COLO Compass | The COLO’s Job Got Bigger. Has the Authority Kept Up?

COLO Compass: Evidence and practical direction for chief online learning officers. When UPCEA published its 2016 Hallmarks, online education was still moving from innovation to mainstream adoption, and a central challenge was legitimizing it. The 2026 Hallmarks of Excellence in Digital Learning Enterprises begin from a different premise. As Vickie Cook, a contributing editor of…

COLO Compass | Sustaining Online Learning Takes Evidence Inside and Out

COLO Compass: Evidence and practical direction for chief online learning officers. National Distance Learning Week runs November 2 through 6, and one of USDLA’s themes this year is the “Sustainable Future of Distance Education.” For those responsible for online enterprises, sustainability means having the financial resources, operational capacity, and institutional support to continue serving learners. …

COLO Compass | The COLO as Institutional Integrator: When Online Learning Is Everyone’s Business, Who Leads It?

COLO Compass: Evidence and practical direction for chief online learning officers. For years, one of the challenges facing online learning leaders was convincing the institution that online education belonged in the mainstream of academic life. That argument is increasingly behind us. Online learning now intersects with enrollment strategy, academic planning, technology, student support, workforce development,…

COLO Compass | Advancing AI Starts With How Your Institution Decides

COLO Compass: Evidence and practical direction for chief online learning officers. National Distance Learning Week runs November 2 through 6 this year. USDLA’s 2026 theme includes advancing AI, global education through open educational resources, and the sustainable future of distance education. For those of us in online and digital learning, the past three years have…

ED Issues Workforce Pell FAQs; Courts Continue Changing Professional Degree List | Policy Matters (October 2026)

Major Updates U.S. Department of Education Provides Workforce Pell Grant FAQs The U.S. Department of Education has released FAQs on Workforce Pell Grants for short-term programs. The guidance covers items like the baseline eligibility standards: programs be at least 8 but fewer than 15 weeks or 150 to 599 clock hours and operational for a…