Events

Attend or view webinars on your schedule and connect with peers at higher education conferences and professional networking events across the U.S. - especially useful for new or mid-level professionals. Share your lessons learned with colleagues by presenting a session at one of our conferences for higher education and get involved with the association by becoming a volunteer leader. Connect with other high-level leaders through fantastic networking opportunities during the Annual Conference and all our events, which are designed to foster professional development and career growth. Webinars are free for UPCEA Members, and membership also provides discounts to all our conferences and other events, supporting your ongoing professional learning.

• Conferences and Seminars
• Webinars & Chats
• Regional Salons
• Past Events

Conferences and Seminars

NOVEMBER 30 - DECEMBER 2, 2026

MEMS 2026 | Marketing, Enrollment Management, and Student Success Conference

Orlando, FL

Visit the event website

UPCEA Regional Salons | Virtual | Free and open to all UPCEA members

MULTIPLE DATES

2026 Regional Salons

Virtual

Free to All UPCEA Members

Visit the event website

FEBRUARY 3 - 4, 2027

2027 Digital Teaching & Learning Conference (DT&L)

Virtual

Free to All UPCEA Members

Visit the event website

APRIL 13 - 15, 2027

2027 Annual Conference

Anaheim, CA

Visit the event website

Save the dates for these upcoming events:

Click here to view past events

See Featured External Engagements by UPCEA Staff

Webinars & Chats

November 10, 2026 | 2:00 PM-3 PM ET

Webinar | Equipping Beyond the Enrollment Cliff: 5 Levers for Sustainable University Growth - A Practical Framework for Growing Online Enrollment and Strengthening Revenue

Hosted by upGrad

As colleges and universities navigate shifting enrollment trends, financial pressures, and increasing competition, institutional leaders must find new approaches to sustainable growth.

Join upGrad for an interactive webinar exploring five practical levers universities can use to strengthen online enrollment, optimize institutional resources, and build long-term revenue resilience.

Designed for higher education leaders, this session will introduce an actionable framework for evaluating growth opportunities, improving operational alignment, and developing strategies that support both institutional sustainability and student success.

What You'll Learn

Enrollment Growth: Identify opportunities to attract and enroll students in an increasingly competitive environment.
Online Program Expansion: Evaluate opportunities to expand online offerings while balancing institutional resources.
Strategic Partnerships: Explore partnership models that support sustainable growth and institutional priorities.
Operational Efficiency: Improve alignment across enrollment, marketing, academic operations, and student support.
Revenue Resilience: Identify approaches to strengthening and diversifying institutional revenue.

Speakers:
Jaitali Dedhia, upGrad

November 12, 2026 | 1:00 PM-2:00 PM ET

Webinar | From Research to Roadmap: How Morgan State Is Using Market Data to Build a Sustainable Continuing Education Strategy

Hosted by UPCEA Research and Consulting

How can institutions turn market research into meaningful action, especially when growth expectations are high and resources are limited? As a recipient of UPCEA’s Fong Grant, Morgan State University is using UPCEA research to shape a deliberate, data-informed strategy for expanding continuing and online education.

In this webinar, Morgan State leaders will share how they are translating research findings into a three-year program development roadmap, identifying promising academic partnerships, strengthening internal capacity, and using market data to evaluate and prioritize new program ideas. Attendees will hear how Morgan State is balancing ambitious revenue goals with thoughtful planning and learn practical lessons for building momentum, securing academic partners, and moving from research insights to growing the portfolio.

November 12, 2026 | 3:00 PM-4:00 PM ET

Coffee Chat | Where have all the learners gone? Graduate Enrollment Trends and Program Innovation

Hosted by the Graduate Network

Join UPCEA’s Graduate Network leaders for an informal conversation about the trends shaping graduate enrollment and the strategies institutions are using to respond. The discussion will explore changes in domestic and international enrollment, evolving admissions funnels and indicators, flexible formats for professional master’s programs, and approaches to marketing programs with limited resources. We’ll also consider emerging opportunities around for-credit microcredentials and Credit for Prior Learning in the graduate space.

Come ready to share what you’re seeing at your institution, what you’re trying, and what questions you’re navigating with colleagues.

Click here to access the room at 3PM on November 12 or download our calendar invite below.

Coffee Chats are informal, unrecorded, live opportunities to connect with UPCEA peers. Typically an hour or less, they provide time to discuss topics of interest, share ideas and connect with others in a casual setting.

Click here to download a calendar invite

November 16, 2026 | 4:00 PM-5:00 PM ET

Coffee Chat | Know Before You Go: Navigating the MEMS Conference

Hosted by UPCEA

Whether you’re a newcomer or a pro, join us for an informal opportunity to connect with other Conference attendees. This fast-paced coffee chat will get you up to speed, give you an opportunity to ask questions and start thinking about planning your conference adventure. If this is your first MEMS, you’ll have an opportunity to connect with our New Crew team. We’ll cover what you can expect to LEARN, how to get to KNOW attendees and what else you might DO in town.

Click here to access the room at 4PM on November 16 or download our calendar invite below.

Click here to download a calendar invite

November 18, 2026 | 1:00 PM-2:00 PM ET

Coffee Chat | Fostering Enrollment Growth in Uncertain Times

Hosted by the Central Region

In a shifting economy, learners want both stackable skills and long-term value. How do we stop working in silos and start leveraging each other's strengths to beat the enrollment dip?

Click here to access the room at 1PM on November 18 or download our calendar invite below.

Click here to download a calendar invite

November 19, 2026 | 3:00 PM-4:00 PM ET

Coffee Chat | Degrees, Designations, and Debt: The Cost of Being "Non-Professional"

Hosted by the Engagement & Opportunity Committee

Federal financial aid policies shape who can access higher education and how institutions design programs. This informal coffee chat will explore the consequences of the federal "professional degree" designation and how its narrow definition affects learners, institutions, and critical workforce sectors.

Participants can expect to discuss the challenges faced by students enrolled in programs that do not qualify as professional degrees for federal aid purposes, often requiring reliance on private loans despite preparing graduates for high-demand occupations. For example, the creation of associate degrees in teacher education raises questions about workforce shortages, credential pathways, and the evolving professional status of educators. Participants will also be encouraged to consider how other countries define, credential, and finance preparation for professions, and what lessons those models may offer for U.S. policy and practice.

Attendees will explore the characteristics and needs of learners in these programs, consider financial aid implications during program planning, and share institutional strategies for supporting students navigating these complex funding environments. Together, participants will examine both perspectives on professional preparation, access, affordability, and workforce development. Together we will create space for a candid conversation about how policy definitions shape educational opportunity and the engagement of learners.

Click here to access the room at 3PM on November 19 or download our calendar invite below.

Click here to download a calendar invite

November 20, 2026 | 1:00 PM-4:00 PM ET

Coffee Chat | Embedding Industry Credentials Into Curriculum: What's Working, What's Not

Hosted by the Credential Innovation Network

Join us for a conversation on integrating industry-recognized credentials (IRCs) into academic curriculum. We'll share our own approach to identifying and mapping credentials to coursework, then open it up to the group: how are you approaching integration, and how are you bringing college leadership on board? Whether you're just starting to explore this work or already deep in it, come share what's working and what's not.

Click here to access the room at 1PM on November 20 or download our calendar invite below.

Click here to download a calendar invite

December 9, 2026 | 2:00 PM-3:00 PM ET

Webinar | What Higher Ed Is Asking of Edtech Right Now

Hosted by Instructure

Instructure’s Edtech Top 40 report shows which tools higher ed institutions use and what they expect from the vendors behind them. In this panel, Mary Styers and Ryan Lufkin from Instructure will walk through what institutions want most: evidence that tools improve outcomes, interoperability that holds up, and security and data privacy they can verify. They’ll cover why support for legacy LTI is ending and what the move to LTI 1.3 means, where skepticism about AI comes from, and what safe, effective AI use may soon require as frameworks from ISTE and the EdSafe AI Alliance take hold. You’ll leave knowing what to ask edtech partners for, and how research, quality, and certifications separate the tools worth adopting.

Speakers:
Ryan Lufkin, Instructure
Mary Styers, Ph.D., Instructure
Julie Uranis, Ph.D., UPCEA

December 15, 2026 | 4:00 PM-5:00 PM ET

Coffee Chat | Building Trust with Learners: Making Credentials Work Across Pathways

Hosted by the UPCEA Council for Credential Innovation

Trust is built when learners can see how what they already know will be recognized, where a credential can lead, and whether its promised value extends beyond a single program or institution. Join the Council for Credential Innovation for an informal conversation about scalable credit for prior learning, noncredit-to-credit pathways, stackable credentials, and interoperable learner records. We’ll share models, surface common friction points, and explore how institutions can make cost, time, transfer value, next steps, and career outcomes clearer so learners can make confident choices and carry their learning forward.

Click here to access the room at 4PM on December 15 or download our calendar invite below.

Click here to download a calendar invite

January 21, 2027 | 1:00 PM-2:00 PM ET

Webinar | AI + Human Connection: Scaling Proactive Student Success at Arizona Online

This AI in Action virtual conversation is hosted by the UPCEA AI Hub

How can institutions use AI to expand proactive student support without losing the human connection that matters most? In this webinar, leaders from the University of Arizona’s Arizona Online will share how they piloted an AI-enabled student success workflow to help coaches identify students needing support, bring together information from multiple systems, and create more timely, personalized outreach. The pilot enabled the team to send nearly 5,000 personalized messages in seven weeks—an estimated 32x increase in proactive outreach—while keeping coaches firmly in the loop to review, personalize, and approve communications.

The recorded presentation and conversation will explore not only the technology, but also the implementation practices that made the pilot successful, including cross-functional collaboration, staff training, change management, human oversight, and responsible use of student data. Participants will leave with practical lessons for considering similar AI-supported advising and student success workflows at their own institutions.

February 5, 2027 | 10:00 PM-11:00 AM ET

Coffee Chat | Ideas into Action: Putting the Action Planning Worksheet into Practice

Hosted by the New England Region

Grab your favorite mug and join us for a follow-up conversation to our recent Salon!

During our last gathering, we laid the groundwork and introduced our shared Action Planning Worksheet to spark ideas and self-reflection. Now, it’s time to take those notes off the page and into real-world practice.

Whether you’ve completed every prompt on the worksheet or are just beginning to think through your challenge, your perspective is welcome. To help tailor the conversation, we will have potential breakout rooms by topic, including:

Program Planning
MEM
Non-Credit
International
Graduate

Come ready to connect, exchange insights, and keep the momentum going. Plus, learn more about submitting nominations for UPCEA regional awards to recognize outstanding programs and colleagues across New England!

Click here to access the room at 10AM on February 5 or download our calendar invite below.

Click here to download a calendar invite

February 18, 2027 | 3:00 PM-4:00 PM ET

Coffee Chat | Ready or Not? Accessibility, RSI, and the New Compliance Reality

Hosted by the Engagement & Opportunity Committee

Accessibility and Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) continue to be areas of significant focus for institutions offering online, professional, and continuing education programs. While the recent one-year extension of compliance deadlines for Title II web and mobile accessibility requirements provides some additional time, many institutions are still assessing the scope of work required to meet evolving expectations. At the same time, renewed attention to RSI—particularly within competency-based education (CBE) and other innovative learning models—is prompting institutions to revisit how they design and document meaningful instructor-initiated engagement.

Join colleagues for an informal coffee chat focused on sharing experiences, challenges, and emerging practices related to accessibility and RSI. Participants will discuss strategies for planning and prioritizing accessibility efforts, supporting faculty and instructional teams, documenting compliance, and balancing regulatory requirements with learner-centered design. Bring your questions, lessons learned, and ideas as we explore how institutions are preparing for the next phase of accessibility and online learning oversight.

Click here to access the room at 3PM on February 18 or download our calendar invite below.

Click here to download a calendar invite

March 2, 2027 | 3:00 PM-4:00 PM ET

Webinar | Building Workforce Pathways with AI, Partnership, and High-Touch Learner Support

This AI in Action virtual conversation is hosted by the UPCEA AI Hub

How can institutions use AI to strengthen workforce education while maintaining the high-touch support adult learners need? In this AI in Action webinar, leaders from Southern Connecticut State University and The WorkPlace will share how their partnership combines noncredit programming, employer-responsive curriculum, individualized learning pathways, and AI-enabled tools to support learners entering technology careers.

The recorded conversation will explore how AI is being used to support job search, interview preparation, career pathway planning, and workforce coaching—while augmenting, rather than replacing, individualized advising and case management. Participants will also hear lessons about institutional agility, cross-sector partnership, wraparound support, and building programs that respond quickly to labor-market needs. The initiative has served 374 participants, with 232 employment placements to date, illustrating the potential for this model to create both learner and regional workforce impact.

Click here to view past webinar recordings