UPCEA Updates

Your one-stop shop for the latest Association happenings, plus thoughts from the desk of CEO Bob Hansen.

UPCEA Announces 2021 Regional Award Recipients

By UPCEA | September 29, 2021

17 Individuals and 21 Programs Honored Across 5 Regions WASHINGTON, September 29, 2021 – UPCEA, the leader in professional, continuing, and online education, has announced the recipients of the 2021 Regional Awards. Each of UPCEA’s five Regions recognizes both individual and institutional achievement of the UPCEA members within the Region.  Award recipients will be honored…

UPCEA Launches Alternative Credentials Community to Advance Quality Standards, Policy, Best Practices

By UPCEA | September 27, 2021

Dedicated resources include benchmarking research, peer learnings and networking via new Council for Credential Innovation and Alternative Credentials Network WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, September 27, 2021 — The University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) today launched its Council for Credential Innovation and Alternative Credentials Network, providing dedicated resources to advance quality standards, policy and…

Data Privacy Regulations Set to Impact Higher Education Marketing and Enrollment

By UPCEA | September 24, 2021

For 25 years, the collection and trading of financial, social, personal, and location data via digital means has been a booming, multi-billion-dollar business. Web cookies and other tracking technologies, such as personal identifiable information (PII), have basically followed digital users almost everywhere they went, and they rarely had much control over what was collected and…

UPCEA Seeks Part-Time Data Analyst to Join Center for Research and Strategy Team

By UPCEA | September 24, 2021

UPCEA is currently seeking a part-time Data Analyst for a fully remote position with our Center for Research and Strategy team.   The Data Analyst is responsible for collecting, analyzing, and transforming data into actionable insights on various projects for UPCEA. Role responsibilities include identifying, gathering, and analyzing data to produce understandable and insightful figures and…

In Memoriam: Karen Swan

By UPCEA | September 9, 2021

Long-time UPCEA member and colleague Karen Swan passed away in early September 2021. Dr. Swan served as professor of education at the University of Illinois at Springfield’s Center for Online Learning, Research and Service. Previously, she served as research professor at Kent State University’s Research Center for Educational Technology. Dr. Swan completed her doctorate in…

Reflections on trends in student success

By UPCEA | August 27, 2021

While many of our colleagues across the country are in the throes of fall orientation, the first weeks of classes, and maybe even a little bit of college football, those of us on the quarter system have well over a month until our fall courses start. And if I’m being honest, I’m still knee deep…

UPCEA Announces 2021 Diversity in Leadership Scholars

By UPCEA | August 26, 2021

UPCEA is pleased to announce the 2021 cohort of Bethaida “Bea” González Diversity in Leadership Scholars. We look forward to these eight individuals joining our learning community as they pursue the courses in their chosen certificate program.  Representative and diverse leadership is a cornerstone of UPCEA’s Commitment to Diversity and Inclusive Excellence. The goal of…

Alternative credentials in higher education have a champion (EdScoop)

By UPCEA | August 25, 2021

A leading higher education association is setting its sights on alternative credentials, on Tuesday launching two new groups to simplify the process for institutions looking to implement more short-term programs. The University for Professional and Continuing Education Association announced a council, composed of campus leadership drawn from its more than 400 member institutions, to lead…

Other Blogs and News:

AI Readiness and Its Relationship to Enrollment Management in Continuing Education

Enrollment management plays a pivotal role in the success of any online and professional continuing education units through impact on revenue generation, learner engagement, and program sustainability. AI-driven business process automation (BPA) offers transformative solutions to streamline enrollment workflows, enhance recruitment strategies, and improve the overall student experience through allowing staff to focus on human…

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Proposed Distance Education Rules Are Now Likely To Be Finalized Before the End of the Current Presidential Term | Policy Matters (December 2024)

Proposed Distance Education Rules Are Now Likely To Be Finalized Before the End of the Current Presidential Term On December 30, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) shared the final, unofficial version of its new program integrity and distance education regulations, which call for the collection of new but yet-to-be-established distance education and correspondence course enrollment data…

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Reflections from Convergence 2024: Credential Innovation in Higher Education, hosted by UPCEA and AACRAO

The running joke was that this fall’s Convergence, UPCEA’s second collaboration with thoughtful partner AACRAO, was referred to as Convergence Two: Electric Boogaloo, for the verve and excitement around bringing together another sold-out/SRO gathering of credential innovators–in the buzzy city of New Orleans, no less. And though I am fairly certain that pop-y, choreographed dancing…

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Degrees on Hold: Bringing “Some College, No Credential” Learners Back

Higher education is facing a real challenge—and yes, I said challenge. (Because let’s face it, we really do love a good “opportunity” in higher ed, don’t we?) With over 41 million people in the U.S. who’ve started college and left without a degree, there exists a massive group of learners who are unfinished, yet far…

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According To the New UPCEA and Collegis Report, 71% of Prospective Graduate Students Prefer Fully Online Programs

Findings highlight the need for strategic outreach to address master’s degree enrollment challenges in a competitive market [Washington and Illinois] – December 16, 2024 –  A new report released today by UPCEA, the online and professional education association, and Collegis Education, a higher education solutions tech-enabler, highlights the growing interest in online master’s degree programs…

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Building the Future of Credentials: Explore the LER Accelerator Inventory

By the LER Accelerator coalition We are excited to share the official launch of the LER Accelerator Inventory, a comprehensive collection of resources designed to support institutions in adopting and implementing Learning and Employment Records (LERs). As members of the LER Accelerator coalition, we are proud to contribute to this valuable initiative to create a more transparent, interoperable, and…

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