UPCEA Updates

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

Universities Investing in Microcredential Leadership (Inside Higher Ed)

By UPCEA | July 3, 2024

Amy Heitzman noticed a new trend when UPCEA, an online and professional education association, put out calls last year to institutions looking to bulk up microcredential programs. “Five of the 40 [applicants] said, ‘We’re going to hire someone to head this up,’” said Heitzman, UPCEA’s deputy CEO and chief learning officer. “And it was like,…

How to Market Your Higher Education Programs to Prospective Students

By UPCEA | April 19, 2024

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…

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

By UPCEA | April 18, 2024

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…

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

By UPCEA | April 17, 2024

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…

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

By UPCEA | April 17, 2024

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…

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

By UPCEA | April 17, 2024

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…

Generative AI Update for 2024 (The European Business Review)

By UPCEA | April 15, 2024

Read Ray Schroeder and Katherine Kerpan’s perspective on where artificial intelligence is going in 2024. While the first full year of operation of ChatGPT, 2023, gave a foretaste of the enormous impact that AI is going to have on us all, 2024 shows every sign of boggling the mind even more. Here are some things…

How to Measure the Impact of Your Leadership Development Programs

By UPCEA | April 12, 2024

No matter the size of your school or educational institution, it’s no secret that strong leadership is crucial to long-term success. Implementing leadership development programs is among the most effective ways to train aspiring educational leaders and ensure their goals and mission are aligned with that of the institution. At the same time, it’s not always simple…

Other Blogs and News:

UPCEA’s 2025 Online Education Benchmarking Report Provides Vital Data for University Leaders

Second annual study provides new KPI benchmarks around enrollments, finance, and budget, explores the impact of AI, and provides strategic recommendations for online leaders to thrive in these uncertain times.  WASHINGTON, D.C., ISSUED AUGUST 12, 2025…UPCEA, the online and professional education association, today announced the release of a new research report, “Benchmarking Online Enterprises: Insights…

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How to Build Strong Employer Partnerships to Support Student Success

Now, possibly more than ever, it is critically important for colleges and universities to engage with employers for the benefit of our students. Higher education is facing an unprecedented time. The demographic cliff is upon us, the current political environment has led to policy whiplash and has upended funding sources for research. Our campuses have…

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Artificial Intelligence is Non-Negotiable for Higher Education Marketing and Enrollment Management

Why Institutional Leaders Can No Longer Afford to Wait on AI adoption The clock is ticking for higher education institutions that haven’t fully embraced AI. What was once an experimental advantage in marketing and enrollment has quickly become an urgent necessity. AI has firmly established itself as an operational imperative across diverse industries, with the…

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Congress Passes President Trump’s OBBB—Workforce Pell Included, but Higher Ed Gets $300 Billion Slash | Policy Matters (July 2025)

Major Updates Congress Passes President Trump’s OBBB—Workforce Pell Included, but Higher Ed Gets $300 Billion Slash President Trump’s newly signed One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB) overhauls the federal approach to higher education policy. Short-term Pell advocates (of which UPCEA has been a long supporter) have something to be thankful for, as it opens Workforce…

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Synchronizing Pathways: Advancing the National Dialogue on Credentials and Learning Mobility

Incubator grant supports critical work to align data practices and learning mobility frameworks to benefit today’s learners WASHINGTON July 31, 2025 – UPCEA, the online and professional education association, has launched a national initiative to advance credential transparency and learner mobility through improved data quality and institutional capacity-building. The project titled, “Synchronizing Pathways: Expanding Institutional…

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Accelerating Institutional Capacity for Employer Engagement in Credential Innovation

As the future of work rapidly evolves, higher education institutions must accelerate their capacity to engage with employers—building bridges between learning and labor market relevance. At UPCEA, with support from Walmart, the world’s largest employer, we’ve undertaken two major initiatives to strengthen these bridges. The first project provided foundational benchmarking data, a practical playbook, and…

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