UPCEA is YOUR Community
UPCEA exists to help institutions like yours enhance your online and professional continuing education portfolios. Through cutting edge research, professional networking opportunities, and higher education memberships, we provide the support and expertise your team needs to maximize success. Our initiatives include mentorship, conferences and seminars, and stakeholder advocacy, all designed to empower educational leadership. Join our vital community of current and future higher education leaders, and leverage our collaborative, entrepreneurial environment to reimagine what’s possible and achieve operational excellence.
UPCEA's Focus Areas
UPCEA members are education leaders in online and professional continuing education and include deans, administrators, marketing professionals, program directors, instructional designers, directors, and more from universities and colleges large and small, including the largest public and private institutions to smaller regional master's, baccalaureate and special focus schools. UPCEA focuses on building more effective leaders within the higher education community. Rosters are unlimited and can include anyone at your organization.
UPCEA Corporate Memberships are available to companies who provide solutions within online and professional continuing education.
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Is your institution or organization already an UPCEA Member?
UPCEA Membership Benefits
Expertise
Second Opinion: Free, 30-minute phone consultation with our lead consultants, offering guidance for education leaders.
Online Leadership Roundtable representation: one seat on the Council for Chief Online Learning Officers, providing access to exclusive networking opportunities with education leaders.
Council for Credential Innovation representation: one seat on the body for senior leaders charged with driving non-degree credential strategy at the unit or campus level, supporting professional learning and leadership development.
Custom Consulting & Program Review: contract market research, benchmarking studies, and custom consulting on program portfolios and online operations, helping educational leaders achieve operational success at great member rates.
Connections
Networking Opportunities: Our higher education memberships let you connect with peers and educational leaders facing the same challenges at UPCEA's industry-leading conferences and events.
24/7 Online Community (CORe): Advice, answers and ideas. Real-time access to 15,000+educators, leaders, and colleagues for collaboration and feedback.
Join any of our 8 Networks designed to serve professionals practicing in the key areas that define this vibrant and growing sector of higher education.
UPlift: UPCEA Mentorship Experience: Become a mentor, mentee, or both and engage with school leaders through valuable networking opportunities that support leadership development.
Career Center: Post a job or find a new job!
Learning
Special Member pricing on all UPCEA conferences, events and professional development.
Exclusive member content: Benchmarking studies, conference session slides & recordings, best practices.
Free webinars focused on timely topics essential to school leaders in online and professional continuing education.
PCO Professional Certificate and PCO Leader Certificate: Special member rates help members build expertise, advance their careers, and/or become more effective leaders in the field of online and professional continuing education.
Resources: Access to hundreds of shared documents, resources, presentations, recorded sessions designed to support higher education membership and leadership growth.
Membership Types
Institutional Membership
Institutional membership applies to degree-granting institutions in good standing with an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Dues are based on the institution’s Carnegie Classification and enrollment. Institutional Membership includes unlimited professional memberships for individuals who may use the membership benefits.
Membership is available to System Offices for regionally-accredited, degree-granting college and universities.
For more information about Institutional Membership, please contact Matt Norsworthy at 912-977-0459 or [email protected].
Corporate Membership
Corporate membership is available to business entities that provide goods and services to the higher education sector, including marketing, online program management, technology solutions, test prep, adult-learner solutions, etc.
For more information about Corporate Membership, please contact Brandan Kaiser at 202-844-4242 or [email protected].
Why Leaders Choose UPCEA
The association serves its members and advances leadership in online and professional continuing education with innovative conferences and specialty seminars, research and benchmarking information, professional networking opportunities and timely publications.
Focus & Expertise: We’re exclusively focused on advancing online and professional continuing education, and our education leaders have experience as senior administrators in these areas.
Breadth of Knowledge: We are the only association of current and future education leaders in online and professional continuing education. With a diverse member base, we provide unparalleled insights and credibility in professional learning and leadership development.
Collaborative Member Community: Our members are highly engaged, leveraging networking opportunities to collaborate, sharing challenges and solutions with one another via our community platforms, events and facilitated discussions.
Entrepreneurial Environment: We are a hub for program and business model innovation, supporting our members in all phases, from ideation to operational excellence.
Integrated Solutions Marketplace: We engage industry leading solution providers as members, versus treating them simply as exhibitors and sponsors, resulting in a culture of partnership and sharing that benefits everyone involved.
Learn More About UPCEA Membership
View "Membership Matters" to see all Membership benefits
"Membership Benefits Chart" to compare member types
View Membership "Owner's Manual" to learn more about Membership benefits
What UPCEA Members have to say
"This is going to sound hyperbolic, but my membership in UPCEA has been paramount to the success of the higher education institutions I’ve served. Simply put, the research, resources, workshops, conferences, and professional connections have helped guide my long-term strategic plans and short-term operational approaches. UPCEA membership is a professional “requirement” if you’re in this ever-evolving field and want to advance educational access and equity. That’s on the professional front. On the personal front, I’ve made lifelong friends out of lifelong colleagues, and the annual gatherings of higher education mavericks should not be missed."
Robert Bruce, Dean
Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies, Rice University
"While the field of online and professional education becomes increasingly competitive, UPCEA has maintained its collaborative, entrepreneurial environment, providing endless opportunities for learning and sharing with colleagues across institutions. From conferences, to webinars, to casual conversations, the UPCEA community has been a resource to me and my staff for ideas, innovations, and new perspectives. Together, we've advanced the field of professional education."
Thomas F. Gibbons, Dean
Northwestern University School of Professional Studies
"All community colleges and universities would benefit from the expertise in online learning that UPCEA staff and members possess."
Barbara Kopp Miller, Ph.D., Vice Provost
University of Toledo Online and Workforce Development
“Our work with UPCEA, through initiatives like the Council for Credential Innovation and microcredentials, enables industry collaboration to adapt to change and support learners of all ages.”
Susan Zukowski, MBA, PhD, CHN, Vice President Professional and Continuing Education, Workforce Community Education,
National University
“My teammates and I are grateful for the deep expertise that is embedded in UPCEA’s supportive peer network and the associations’ superb research capabilities. These are invaluable assets as we chart our school’s future direction."
Charles Iacovou, Dean of the School of Professional Studies
Wake Forest University
"For our employees, UPCEA is the key to career professional development and networking in Online and Continuing Education."
Rovy Branon, Vice Provost
Continuum College, University of Washington
"I continue to find the collaborative spaces in UPCEA extremely rewarding and hope to keep locating new ways to leverage my skills and grow in the organization."
Matt DiPirro, Associate Dean, Liberal Arts
Southern New Hampshire University
“We are very proud to be members in such a supportive, collaborative and innovative community.”
Mikyla Sears, PCE Program Coordinator, Professional & Continuing Education
Eastern Washington University
“In my opinion, UPCEA is the #1 organization for online and professional continuing education professionals in the country.”
J. Kim McNutt, Dean-College of Continuing and Professional Education
California State University, Dominguez Hills
“UPCEA membership adds significant value for anyone involved in developing and delivering market-driven online courses, certificates, and programs.”
Sunay Palsole, Ph.D., Assistant Vice Chancellor for Engineering Remote Education
Texas A&M University
"I have not been part of another organization that can so quickly and easily
connect you with seasoned professionals and growth opportunities."
Kristin Hrynczuk, Senior Instructional Technology Specialist
Western Michigan University
"The UPCEA membership benefits that have been invaluable to me are the professional development resources, the benchmarking resources and the UPCEA Hallmarks of Excellence."
Dr. Tonya Amankwatia, Assistant Vice Provost of Distance Education & Extended Learning
North Carolina A&T State University
“UPCEA has been an incredible resource for our whole division at UW-Whitewater. Our members have brought back many actionable ideas from the main conference, MEMS, DT&L, and Convergence! The online professional development has also been targeted, relevant, and accessible for our staff.”
Matthew E. Vick, Dean, School of Graduate Studies and Continuing Education
University of Wisconsin, Whitewater
"We are an institutional member of UPCEA based in Ontario, Canada and I can honestly say that UPCEA has been one of the most valuable networks I have ever had the privilege of being a part of."
Alison Darling, Director, Professional Programs
Queen’s University Industrial Relations Centre (IRC)
“UPCEA is an invaluable resource for online program marketing. The connections with my colleagues across the world inspire me with creative new ideas, success stories, lessons learned, and best practices.”
Hilary Culbertson, Senior Director of Marketing & Communications
Duke University
“UPCEA’s robust network and insightful research continues to help me navigate the dynamic and evolving landscape of higher education. It has been an invaluable resource for me.”"
Christina Trombley, Ph.D., Associate Dean, Graduate and Professional Studies
The Chicago School
“At a time of uncertainty and exponential change, UPCEA brings together expertise from across all areas of higher education for the benefit of all."
Dr. Sandra Watts, Teaching Professor of Spanish and Interdisciplinary Studies
Texas A&M University
“As a professional in workforce development and continuing education for over 25 years, I have found it hard to beat the value provided by UPCEA. I am so pleased to be a member and a part of UPCEA!”
Charles McGinnis, Ed. D., Senior Director for Continuing Education
Goodwin University
2025-2026 Membership Committee
Charles Iacovou, Wake Forest University (Chair)
Amrit Ahluwalia, Western University
Christine Cicio, Independent
Yakut Gazi, Duke University
Anna Gedrich, Mercy University
Michael Jones, University of Connecticut
Justin Louder, Anthology
Chelsea McNeely, Southeast Missouri State University
Rita Stanziale, University of Phoenix
Annie Taylor, Penn State University
Sandra Watts, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Talk to us about your membership options.
Fill out the box to the right and a representative will reach out to you, or contact Brandan Kaiser at 202-844-4242 or [email protected].