The Pulse of Higher Ed

Perspectives on Online and Professional Education
from UPCEA’s Research and Consulting Experts

The Building Blocks of Higher Education’s Future: Blockchain

Are you reading the blogs on technology by Ray Schroeder, Director of UPCEA’s National Council for Online Education?  When he’s not talking about augmented reality or robotics, he’s talking about blockchain.  Are you at an awkward mixer and everyone is talking about blockchain?  You’re not alone.  It’s a simple, but challenging concept that is coming.  It is not an “if it will come,” but a “when will it come?”  It’s actually here already and slowly integrating into society.

It also has many applications, many of which I struggled to visualize. While blockchain is the underpinning of cashless society, it could also revolutionize supply chains, health systems, manufacturing, agriculture and other industries.

Blockchain could become so integral in day-to-day life that it will become present in nearly all engagements or transactions. Like our DNA, as part of an engagement or activity in society, identifying or connective digital information would be created and act as a record that can be securely traced back as part of “blockchain.”

In the not-too-distant future, blockchain could become so widespread and integral to day-to-day activity, it may act as the genetic material of our world as we know it.

Read my latest report on blockchain here.

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Other UPCEA Updates + Blogs

Expanding Institutional Capacity for Credential Innovation through Business and Community Partnerships

Higher education is rapidly changing. The 2025-26 academic year will be the first in which the number of fully online undergraduates surpass those who are fully residential.¹ In particular, interest and innovation in workforce-related programming and credentials continue to surge, with this market emerging as one of the fastest growing in higher education. Two-thirds of…

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UPCEA’s 2025 Online Education Benchmarking Report Provides Vital Data for University Leaders

Second annual study provides new KPI benchmarks around enrollments, finance, and budget, explores the impact of AI, and provides strategic recommendations for online leaders to thrive in these uncertain times.  WASHINGTON, D.C., ISSUED AUGUST 12, 2025…UPCEA, the online and professional education association, today announced the release of a new research report, “Benchmarking Online Enterprises: Insights…

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How to Build Strong Employer Partnerships to Support Student Success

Now, possibly more than ever, it is critically important for colleges and universities to engage with employers for the benefit of our students. Higher education is facing an unprecedented time. The demographic cliff is upon us, the current political environment has led to policy whiplash and has upended funding sources for research. Our campuses have…

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Artificial Intelligence is Non-Negotiable for Higher Education Marketing and Enrollment Management

Why Institutional Leaders Can No Longer Afford to Wait on AI adoption The clock is ticking for higher education institutions that haven’t fully embraced AI. What was once an experimental advantage in marketing and enrollment has quickly become an urgent necessity. AI has firmly established itself as an operational imperative across diverse industries, with the…

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Congress Passes President Trump’s OBBB—Workforce Pell Included, but Higher Ed Gets $300 Billion Slash | Policy Matters (July 2025)

Major Updates Congress Passes President Trump’s OBBB—Workforce Pell Included, but Higher Ed Gets $300 Billion Slash President Trump’s newly signed One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB) overhauls the federal approach to higher education policy. Short-term Pell advocates (of which UPCEA has been a long supporter) have something to be thankful for, as it opens Workforce…

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Synchronizing Pathways: Advancing the National Dialogue on Credentials and Learning Mobility

Incubator grant supports critical work to align data practices and learning mobility frameworks to benefit today’s learners WASHINGTON July 31, 2025 – UPCEA, the online and professional education association, has launched a national initiative to advance credential transparency and learner mobility through improved data quality and institutional capacity-building. The project titled, “Synchronizing Pathways: Expanding Institutional…

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