UPCEA Updates

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

Millennials prefer credentialing programs to traditional degrees (Education Dive)

By UPCEA | June 29, 2016

A new study reveals that more than 90% of American colleges and universities offer alternative credential or badging programs for certification in industry-specific careers. The University Professional and Continuing Education Association says millennial survey respondents prefer certifications to bachelor’s degrees, and schools are responding with increased development of professional training silos. Read the full story.

More Than 90 Percent of Institutions Offer Alternative Credentials (Campus Technology)

By UPCEA | June 29, 2016

Millennial students seem to prefer badging and certificate programs to traditional bachelor’s degrees, according to a new study from University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA), Pennsylvania State University and Pearson that explored the role that alternative credentials play in higher education. Read the full story.

Pioneering Study Reveals More Than 90 Percent of Colleges and Universities Embrace Alternative Credentials

By admin | June 28, 2016

WASHINGTON, D.C. – June 28, 2016 – A study released today by UPCEA (the University Professional and Continuing Education Association), Penn State and Pearson, at the UPCEA and the American Council on Education (ACE) Summit for Online Leadership in Washington, D.C., found widespread acceptance and use of alternative credentialing programs at American colleges and universities.…

I waited until I was 30 to go to college. Best decision ever. (The Washington Post)

By UPCEA | June 23, 2016

Technically, being a nontraditional student isn’t all that nontraditional. The National Center for Education Statistics has delineated seven characteristics of nontraditional students, including delayed enrollment, full-time employment and supporting a dependent; NCES posits that 75 percent of all students have at least one of these characteristics. In 2011, 40 percent of American college students were…

A big partnership for higher ed data analytics (eCampus News)

By UPCEA | May 20, 2016

Data management software company TMMData joins UPCEA in a Gold Level Industry Partnership to guide its members’ emerging data analytics and reporting efforts. TMMData, a provider of flexible data management software, recently announced its Gold Level Industry Partnership with UPCEA (the University Professional and Continuing Education Association). Through the collaboration, TMMData will pair its data…

UPCEA and TMMData Partner to Bring Data Analytics and Reporting Best Practices to the Forefront of Higher Education

By admin | May 16, 2016

Media Contact:  Kim Francois 410-581-5928 [email protected] Leading data management software company joins UPCEA in a Gold Level Industry Partnership to guide its members’ emerging data analysis and reporting efforts  STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (May 16, 2016) — TMMData, a top provider of flexible data management software, today announced its Gold Level Industry Partnership with UPCEA (the…

No One Rule Fits All (InsideHigherEd)

By UPCEA | May 3, 2016

The Online Learning Consortium, the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) and the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies (WCET) — three organizations that deal primarily with online education — previously commented to say the proposed rules focused too strongly on face-to-face programs. The department, they wrote, had not “sufficiently considered the ramifications for the…

UCLA’s Dean Of Continuing Education And Extension Smutz To Serve As UPCEA President-Elect

By UPCEA | April 9, 2016

SAN DIEGO, CA – UPCEA, the Washington, D.C.-based association for university leaders in professional, continuing, and online education, welcomed Wayne Smutz as the association’s 2016-17 President-Elect during the 101st UPCEA Annual Conference. Smutz is Dean of Continuing Education and Extension at the University of California, Los Angeles. Smutz deeply believes that continuing and online education organizations…

Other Blogs and News:

Bringing an Insider-Outsider Perspective to UPCEA’s Members

Shortly after pivoting twelve years ago from a deanship to a faculty position, I realized the only job better than being a dean was now being able to help other university leaders. A highlight of this career change has been visiting campuses as part of a consulting or accreditation team and conducting numerous solo consulting…

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How to Market Your Higher Education Programs to Prospective Students

As the college admissions landscape continues undergoing seismic shifts, higher education administrators and marketing teams must be able to come up with innovative, future-forward marketing strategies designed to increase interest, boost admission rates, and target student populations that may not otherwise have considered attending college. By developing a marketing strategy for student recruitment, you can promote your higher…

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UPCEA Recognizes the 2024 Summit for Online Leadership and Administration + Roundtable and Distance Teaching & Learning Conference Award Recipients

7 Individuals Receive Honors WASHINGTON (April 18, 2024) – 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 honored at the 2024 Summit for Online Leadership and Administration + Roundtable (SOLA+R) and Distance Teaching & Learning Conference (DT&L), July…

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UPCEA Announces 2024-2025 Leadership Teams for Council for Chief Online Learning Officers and Council for Credential Innovation

UPCEA, the online and professional education association, announced today the 2024-2025 leadership teams for the Council for Chief Online Learning Officers and Council for Credential Innovation. The association extends its gratitude to the 37 member volunteers serving in leadership roles for these two bodies.  The Council for Chief Online Learning Officers (C-COLO) and its members…

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Apply today for the 2024 cohort of the Bethaida “Bea” González Diversity in Leadership Scholars program

UPCEA is proud to once again be offering UPCEA members the Bethaida “Bea” González Diversity in Leadership Scholars Program. Representative and diverse leadership is a cornerstone of UPCEA’s Commitment to Diversity and Inclusive Excellence.  The goal of the Diversity Scholars program is to equip diverse professionals at any stage of their career with the skills…

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National Coalition Launched to Accelerate Adoption of Learning and Employment Records (LERs) in Post-Secondary Education

A coalition of national associations that represent stakeholders on college campuses have come together to address a common challenge post-secondary institutions face in adapting learning and preparing learners for employment: slow adoption of digital credentials. Too many institutions are not yet poised to respond to the increasing demand for micro-credentials, badges, and other digital credentials…

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