UPCEA Updates

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

How can colleges amend unsustainable business models? (EducationDIVE)

By UPCEA | August 29, 2017

Current economic trends may lead to more socioeconomic divisions, according to Lynn Pasquerella, the president of the Association of American Colleges & Universities. In “Future Forward: The Next 20 Years of Higher Education,” most respondents said the preponderance of online education options had been the most seismic development in higher education during the previous two…

The Future of Education is the Microdegree (ElearningInside News)

By UPCEA | August 24, 2017

Blackboard recently teamed up with the University Professional and Continuing Education Association to produce a report exploring generational shifts in education. One of the report’s most striking findings is that 30% of respondents indicated that they don’t draw on knowledge from their university degree in their current job and 23% indicated that their degree is…

More Than Just Cool? (InsideHigherEd)

By UPCEA | July 12, 2017

Collecting data might be the key to getting skeptics to look at VR and AR beyond “cool,” said Ray Schroeder, associate vice president for online learning at the University of Illinois at Springfield and director council for online education for the University Professional and Continuing Education Association. “Higher education is moving beyond just the coolness factor to…

Report: Colleges And Universities Should Offer More Alternative Credentials (Campus Technology)

By UPCEA | June 30, 2017

Report: Colleges And Universities Should Offer More Alternative Credentials (Campus Technology) June 30, 2017   Younger students are more interested in alternatives to traditional degree offerings, such as microcredentials, certificates and other short-term opportunities, according to a new report from the University Professional and Continuing Education Association(UPCEA) and Blackboard. “I think over time, as traditional education continues…

10 Facts About Student Interaction in Online Programs (U.S. News & World Report)

By UPCEA | June 29, 2017

Though online students are often far from one another, many online instructors still assign group projects. Online students may use tools such as Google Docs to edit assignments along with Skype and online chatrooms for discussions. “It is preparation for the workforce,” says Ray Schroeder, associate vice chancellor for online learning at the University of…

AGB Search and UPCEA Partner to Serve Growing Nontraditional Higher Learning Sector

By UPCEA | June 28, 2017

Partnership will focus on executive searches for professional, continuing, and online education.   WASHINGTON, D.C. – June 28, 2017 – AGB Search, the firm focused exclusively on all aspects of higher education executive search, has partnered with UPCEA, the leading association for professional, continuing, and online education, to provide executive search services for higher education…

The Future of Jobs and Jobs Training (Pew Research Center)

By UPCEA | May 3, 2017

The Future of Jobs and Jobs Training (Pew Research Center) May 3, 2017   Ray Schroeder, associate vice chancellor for online learning at the University of Illinois, Springfield, commented, “It is projected that those entering the workforce today will pursue four or five different careers (not just jobs) over their lifetime. These career changes will…

Many Voices are More Impactful Than One: The National Adult Learner Coalition (The EvoLLLution)

By UPCEA | April 10, 2017

Though non-traditional students have morphed into the new majority students on college and university campuses across the United States, public and institutional policy has largely remained focused on the “traditional” 18-22-year-old demographic. Unfortunately, this has created an environment that leaves the majority of students underserved on their own campuses, but a group of associations focused…

Other Blogs and News:

UPCEA’s Corporate Member Blog Series #1 | Follow the Budget: 5 Areas Where Higher Ed is Spending (and struggling) in 2026

The higher education landscape is arguably the toughest it has been in a generation, marked by economic instability, demographic decline, and the constant imperative for greater efficiency. The 2026 Landscape of Higher Education Report confirms this volatile reality: beginning in 2026, many institutions will face a sustained decline in traditional-aged undergraduates. Enrollment growth is now…

Workforce Pell Is Here and Data Readiness Is the Real Test for Credential Innovation

The expansion of Pell Grant eligibility to short-term, non-degree programs—commonly known as Workforce Pell—has become a defining moment for credential innovation. In a strategic conversation hosted by UPCEA in December 2025, higher education leaders made one thing clear: access to Workforce Pell is not primarily a policy challenge. It is a data challenge. As institutions…

Reduced-Credit Degrees: Leading with Learners While Preparing for Disruption

As questions about the value, cost, and structure of a traditional bachelor’s degree continue to intensify, higher education leaders are confronting a reality that has remained largely unchanged for decades: the 120-credit-hour degree is more a historical artifact than a learner-centered design choice. During a recent conversation with UPCEA Institutional Representatives, panelists and participants explored…

Pack Light, Go Far: Hiking the Enrollment Trail

There’s a moment from my college days I remember more clearly than any midterm I ever took. I had stepped away from my bachelor’s degree at Penn State because I wanted to live a little. I’d grown up in the same town that I went to college and I just needed an extended reprieve, something…

Preparing the Workforce for an AI-Driven Economy: An Online and Professional Continuing Education Imperative

Is your online and professional continuing education unit looking for ways to improve job-market outcomes for graduates and alumni? Are you exploring strategies that better align your program portfolio with the skills business and industry leaders say they need both for new hires and for upskilling current employees?  Recent employer data provides a clear signal that high-demand employees are ones with verified AI skills and practical experience. A 2025…

Workforce Pell Grants: Primer and Update from Negotiated Rulemaking | Policy Matters (December 2025)

Major Updates Workforce Pell Grants for Short-Term Programs: A Primer and Update from Negotiated Rulemaking: Consensus Reached – What’s in the Draft Regulations We’ve developed a blog that provides a primer and overview of the recent negotiated rulemaking work on Workforce Pell Grants for Short-Term Programs, focusing on the first week of sessions held by…