UPCEA Updates

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

The Commons: Boost your job prospects by “re-creating” vs recreating

By UPCEA | November 14, 2019

Do you ever feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day? If you’re like millions of working adults (meaning, anyone reading this), of course you do. And, while most of us are referring to a lack of time between 9 and 5, the reality is that the most successful people are willing to sacrifice…

2019 UPCEA Marketing and Enrollment Award Recipients Announced

By UPCEA | November 1, 2019

WASHINGTON, D.C., November 1, 2019 — UPCEA, the leader in professional, continuing, and online education, has announced the recipients of the 2019 Excellence in Enrollment Management Award and the 2019 Marketing Awards. The UPCEA Excellence in Enrollment Management Award recognizes an outstanding professional, continuing, and/or online organization (unit or individual) that models best practices and…

Thousands worldwide have participated in GW’s free online courses, officials say (The GW Hatchet)

By UPCEA | October 31, 2019

Five years after GW launched its first free massive open online course, faculty continue to tout its advantages for students. Officials currently offer four MOOCs, which allow anyone to enroll at any time for a self-paced class in engineering or nursing after cutting two classes in summer 2018. Officials said the courses help their schools reach out to thousands of people…

Emboldening Student Driven Learning in the Online Environment

By UPCEA | October 11, 2019

By SmartBrief Editors This post is produced in partnership with UPCEA.   The world of professional, continuing and online education is in constant flux. Former associate dean of academic affairs at Syracuse University and current University of North Carolina at Greensboro division of online learning dean, Dr. Karen Bull provides her perspective in this online…

Deconstructing the Economic Factors Affecting Professional Learning

By UPCEA | September 13, 2019

By SmartBrief Editors This post is produced in partnership with UPCEA. The desire to advance in a career field or life in general is not enough for individuals who are ready to learn more and better their circumstances. Disparity exists when it comes to post-secondary education, including traditional college, certification programs and other forms of…

Special announcement: UPCEA Membership Roster Changes

By UPCEA | September 12, 2019

As chair of the UPCEA Membership committee, I am pleased to share some exciting news. If you are like my team at the University of Washington, you have more people who could benefit from your institution’s UPCEA membership than you have roster slots. For us, that has meant a constant rotation of staff through a…

The Cybercrime Urgency in Professional Learning Spaces

By UPCEA | August 16, 2019

By SmartBrief Editors This post is produced in partnership with UPCEA It’s no secret that hackers are getting more sophisticated and that no businesses or organizations are immune. A reported 60% of large businesses and more than 50% of high-income charities have experienced cyber security breaches in the last year and a small business is…

Groups Align to Advocate for Today’s Students (Inside Higher Ed)

By UPCEA | July 25, 2019

A coalition of groups representing veterans, working adults and historically underrepresented students have teamed up to form a new organization designed to change federal and other policies to better recognize how “today’s students” differ from the traditional 18- to 24-year-olds who’ve historically dominated postsecondary enrollments. The Today’s Students Coalition says it will work to modernize the financial…

Other Blogs and News:

From Programs to Ecosystems: Reflections from Misericordia’s Workforce Symposium

Recently, I had the privilege of keynoting UPCEA member Misericordia University’s 2026 Workforce Symposium—an event that brought together institutional leaders, employers, and regional partners to wrestle with one of the most urgent questions facing higher education today: What does it mean to truly align with the workforce—not just in programs, but in purpose? First, deep…

UPCEA’s Corporate Member Blog Series #3 | The Partner Playbook: 5 Ways to Help Universities Win the “Modern Learner”

The “traditional” student is quickly becoming a relic of a bygone era. The future of enrollment is concentrated in new, non-traditional markets: adult learners seeking rapid re-skilling, dual-enrolled high school students, and the millions of Americans with “some college, no credential” who represent a significant scalable opportunity for growth. Universities know they must pivot decisively…

Higher Education at a Crossroads: Leadership, Strategy, and Stewardship

Reflections from a Fireside Chat with President Jon Alger on March 18, 2026 There are moments in this fellowship year that feel distinctly formative—where the conversation you’re facilitating is also, quietly, shaping you. Last week’s fireside chat with American University President Jon Alger was one of those moments for me. As part of my ACE…

The 41 Million SCNC: Why Higher Ed’s Greatest Failure is the Refusal to Recognize Real Life

There has been much discussion about the more than 41 million US learners with “Some College No Credential” (SCNC) over the past several years. Despite a strategic focus by higher education institutions to re-enroll these learners, and with some success, the population has continued to grow. UPCEA hosted a strategic conversation with the Council for…

Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Student Recruitment

I recently contributed a chapter in the recently released book, AI Applications in Online Higher Education Administration: Strategies for Maximizing Returns and Improving Outcomes edited by Kathleen Ives, Marie Cini, and Ray Schroeder. This blog highlights key take-aways from my chapter. Higher education recruitment is undergoing one of the most significant transformations in decades. Traditional…

Public Comment Period Opens on Workforce Pell Implementation Rules (Due April 8) | Policy Matters (March 2026)

Major Updates Public Comment Period Opens on Workforce Pell Implementation Rules (Due April 8) The U.S. Department of Education has officially opened the public comment period on proposed regulations to implement Workforce Pell Grants, with comments due April 8, 2026. These grants offer a new federal financial aid pathway that will allow students to use…