FAQ: UPCEA's Guide to Building Tomorrow's University Through Online and Professional Education

What is the main purpose of UPCEA’s “The Future Is Now” guide?

The guide is designed to raise awareness of critical questions every campus leader must ask and encourage conversations about the evolving role of online and professional education in serving today’s learners, helping institutions navigate challenging times.

What are the three pressing realities reshaping higher education that the guide focuses on?

The guide focuses on three key realities: It’s a Buyers’ Market where students choose based on ROI and flexibility; Business Models Are Evolving under pressure; and Entrepreneurial Leadership Is Key for institutional adaptation and innovation.

Why is this guide important for higher education leaders?

This resource helps leaders anticipate evolving student needs, encourages strategic dialogue to stay relevant and responsive, and provides a template for leveraging professional, continuing, and online divisions as sources of innovation and new business models.

Who is involved in creating and endorsing this guide?

UPCEA published the guide, with endorsement from Robert Hansen (UPCEA CEO), Dave Cillay (Chancellor of Washington State University Global Campus), and Paul LeBlanc (President Emeritus of Southern New Hampshire University).

When was this guide first released and where?

The guide experienced a limited release last week at Convergence: Credential Innovation in Higher Education, an event held in partnership between UPCEA and AACRAO from September 29 through October 1 in Arlington, Virginia.

How does the guide help institutions adapt to changing market conditions?

It provides key questions for thoughtful discussion and creative problem-solving, demonstrates opportunities for collaboration between traditional academic departments and online/professional education units, and encourages leadership models that embrace flexibility and innovation.

What role do professional, continuing, and online (PCO) divisions play according to the guide?

PCO divisions, often overlooked internally, are identified as institutions’ best source of innovation, entrepreneurship, and new business and delivery models during times of enormous change in higher education.

Where can people access the full guide?

For more information or to access the full guide, please visit UPCEA’s website at https://upcea.edu/conversations.

How does this guide address the changing student expectations mentioned?

It acknowledges that students are increasingly choosing institutions based on ROI, flexibility, and relevance, and institutions can no longer rely on traditional student sources, requiring new approaches to enrollment and institutional differentiation.