Reduced-Credit Degrees: Leading with Learners While Preparing for Disruption
As questions about the value, cost, and structure of a traditional bachelor’s degree continue to intensify, higher education leaders are confronting a reality that has remained largely unchanged for decades: the 120-credit-hour degree is more a historical artifact than a learner-centered design choice. During a recent conversation with UPCEA Institutional Representatives, panelists and participants explored…
Workforce Pell Grants: Primer and Update from Negotiated Rulemaking | Policy Matters (December 2025)
Major Updates Workforce Pell Grants for Short-Term Programs: A Primer and Update from Negotiated Rulemaking: Consensus Reached – What’s in the Draft Regulations We’ve developed a blog that provides a primer and overview of the recent negotiated rulemaking work on Workforce Pell Grants for Short-Term Programs, focusing on the first week of sessions held by…
Workforce Pell Grants for Short-Term Programs: A Primer and Update from Negotiated Rulemaking: Consensus Reached – What’s in the Draft Regulations
What Online and Professional Continuing Higher Education Leaders Should Know In early December, the Department of Education kicked off negotiated rulemaking with the Accountability in Higher Education and Access through Demand-driven Workforce Pell (AHEAD) committee, focusing most of its efforts in the first week on new Workforce Pell regulations and loss of Pell eligibility as…
How Colleges Can Shape Opportunity In The Workforce Pell Era (Forbes)
“When higher education leaders look back at 2025, they may see it as the year everything changed—not quietly, but with the force of policy, economy, and societal expectation converging. In July 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act authorized an expansion of Pell Grant eligibility to short-term, workforce-aligned programs—generally 8 to 15 weeks in length…
UPCEA Welcomes New Board and Committee Members for 2026 Terms
WASHINGTON, December 12, 2025 – UPCEA, the online and professional education association, is pleased to announce the election of new officers and new directors to serve on the UPCEA Board of Directors. Elected in November, these individuals will assume their roles at the conclusion of the 2026 UPCEA Annual Conference in New Orleans, La. on…
Designing for Lifetime Learners (Inside Higher Ed)
“This past week, presenting at the UPCEA MEMS conference in Boston, we explored a question that is becoming central to the future of higher education: What does it actually take to engage learners in lifelong learning with an institution? In a moment of rising enrollment volatility, shifting global dynamics and accelerating technological change, this question…
UPCEA Releases 2026 Predictions for Higher Education
Report highlights the accelerating transformation of higher education, from AI-driven infrastructure to lifelong learning pathways. WASHINGTON (Dec. 8, 2025) – UPCEA, the online and professional education association, today announced the release of its “Predictions 2026: Insights for Online & Professional Education.” This year’s report brings together expert perspectives from across the association to examine the…
UPCEA Announces Release of New Secret Shopper Benchmarking Study at UPCEA MEMS 2025
Findings unveiled during the conference’s closing keynote reveal major gaps and opportunities in enrollment responsiveness. WASHINGTON and BOSTON (Dec. 4, 2025) – UPCEA, the online and professional education association, today announced the release of its newest research report, Enrollment Process Review: Secret Shopper Analysis, during the closing session at the 2025 UPCEA Marketing, Enrollment Management,…
Professional, Continuing, and Online Education Update by UPCEA
- A Course Refresh this Summer - Ray Schroeder, Inside Higher Ed
- Can microcredentials drive new demand for higher ed? - Alcino Donadel, University Business
- Colleges hit in cyberattack by group behind Canvas breach, Google says - Laura Spitalniak, Higher Ed Dive
- Will learning curated by employers replace degrees? - Louise Nicol, University World News
- How to Save the US Education System - Mathew Burrows of the Stimson Center, National Interest
- Study finds detectors struggle to accurately identify amount of AI content when papers have been partially human written - Georgia Luckhurst, Times Higher Education
- The race to reimagine higher education: How Canadian universities can lead the AI transformation. - Joël Blit, University Affairs
- Leading the Era of AI - Michael Malone, Higher Ed Dive
- What colleges must learn now from the Canvas cyberattack - Steven W. Teppler and Carly Rothstein, University Business
- Americans looking for proof of the value of higher ed - Matt Zalaznick, University Business
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Professional development isn't just about attending sessions. Get involved with UPCEA to meet members from other institutions, share the great work your institution is doing, and hone your own skills. From submitting a session proposal for a conference or an article for a publication to serving as a volunteer on a conference planning committee, there are as many ways to engage with us!
