UPCEA, the online and professional education association, has released an advocacy piece titled “The Future Is Now: Essential Conversations for Building Tomorrow’s University Today,” designed to help institutional leaders navigate the rapidly changing landscape of higher education. The guide focuses on three pressing realities: the shift to a buyers’ market where students prioritize ROI and flexibility, the pressure on traditional business models, and the need for entrepreneurial leadership.
The resource provides key questions for each reality to foster discussion and creative problem-solving. It also highlights opportunities for collaboration between traditional academic departments and online and professional continuing education (PCO) units. “Our association has a unique responsibility to help guide campus leaders on the potential of online and professional education to help shape the future of higher learning,” said Robert Hansen, CEO of UPCEA. “’The Future Is Now’ is meant to advance a shared vision and inspire transformative and critical dialogues across campuses.”
Dave Cillay, Ph.D., chancellor of the Global Campus at Washington State University, noted, “As a university leader, I know how important it is to anticipate the evolving needs of our students. This resource positions us well for this work. It encourages strategic dialogue that our leadership team must engage in to stay relevant and responsive.” Paul LeBlanc, president emeritus of Southern New Hampshire University, added, “Smart institutions know that their professional, continuing, and online divisions, often overlooked internally, are in this time of enormous change their best source of innovation, entrepreneurship, and new business and delivery models. ’The Future is Now’ offers a template for leveraging the rich resources already in their PCO divisions.”
The guide was previewed at Convergence: Credential Innovation in Higher Education, an event co-hosted by UPCEA and AACRAO in late September. The full guide is available at https://upcea.edu/conversations. UPCEA, as the online and professional education association, supports its members through research, professional development, and advocacy, aiming to improve educational access and outcomes.
