UPCEA Updates

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

UPCEA Announces Updates to Board of Directors

By UPCEA | June 25, 2025

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…

Results of Global Lifelong Learning Study Released

By UPCEA | June 18, 2025

UPCEA supported the Universities Association for Lifelong Learning (UALL)’s comprehensive global study. WASHINGTON (June 18, 2025) – UPCEA, the online and professional education association, today announced the release of an international study, “Making lifelong learning central to university strategy,” conducted by the Universities Association for Lifelong Learning (UALL) and CarringtonCrisp.  UPCEA (alongside EUCEN) is proud…

New Book Offers Strategic Blueprint for the Decade of the Chief Online Learning Officer

By UPCEA | June 17, 2025

UPCEA and Routledge Publish Landmark Guide to Elevating Online Education Leadership WASHINGTON (June 17, 2025) – UPCEA, the online and professional education association, proudly announces the release of The Chief Online Learning Officers’ Guidebook: A Framework for Strategy and Practice in Higher Education (co-published with Routledge). This essential new volume, co-edited by two of the…

Celebrating the life of Dr. Pamela Wimbush

By UPCEA | June 13, 2025

It is with a heavy heart that we must inform you of the passing of one of our own. Dr. Pamela Wimbush, a friend, mentor, colleague, and member of the UPCEA’s Board of Directors passed away Tuesday. She will be missed, most acutely by her family and the dear friends she has all over the…

Microcredentials, Modularity, and Mission: Insights from UPCEA’s Coffee Chat on Innovation in Healthcare Education

By UPCEA | May 7, 2025

In partnership with the HELIX Summit on Continuing Medical Education  How are institutions navigating the dynamic intersection of workforce demands, digital learning, and credentialing innovation—especially in healthcare? That’s exactly what we explored in a recent Coffee Chat, where UPCEA leaders from across the higher education landscape gathered for an unrecorded but powerfully candid conversation on…

Online education booms in an era of lifelong learning (WorkingNation)

By UPCEA | April 28, 2025

‘Strictly online institutions tend to serve working-age or older adults requiring flexible schedules constructed around family obligations and work. “Folks arrive at higher ed for a multitude of reasons,” says Julie Uranis, senior vice president of online and strategic initiatives for UPCEA (the Online and Professional Education Association), a resource for online university programs. “Online learning gives them…

UPCEA Announces Retirement of Chief Research Officer Jim Fong, Reinforces Strength of Research and Consulting Division

By UPCEA | April 7, 2025

Washington, D.C. – April 7, 2025 – UPCEA, the leading association for online and professional education, today announced the upcoming retirement of Jim Fong, its founding Chief Research Officer, after years of transformative leadership in the field of higher education research and consulting.  Fong first became involved with UPCEA as a volunteer leader while at…

Annual Conference Follow Up: Translating PCOE Innovation into the Future of Higher Education

By UPCEA | April 2, 2025

In an era of heightened urgency, higher education institutions find themselves at a pivotal crossroads—confronting enrollment cliffs, shifting demographics, and growing skepticism about the value of a degree. Further, shifting federal policy and changes at the Department of Education will challenge postsecondary leaders like never before. Amid this turbulence, one area consistently demonstrates adaptability, innovation,…

Other Blogs and News:

UPCEA’s 2026 Online Education Benchmarking Report Shows Digital Learning at Consequential Point

Third annual study indicates institutions are centralizing governance, strengthening enterprise-level capacity, and addressing financial issues as online learning becomes part of core academic infrastructure  WASHINGTON, D.C., ISSUED AUGUST 17, 2026…UPCEA, the online and professional education association, today announced the release of its 2026 “Benchmarking Online Enterprises: Insights into Structures, Strategies, and Financial Models in Higher…

Tighter Budgets, Bigger Opportunity: How Intrapreneurship Positions Online and Professional Continuing Education Units to Lead

Higher education is facing significant financial pressure. Revenue is growing more slowly than costs across the sector. State funding is contracting. The demographic cliff has arrived. The institutions feeling this most acutely are being asked to do something that sounds simple but is not: spend less and generate more at the same time. For a…

The Future of Professional Learning Starts with Us

In 1915, UPCEA’s founders built this association on a simple idea: carrying knowledge to the people. That founding purpose never had an expiration date, and it does not have one now. It is why, more than a century later, the question in front of us was never whether professional learning needs to change. It is…

UPCEA Launches Digital Learning Academy to Advance Professional Learning for Higher Education Leaders

New professional learning ecosystem offers flexible pathways for career growth, practical skill development, and leadership advancement WASHINGTON, D.C. — August 4, 2026 — UPCEA, the online and professional education association, today announced the launch of the UPCEA Digital Learning Academy, a comprehensive professional learning ecosystem designed to help higher education professionals build knowledge, develop practical…

Leading Digital Learning Enterprises | Part 1: From Advocacy to Integration: Building a Digital Learning Enterprise

The recently released UPCEA Hallmarks of Excellence in Digital Learning Enterprises reflect the continued evolution of digital learning from an emerging modality to a mission-critical component of institutional strategy. This series explores each Hallmark, why it matters for today’s institutions, and how institutional leaders can begin using the accompanying benchmarks to assess progress and guide…

UPCEA Announces Hallmarks of Excellence in Digital Learning Enterprises

Framework defines the future of institutional digital strategy WASHINGTON, D.C., ISSUED JULY 29, 2026…UPCEA, the online and professional education association, today announced the release of The Hallmarks of Excellence in Digital Learning Enterprises, a landmark framework positioning higher education at a pivotal moment of transformation. As digital learning has become central to institutional strategy and…