UPCEA Updates

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

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…

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…

UPCEA Establishes Hub for Credential Innovation with New Council for Credential Innovation and Alternative Credentials Network

By UPCEA | August 24, 2021

Dedicated community will deliver strategic and practical guidance for postsecondary professionals involved in the design, development, and delivery of alternative credentials, intended to align higher education programming with the needs of learners and the labor market.   WASHINGTON, D.C. (Aug. 24, 2021) –  Alternative and non-degree credentials continue to gain relevance and traction with students…

UPCEA Seeks Nominations for 2022 Leadership Positions

By UPCEA | August 2, 2021

The UPCEA Governance and Nominations Committee invites nominations for the following positions: Board positions: Board President-Elect 2022-2023, serving as the Board President in 2023-2024 Secretary-Treasurer, 2022-2024 Network Senate Chair, 2022-2024 Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Committee Co-Chair (2022-2024) Board Director At-Large (7), 2022-2024 Non-Board Positions: Finance Committee members (2), 2022-2023 Diversity & Inclusive Excellence Committee members…

Falling Gracefully Into Fall Semester

By UPCEA | July 27, 2021

August is fast-approaching. We look in the rearview and wonder, “Where did summer go?”.  We start bringing ourselves to terms with the reality that the lofty project list we created at the start of summer is going to end the season with some (and maybe many) boxes left unchecked.  This transitionary time from summer to…

Other Blogs and News:

Microcredentials at an Inflection Point

Microcredentials remain firmly embedded in the higher education landscape, but institutional momentum appears to be leveling off. In the recently released 2026 Institutional Perspectives on Microcredentials Report, jointly produced by UPCEA, The EvoLLLution, and Modern Campus, institutional leaders describe a sector that is committed to workforce alignment but constrained by structural and strategic barriers. Based…

New Book Explores How Artificial Intelligence Is Transforming Online Higher Education Administration

Release offers practical strategies for ethical, student-centered AI integration WASHINGTON, DC — March 11, 2026 — Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping higher education, particularly in online and professional continuing education. A new book published by Routledge in association with UPCEA, the online and professional education association, examines how institutions can thoughtfully integrate AI into administrative…

UPCEA’s Corporate Member Blog Series #2 | Fixing the Machine: How Corporate Partners Can Address COLO Needs in 2026

The current environment for online higher education is defined by what the 2026 Landscape of Higher Education Report calls a decade of “structural change,” making the job of a Chief Online Learning Officer (COLO) complex and intensely stressful. COLOs are not operating in a vacuum; they must manage a landscape of operational complexity. The Benchmarking…

Honoring the Life and Legacy of Dr. Gary W. Matkin

UPCEA joins colleagues, friends, and the broader higher education community in mourning the passing of Dr. Gary W. Matkin, a distinguished leader in online and professional continuing education whose nearly five decades of service shaped institutions, expanded access, and advanced innovation across the globe. Dr. Matkin began his career with the University of California, Berkeley…

Leading Institutional Transformation in the Age of AI

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping work across society, and higher education institutions are no exception. Traditionally, discussions around AI in the academy have focused on student-facing issues such as academic integrity and personalized learning. Today’s higher education leaders are called to lead institutional transformation shaped by AI.  A new research study from EDUCAUSE conducted in partnership with AIR, NACUBO,…

The Missing Majority: Strategies for Re-engaging Men in Online and Professional Continuing Education

For decades, the narrative in higher education has focused on expanding access. While we have made incredible strides in many areas, a quiet but profound crisis has emerged: the vanishing male student. Across the UPCEA membership, from large public land-grants to private institutions, the data is undeniable. Nationally, women now outnumber men by approximately 60%…