UPCEA CEO Robert J. Hansen to Retire in 2027; Board to Launch National Search for Successor
Hansen will leave an organization that has nearly quadrupled its annual revenue and become the leading association for online and professional education WASHINGTON, October 21, 2026 – The UPCEA Board of Directors today announced that Dr. Robert J. Hansen, who has led UPCEA, the online and professional education association, for more than 16 years, will…
2026 UPCEA MEMS Award Recipients Announced
26 recipients chosen across three award categories WASHINGTON, D.C., September 16, 2026 — UPCEA, the online and professional education association, has announced the recipients of the 2026 Excellence in Enrollment Management Award, the Excellence in Advancing Student Success Award, and the Excellence in Marketing Award. All three awards are sponsored by UPCEA’s Marketing, Enrollment Management,…
New Research: AI Answers Decide Which Schools Prospects Choose as Consideration Sets Continue to Shrink
UPCEA and Search Influence’s 2026 study finds prospective students question AI more, but increasingly use and trust it in their search for programs NEW ORLEANS, La. — September 16, 2026 — Prospective students consider just three or fewer continuing and online education programs before applying, and AI-generated search overviews increasingly shape which ones make that…
Post-Pandemic, Online Ed Has ‘Staying Power’ (Inside Higher Ed)
“The surge in online enrollment forced by the pandemic is leveling out. And the modality is now far more popular than it ever was during the 2010s, according to newly released federal data. The Education Department published fall 2024 online enrollment data last month, covering more 5,615 institutions. The data shows nearly 54 percent of college students…
Unlocking Opportunity: How Tax Policies Like Section 127 Can Drive Employer Partnerships
By Chelsea Miller, UpSkill America, and Amy Heitzman, UPCEA This piece was originally published in July 2025. It has since been updated to reflect changes to Section 127 as a result of the 2025 tax reconciliation bill. Updated September 1, 2026. Partnership is a key driver to unlocking opportunity in America. This is why UPCEA and UpSkill…
Building Tomorrow’s University Today
How continuing education leaders are turning institutional pressure into possibility Higher education is under no shortage of pressure. Enrollment volatility, strained financial models, rapidly changing technologies, and evolving learner expectations are forcing institutions to reconsider whom they serve, how learning is delivered, and what sustainability will require. But pressure does not determine what comes next.…
Membership ROI Calculator: A Simple Framework to Justify UPCEA for Your Team
When a budget review lands on your desk, line items for professional association memberships are often the first to draw scrutiny. The question from leadership is reasonable: What do we actually get for this? For online and professional continuing education units, the honest answer is usually “a great deal” — but only if you can…
From Silos to Systems: A Practical Guide to Cross-Campus Partnerships for Adult Learners
Adult learners have gradually become one of the most important populations in higher education. Roughly 3.9 million students over the age of 25 were enrolled in undergraduate programs in fall 2023, and adult learners now make up at least 40% of total higher ed revenue. Yet many institutions still serve them with structures built for…