Government Affairs

UPCEA helps provide colleges and universities in the online and professional continuing education field with advocacy and information on regulation and legislation. UPCEA builds greater awareness of the vital link between contemporary learners and public policy issues.

UPCEA Asks Congress for Additional Funding, Online Student Support, Waiver Authority

April 22, 2020

Today UPCEA has sent a letter to Capitol Hill congressional leadership regarding the need for additional funding, waiver authority, and online student support in future funding calculations. Once on the periphery of institutions of higher education, today our members are front and center as all postsecondary learning has rapidly shifted to a remote format. Over…

Special Edition Policy Matters | Major Covid-19 Stimulus Bill Passed + ED Releases Substantial Draft Regulations on Distance Ed, CBE, Credit Hour + More (April 2020)

April 9, 2020

Major Updates Major Coronavirus Relief Bill (CARES Act) Passes | Provides Financial Aid Relief, $30B+ Stabilization Fund for Education After temporarily stalled negotiations, Congress has passed a $2.2 trillion stimulus package in response to the Covid-19 crisis, the CARES Act, the largest package of its kind ever passed into law. Higher education advocates, including UPCEA,…

Policy Matters | US Dept of Education Issues Guidance for Higher Education + Congressional Action on COVID-19; UPCEA Advocacy and Resources (March 2020)

March 24, 2020

Much congressional action has been taken since the COVID-19 crisis began. A bill that provides tax relief for businesses to support paid sick leave and free coronavirus testing; one authorizing $8.3 billion to help government agencies respond to the virus; and a bill protecting GI Bill housing benefits for online veteran students, are all now…

UPCEA Signs Letters to Congress on COVID-19 Supports for Students and Institutions

March 20, 2020

UPCEA joined with ACE and dozens of other organizations to write congressional leadership to outline the ways in which we believe the federal government can assist students, educators and institutions in recovering from the impact of COVID-19. Colleges and universities are uniquely vulnerable to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, as our educational and research…

UPCEA Urges Passage of Online Veteran Student Support Bill in Response to COVID-19

March 19, 2020

UPCEA, along with ACE, and almost 50 other organizations wrote a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy asking the House to approve a bill ensuring veterans continue to receive their GI bill benefits when campuses move courses online due to COVID-19. S. 3503 would grant the Secretary of the Department of…

UPCEA + 50 Organizations Pen Letter Asking for Student Support during COVID-19 Crisis

March 18, 2020

UPCEA joined with Higher Learning Advocates with a total of 51 organizations to write to congressional leadership to help support students’ needs. As new cases of COVID-19 exposure and infection arise every day, many of the nation’s institutions of higher education are suspending or moving classes online to do what’s best for the public health…

UPCEA is a proud founding member of the Today's Students Coalition.

UPCEA 2025-2026 Policy Committee

Corina Caraccioli, Loyola University New Orleans, Co-Chair
Abram Hedtke, St. Cloud State University, Co-Chair
Bridget Beville, University of Phoenix
Curtis Brant, Bowling Green State University
Kristen Brown, University of Louisville
Amy Collier, Middlebury College
Christopher Davis, University of Maryland Global Campus
Ilona Marie Hajdu, Indiana University
Laura Hendley, Stevenson University
Gloria Niles, University of Hawaii System
Kelly Otter, Georgetown University
Erika Swain, University of Colorado Boulder
Craig Wilson, University of Arizona