WASHINGTON, DC, and NEWBURYPORT, MA, Sept. 24, 2015 — The University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) and the Online Learning Consortium (OLC) have formed a coalition to advance the interests of non-traditional (sometimes called “contemporary”) learners and the programs that support them. This partnership comes at a time of great importance to the higher education federal policy landscape, as Congress reviews the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.

As the 114th Congress comes together to amend the most important legislation for our country’s colleges and universities, UPCEA and OLC are dedicated to advocating for advancing access, innovation, and creative solutions to help realign federal policy with the current higher education landscape.

“UPCEA and OLC believe the future of higher education is inexorably linked to issues facing non-traditional learners who comprise roughly 85 percent of today’s student population,” said Robert Hansen, Ph.D., CEO of UPCEA.

“Non-traditional learners are working adults, single parents, veterans and military personnel, caregivers, and others for whom full-time classroom-based learning creates enormous challenges of time, access and cost,” said Kathleen S. Ives, D.M., CEO and executive director of OLC. “The ultimate purpose of our partnership is to ensure these learners have access to high-quality courses and programs that allow them to meet the competing demands of work, family and education.”

Through a partnership with the law firm Cooley LLP, UPCEA and OLC will engage with various stakeholders and representatives, and inform their respective memberships of the latest developments in federal higher education policy.

UPCEA and OLC’s combined memberships represent more than 900 institutions of higher education. Download the full list of these institutions at http://bit.ly/OLC-UPCEA-Members.

About OLC
The Online Learning Consortium (OLC), formerly the Sloan Consortium, is the leading professional organization devoted to advancing the quality of online learning worldwide. The member-sustained organization offers an extensive set of resources for professional development and institutional advancement of online learning, including, original research, leading-edge instruction (e.g., workshops, certificates), best-practice publications, community-driven webinars and conferences, research-into-practice tools and resources as well as expert guidance. OLC members include mid-and senior level administrators, faculty members, trainers and other online learning professionals, as well as educational institutions, professional societies and corporate enterprises. OLC is a virtual organization with its headquarters in Newburyport, MA. Visit http://onlinelearningconsortium.org for more information.

About UPCEA
UPCEA is the association for leaders in professional, continuing, and online education. Founded in 1915, UPCEA now serves more than 400 institutions, including most of the leading public and private colleges and universities in North America. For 100 years, the association has served its members with innovative conferences and specialty seminars, research and benchmarking information, professional networking opportunities and timely publications. Based in Washington, D.C., UPCEA also builds greater awareness of the vital link between contemporary learners and public policy issues. Visit https://upcea.edu for more information.