UPCEA Updates

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

In Memoriam: Alexander N. Charters

By UPCEA | August 16, 2018

Alexander N. Charters (1916-2018) died in August 2018. Dr. Charters was an internationally-recognized American expert in the field of adult and continuing education. Dr. Charters was born in Verdant Valley, Alberta, Canada in 1916. He earned a B.A. in history and English from the University of British Colombia in 1938, and a Ph.D. in adult…

Webinar (August 8): Philanthropic Giving Patterns of Online Alumni

By UPCEA | July 17, 2018

Hosted by the Online Administration Network With the growing number of alumni completing online educational experiences, we need to be thinking about the long-term implications to higher education. The potential for development continues to grow with this population and in time could be a significant and badly needed source of revenue for colleges and universities…

New for 2018 – UPCEA Excellence in Enrollment Management Award

By UPCEA | July 12, 2018

Enrollment management is central to the success of professional, continuing, and online units. In the last 40 years, enrollment management has evolved from a theoretical concept in undergraduate education to a highly sophisticated framework for attracting, retaining, and graduating students. The UPCEA Excellence in Enrollment Management Award recognizes an outstanding professional, continuing, and/or online (PCO) organization (unit…

Webinar (August 1): How UC-Davis is Assessing the Market for Non-Degree Programs Targeted at Career Advancers

By UPCEA | July 9, 2018

Hosted by Emsi and UPCEA Identifying marketable skills is a key step in continuing and professional education program development. Job postings signal the skills and competencies employers and hiring managers expect in new hires.  As such, jobs data is an important proxy for market demand for a skill. But what if a learning program is…

Webinar (July 11): Designing Extended Education Programs and Marketing to Meet the Needs of the Corporate Market

By UPCEA | June 25, 2018

Jointly hosted by the Community and Economic Engagement & Marketing, Enrollment, and Student Services Networks Programming and marketing for the corporate market need to be done differently than for open enrollment programs. This webinar will examine successful examples from the UC Irvine corporate programming and outreach and a survey of best practices derived from MindMax’s…

We’re putting your feedback to use

By UPCEA | June 21, 2018

Recently, we conducted a member needs assessment to ask members how we can improve the value we offer to all those in the UPCEA community. A special thanks to all of you who took the time to share your thoughts with us. We’ve carefully reviewed your feedback, and I’m pleased to share what we’re doing…

Innovation to Drive International Enrollment Success in the Third Wave

By UPCEA | June 8, 2018

In my recent paper, A Third Wave of International Student Mobility, published by Center for Studies in Higher Education, UC Berkeley, I analyzed the landscape of international enrollment from the lens of three Waves defined by key events shaping student choices and provided an overview of data-driven enrollment trends by institutional types. First and second…

AHEAD and UPCEA Partner to Support Online Enterprise Accessibility

By UPCEA | April 4, 2018

Partnership will focus on aspects of accessibility including faculty support, student support, and cultivating institutional advocates WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 4, 2018) – AHEAD, the organization of professionals committed to full participation in higher education for persons with disabilities, has partnered with UPCEA, the leading association for professional, continuing, and online education, to exchange resources, engage…

Other Blogs and News:

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%…

UPCEA Announces 2026 Association Award Recipients

10 Individuals and 6 Programs Receive Association’s Highest Honors WASHINGTON, February 9, 2026 – UPCEA, the online and professional education association, has announced the recipients of the 2026 Association Awards. The UPCEA Association Awards program includes recognition of both individual and institutional achievement across the UPCEA membership. Since 1953, UPCEA has recognized its members’ outstanding…

UPCEA Congratulates Members Recognized in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report Ranking of Best Online Bachelor’s Programs

Nineteen of the twenty-three Top 20 Ranked Institutions are UPCEA Members WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 5, 2026) — UPCEA, the online and professional education association, is pleased to congratulate the many UPCEA members recognized in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Online Programs rankings. U.S. News rankings include nearly 1,850 online programs, covering bachelor’s…