At UPCEA—the association for leaders in professional, continuing and online education (PCO)—we have the answers and the resources you need. With your UPCEA membership, you are part of a powerful community of chief online learning officers who understand you and the challenges you face.
Get to know us with these open resources. Click on the links below for expert advice, blog posts and more. And, our Second Opinion program (typically reserved for members) allows you to get advice from one of our experts and is now open to all for a limited time.
Center for Research and Strategy
The Center for Research and Strategy UPCEA offers the gold standard of research and benchmarking information in the industry through its Center for Research and Strategy. Under the experienced leadership of Jim Fong, the Center conducts several free studies per year for the benefit of all UPCEA members, in addition to dozens of custom studies for individual members that are considerably more affordable than the private sector. UPCEA benchmarking research is not just the industry standard—it is also a nonprofit service designed for institutions like yours. Look out for these forthcoming studies to benchmark your unit to others in the field and with peer institutions:
Interested in more from the Center for Research and Strategy?
UPCEA Consulting — The best value in the industry today.
Informed decisions. Ideas that work. The data you need.
Reasonably priced and all in one place from the experts in professional, continuing, and online education: UPCEA. Whether you need benchmarking studies, guidance for your online enterprise, market research for a new program, or specific information to evaluate and develop strategies to take your programs to the next level, UPCEA Consulting is the right choice. Consulting is offered via the Center for Research and Strategy. UPCEA also offers peer review teams for on-site visits. See who we’ve worked with at upcea.edu/clients.
Members get more!
As an UPCEA member, you have access to research and benchmarking studies via CORe, and can use our popular Second Opinion program at no charge. Our consultants are available to provide short, rapid-response consultations on questions that require an independent, expert perspective.
For a limited time only, we are offering this service to non-members as well!
Timely, Actionable Communications
The UPCEA magazine, Unbound: Reinventing Higher Education, is an e-publication in magazine format designed to showcase thought leadership, case studies, research and other valuable contributions to the field. The UPCEA Briefing is a weekly primer designed to position our members as thought leaders on their campuses. The Briefing provides timely, topical, and trending information that members can apply in their programs and departments. Ray Schroeder’s daily blog, the Professional, Continuing, and Online Education Update by UPCEA, is a curated collection of higher education news articles with relevance
to members.
Blogs
UPCEA blogs feature posts from industry experts and thought leaders on the latest in professional, continuing, and online education, including online leadership trends, marketing and enrollment research, instructional design, and more. Visit upcea.edu/blogs to explore all UPCEA blogs.
Industry Leading Events
Attend or view webinars on your schedule, and connect with peers in your area at a Regional Conference — especially useful for new or mid-level professionals. Share your lessons learned with colleagues by presenting a conference session, and get involved with the association by becoming a volunteer leader. Connect with other high-level leaders through the Annual Conference and all our events.
What Current UPCEA Members Are Saying
"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
"All community colleges and universities would benefit from the expertise in online learning that UPCEA staff and members possess."
Barbara Kopp Miller, Ph.D., Dean and Professor
University of Toledo
"The esprit de corps exhibited by UPCEA staff and members is second to none."
J. Kim McNutt, Dean-College of Continuing and Professional Education
California State University, Dominguez Hills
"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
“Universities with strong continuing education or semi-centralized online education units can benefit a great deal from UPCEA membership.”
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Matthew E. Vick, Dean, School of Graduate Studies and Continuing Education
University of Wisconsin, Whitewater
“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
“Our team is discovering what a great resource the UPCEA network is, and everyone is becoming a fan! We look forward to our collaboration in the years ahead."
Charles Iacovou, Dean of the School of Professional Studies
Wake Forest University
"UPCEA is the one place where I know I have a network of colleagues who are...willing to share their expertise and experience."
Christina Trombley, Ph.D., Executive Director of Drake Online and Continuing Education
Drake University
"Having these resources and sharing best practices helped us navigate through what will forever be considered the new normal."
Mili Maldonado Agusty, Executive Director
Sagrado Global School of Professional Studies, Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, San Juan, Puerto Rico
"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
"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
"The UPCEA membership, without question, has been the best return on investment for our institution."
Pamela Wimbush, Dean, College of Continuing Education (Interim)
Sacramento State
"I have not been part of another organization that can so quickly and easily
connect you with seasoned professionals and growth opportunities."
Kristin Hrynczuk, Instructional Technology Specialist
Western Michigan University
"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
We're here for you - contact us for more information
Need help mapping the details? Call us!
Call us at 202.659.3130 and we will be happy to work with you. Our office is open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. ET. We’re here for you! If at any time you have questions, concerns or need more information about UPCEA membership, call us! UPCEA team members will answer your questions or point you in the right direction.
For more information, contact Brandan Kaiser, [email protected] or Kimberly Zaski, [email protected].