UPCEA Updates

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

2021 Regional Conferences to be Virtual, Free for Members

By UPCEA | January 27, 2021

I’m pleased to share with you that UPCEA’s 2021 Regional Conferences this fall will again be completely virtual AND free of charge to our members! I invite you and your teams to connect, network, share and learn with us online in fall 2021. Until then, session recordings, slides, and other materials from the 2020 Regional…

[Webinar Recording] Beyond Self-Care – Mental Health in Times of COVID

By UPCEA | January 7, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic placed enormous stress on all aspects of the educational system. Technological and human resources were required to adopt at lighting speed in order to maintain continuity of delivery. One aspect that was especially stressed and often overlooked was the mental health and well-being of all participants, administrators, faculty, and students alike. This…

2020 UPCEA Marketing and Enrollment Award Recipients Announced

By UPCEA | December 7, 2020

20 Recipients Chosen For Special 2020 Awards WASHINGTON, D.C., December 7, 2020 — UPCEA, the leader in professional, continuing, and online education, has announced the recipients of the 2020 Excellence in Enrollment Management Award and the 2020 UPCEA Crisis Management Marketing Award. In light of the challenges facing UPCEA members, who are leading their institutions…

In Memoriam: Keith Bailey

By UPCEA | December 7, 2020

Long-time UPCEA member and colleague Keith Bailey (1970-2020) passed away in early December 2020. Dr. Bailey served as Assistant Provost for Teaching and Learning and Dean of WVU Online at West Virginia University. In this role, he oversaw the day-to-day operations of both WVU Online and the University’s Teaching and Learning Commons. Dr. Bailey previously…

Embedding Industry Certifications into Bachelor’s Degrees: New Framework Now Available

By UPCEA | December 1, 2020

Report Provides Guidance to Universities and Certification Bodies to Explore Certification-Degree Pathways December 1, 2020 – A new framework to support the development and scaling of certification-degree pathways has been published today by Workcred – an affiliate of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) – in partnership with the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU),…

How Blockchain Can Streamline Recordkeeping at Universities (OnlineEducation)

By UPCEA | November 9, 2020

“What we see coming out of the pandemic is that the world is entering an environment for business and industry called the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is a digitizing work. What that opens up for is that our delivery of documentation will change and will be delivered on the blockchain.” – Ray Schroeder, Senior Fellow…

What Does the Blockchain Mean for University Partnerships? (Helix Education)

By UPCEA | November 8, 2020

COVID has accelerated the evolution and adoption of a lot of new technologies across higher ed. What has the pandemic done to the blockchain movement specifically?  Ray Schroeder, associate vice chancellor of online learning at University of Illinois Springfield, and senior fellow at UPCEA, returns to the Enrollment Growth University show to remark on the acceleration…

UPCEA Announces Online Leadership Roundtable Advisory Council Changes

By UPCEA | October 22, 2020

WASHINGTON, October 22, 2020 — UPCEA, the Washington, D.C.-based association for college and university leaders in professional, continuing, and online education, announced changes this month to its Online Leadership Roundtable Advisory Council.   The Online Leadership Roundtable (OLR) is the body for senior leaders charged with driving online strategy at the unit or campus level.…

Other Blogs and News:

UPCEA Recognizes 2025 Award Recipients at the Summit for Online Leadership and Administration Conference (SOLAR)

Association Award Recipients Highlighted at Event WASHINGTON (July 17, 2025) – UPCEA, the online and professional education association, is pleased to recognize the recipients of this year’s online and distance education awards. Award recipients will be showcased at the Summit for Online Leadership and Administration (SOLAR) Conference, July 22-24 in Portland, Oregon. The annual SOLAR…

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Unlocking Opportunity: How Tax Policies Like Section 127 Can Drive Employer Partnerships

By Chelsea Miller, UpSkill America, and Amy Heitzman, UPCEA Partnership is a key driver to unlocking opportunity in America, which is why UPCEA and UpSkill America are so excited to come together to help academic institutions understand one particular priority for employers: leveraging tax policies to drive engagement (really!).  UpSkill America focuses on how employers…

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Foreword by Bob Hansen Featured in The COLO Guidebook

We are pleased to share the foreword by UPCEA CEO Bob Hansen from the newly released Chief Online Learning Officers’ Guidebook: A Framework for Strategy and Practice in Higher Education. The guidebook, now available from Routledge in paperback, hardback, and eBook formats, provides a comprehensive framework for today’s online learning leaders. Learn more and purchase…

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The Compensation Compass: Navigating Professional Value with the 2024 UPCEA Salary Survey

If you’ve ever set out on a hike without a map and compass, you know the feeling: creeping uncertainty about whether you’re still on the trail, how far you’ve come, and how far you have to go. In 2017, when I was walking from Mexico to Canada, the snow level in the Sierra Mountains was…

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International Student Visa Review Resumes, Social Media Vetting Instituted | Policy Matters (June 2025)

Major Updates Trump Administration Resumes Embassy Review on Student Visas, Implements Social Media Vetting Requirements The Trump Administration has lifted its pause on F‑, M‑, and J‑visa processing but simultaneously unleashed sweeping new social-media vetting requirements: all international student applicants must now make their Facebook, X, Instagram and other accounts public for consular review, with…

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UPCEA Announces Updates to Board of Directors

June 25, 2025 – WASHINGTON — UPCEA, the online and professional education association, announces recent updates to its Board of Directors, effective immediately. Susan Seal, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Professional and Continuing Studies at Mississippi State University, has been appointed to serve as a Director At-Large, filling the remainder of the 2025–2026 term…

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