UPCEA Updates

In March 2026, UPCEA convened senior leaders from across higher education for a timely conversation about how institutions are navigating one of the most challenging periods the sector has faced in decades.

Hosted in partnership with the UPCEA Council for Chief Online Learning Officers and the UPCEA Council for Credential Innovation, the 2026 Senior Leader Virtual Annual Briefing focused on a pressing question: How are leaders in online and professional continuing education responding to growing financial and strategic pressures across higher education?

The discussion was grounded in UPCEA’s advocacy guide, The Future Is Now: Essential Conversations for Building Tomorrow’s University Today, which calls on institutions to confront major structural shifts reshaping higher education—from enrollment volatility and declining public funding to increasing expectations for flexible learning pathways and demonstrable return on investment.

The panel brought together four prominent leaders in online and professional continuing education:

• Rovy Branon, University of Washington
• Nancy Coleman, Harvard University
• Lisa Templeton, Oregon State University
• Robert G. Bruce, Rice University

The conversation was moderated by Bob Hansen, CEO of UPCEA, with contextual remarks from Amy Heitzman, UPCEA’s Deputy CEO and Chief Learning Officer.

Together, the panelists explored how online and professional continuing education units are evolving from peripheral operations into central engines of institutional resilience and innovation.

Financial Pressures Are Reshaping Institutional Priorities

Across the sector, universities are confronting a convergence of financial pressures: enrollment uncertainty, demographic shifts, declining public funding, and increasing expectations for affordability and workforce alignment.

For many institutions, these pressures are elevating the importance of professional and online education units as drivers of revenue diversification and strategic growth.

At the University of Washington, Rovy Branon described how a new presidential administration has placed significant emphasis on expanding the university’s overall capacity.

The institution is pursuing an ambitious goal: growing institutional capacity by 20 percent over five years, with online and workforce programs playing a central role in achieving that expansion.

While revenue generation is a key factor, Branon emphasized that mission remains the primary driver of these efforts. Strategic partnerships, such as a recently announced collaboration with Microsoft, reflect the university’s commitment to aligning educational offerings with workforce needs while expanding access to new learners.

Other panelists echoed this shift toward greater institutional reliance on professional and online education units.

Nancy Coleman noted that Harvard’s Division of Continuing Education is now receiving stronger institutional support and resource investment, reflecting growing recognition of its contributions to both mission and revenue generation.

Similarly, Oregon State University has undertaken a structural transformation. Two years ago, the institution reorganized its online and professional education efforts into the Division of Educational Ventures, positioning the unit as a central player in institutional growth strategies.

The division now has a bold goal: reaching 30,000 online learners by 2030, driven by both the university’s access mission and physical campus capacity constraints.

These examples illustrate a broader shift across higher education: institutions increasingly see professional and online education as strategic assets rather than auxiliary operations.

Expanding the Revenue Model Beyond Tuition

Another key theme of the discussion was the evolving financial model for professional and continuing education units.

At Rice University, Robert Bruce described a diversified funding approach that mirrors the structure of other academic schools within the institution.

In addition to tuition revenue, approximately 20 percent of the school’s budget now comes from philanthropy, reflecting a growing emphasis on fundraising and donor engagement.

However, Bruce emphasized that philanthropy alone cannot sustain mission-driven initiatives. As a result, institutions must continue developing additional revenue streams, including:

• Professional master’s programs
• University-to-business partnerships
• Alternative and stackable credentials

Panelists also highlighted the importance of building relationships before seeking financial support. Branon described this process as “friendraising” before fundraising, noting that many institutions receive a significant portion of philanthropic contributions from supporters who are not alumni.

The takeaway: financial resilience in higher education increasingly requires a diversified portfolio of revenue strategies, rather than reliance on a single funding source.

Change Management Is Now a Core Leadership Skill

Beyond financial considerations, the conversation also focused on the human side of institutional transformation.

Panelists noted that while many universities have adopted formal strategic plans, the real challenge lies in operationalizing those plans and aligning stakeholders across campus.

Nancy Coleman emphasized that change management remains one of the most difficult aspects of leadership. Even when institutions invest in formal change management frameworks, staff often struggle with prioritization and implementation.

Preparing teams for ongoing change, she argued, requires sustained investment in professional development and leadership training.

Other panelists highlighted strategies for embedding change management into institutional culture.

At Rice University, for example, leaders are working with institutional data teams to create automated dashboards that track progress on strategic plan metrics, helping ensure transparency and accountability across the organization.

At Oregon State, leadership has focused on establishing clear ownership and accountability for strategic initiatives, supported by regular check-ins and performance metrics.

These approaches reflect a growing recognition that successful transformation requires not just visionary leadership, but also structured processes and institutional alignment.

A New Leadership Model Is Emerging

The panel also explored how leadership expectations in higher education are evolving.

Several panelists observed that an increasing number of university presidents now come from the online and professional continuing education field—a sign of the growing influence of these units within the broader higher education ecosystem.

The leaders who succeed in this environment, panelists argued, tend to share several core competencies:

Financial fluency.
Leaders must understand complex institutional business models and make informed decisions about resource allocation.

Collaborative leadership.
Effective leaders prioritize cross-campus partnerships and view the entire university (not individual units) as their “first team.”

Strategic communication.
Leaders must articulate compelling visions that connect institutional mission, financial sustainability, and learner success.

This shift represents a move away from older leadership models that relied on hierarchical authority. Instead, today’s leaders must navigate complex networks of stakeholders while fostering collaboration and innovation.

Artificial Intelligence Is Accelerating Institutional Change

No conversation about the future of higher education would be complete without addressing artificial intelligence.

Panelists shared a wide range of institutional approaches to integrating AI into teaching, administration, and strategic planning.

At Oregon State University, Lisa Templeton reported a rapid increase in AI adoption across online courses. In just one academic term, the proportion of courses incorporating AI tools doubled from 10 percent to 20 percent.

The University of Washington is exploring AI through several initiatives, including a project that uploads course maps into an AI-powered system to make program pathways more searchable and accessible.

Meanwhile, Harvard has taken a governance-focused approach, convening committees and developing institutional guidelines to support responsible AI use while protecting academic freedom.

These efforts highlight the dual nature of AI in higher education: it presents both significant opportunities for innovation and new challenges for leadership and policy development.

Becoming Indispensable to the Institution

Perhaps the most powerful insight from the discussion was the importance of positioning online and professional education units as indispensable partners within their universities.

Panelists described several ways their units are doing this:

• Acting as internal experts on employer partnerships and workforce development
• Supporting data-driven program design and curriculum review
• Serving as internal OPMs for non-credit and professional education programs
• Contributing to student success and retention initiatives

By demonstrating value through both financial contributions and mission alignment, these units are increasingly shaping institutional strategy rather than simply responding to it.

As one panelist noted, sometimes the most effective way to demonstrate value is to ask a simple question: What would happen if this unit disappeared tomorrow?

For many institutions today, the answer is clear: online and professional continuing education units are no longer optional—they are essential to the university’s future.

Looking Ahead

The conversation made one point unmistakably clear: higher education institutions cannot afford to delay adaptation.

As financial pressures intensify and learner expectations evolve, universities must rethink how they deliver education, partner with industry, and sustain their missions.

Online and professional continuing education units are uniquely positioned to lead this transformation.

By combining entrepreneurial thinking with mission-driven innovation, these leaders are helping universities navigate uncertainty—and shape the future of higher education.

The conversation will continue at the upcoming UPCEA gathering in New Orleans, where leaders will further explore how institutions can move from strategic discussion to sustained action.

 

Amy Heitzman, Ph.D., is Chief Learning Officer and Deputy CEO of UPCEA, leading work at the intersection of research, policy, and innovation in online and professional continuing education.

 

Content for this resource was refined with assistance from ChatGPT and fully reviewed by UPCEA staff for accuracy.