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

DECEMBER 2-4, 2025

2025 MEMS: Marketing, Enrollment Management, and Student Success Conference

Boston, MA

Visit the event website

FEBRUARY 4-5, 2026

2026 Digital Teaching & Learning (DT&L) Conference

Virtual

Free to All UPCEA Members

Visit the event website

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

MULTIPLE DATES

2025 Regional Salons: Free to All UPCEA Members

Virtual

Visit the event website

APRIL 15-17, 2026

2026 Annual Conference

New Orleans, LA

Visit the event website

July 29-31, 2026

2026 SOLAR (Summit for Online Leadership and Administration)

Boston, MA

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

December 10, 2025 | 11:00 AM-12:00 PM ET

Webinar | Conferences to Credits: How Chico State & CTA Scaled Teacher PD into Transcripted University Credit

Hosted by the Credential Innovation Network

Learn how California State University, Chico (Chico State) and the California Teachers Association (CTA) built a high-scale University Credit Program that converts CTA conference participation into faculty-vetted, transcripted academic credit (1 unit per 15 hours), funded as a CTA member benefit.

Since 2021, over 40,000 teachers have participated, logging more than 2.7 million professional development hours and earning over 185,000 units, with survey-reported average salary gains of approximately $3,500 and strong uptake in rural districts.

This session unpacks the operating model (union–university governance, quality assurance, and IT enablement), the impacts on revenue and access, and why this approach advances alternative credentials by making informal PD visible, verifiable, and portable across systems. Attendees will leave with practical steps to adapt this model in their own contexts.

December 11, 2025 | 1:00 PM-2:00 PM ET

Coffee Chat | New England Region: Ask Me AI-nything

Hosted by the New England Region

Join the New England Region for a Coffee Chat designed to continue the conversation started during our Region Salon, with a focus on the evolving role of AI in higher education. Whether you're just beginning to explore AI or ready to dive deeper, this session provides a space for open dialogue, practical questions, and shared experiences. We’ll be joined by Dr. Colleen Bielitz, interim vice president for institutional advancement at Southern Connecticut State University who led a well attended conversation at our Salon.

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

December 12, 2025 | 1:00 PM-2:00 PM ET

Coffee Chat | UPlift Mentorship Program Info Session

Hosted by UPCEA

Join us for a virtual overview of the UPCEA UPlift Mentorship Experience—an opportunity to be paired with a mentor or mentee within the UPCEA community, and build meaningful professional connections, develop new skills, and accelerate career growth. Whether you’re just starting your higher-ed/online education journey or you’re a seasoned leader looking to serve and learn, this session will walk you through how the program works, key dates, expectations, and how to apply. Discover how UPlift can help you expand your network, gain insights, and engage in a community dedicated to leadership in online, professional and continuing education. The UPlift program is an exclusive UPCEA member benefit with limited spots.

Click here to download a calendar invite

December 16, 2025 | 4:00 PM-5:00 PM ET

Council for Credential Innovation Strategic Conversation: Data Collection & Quality

Data Quality: Prioritizing Institutional Support for Strategic Data Frameworks

Hosted by UPCEA Council for Credential Innovation (CCI)

State governments are increasingly seeking to use data to drive evidence-based decisions in education and workforce development, particularly as short-term, non-degree credentials grow in popularity as viable pathways to career advancement. In the US, the advent of Workforce Pell will require a series of guardrails to be met. However, the current lack of transparency and inconsistent validation surrounding these credentials—often locked in inaccessible systems—limits their ability to assess quality and outcomes.

Join UPCEA’s CCI for a Strategic Conversation, an unrecorded, facilitated conversation among senior level colleagues, designed to gather information about challenges institutions face in collecting data, and explore opportunities to create frameworks to gather and utilize the information needed to evaluate and strengthen non-degree credential programs.

Facilitators:

Doris Savron, University of Phoenix
Melissa Jimenez, Colorado Community College System
Sheila LeBlanc, University of Calgary

January 14, 2026 | 2:00 PM-3:00 PM ET

Coffee Chat | One More Time for Those in the Back, Cheating Occurs in all Modalities…But Let's Talk about AI & Academic Integrity in Online Learning

Hosted by UPCEA's Council of Chief Online Learning Officers

Let's get real about academic integrity in the age of AI. This conversation will delve into how COLOs are adapting policies, assessments, and pedagogy to address integrity concerns in online education. Share your strategies, ask your toughest questions, and collaborate on maintaining trust in digital learning environments.

The Council of Chief Online Learning Officers (COLOs) invites you to an exclusive series of upcoming COLO-only Coffee Chats-dynamic, candid, peer-driven conversations crafted to tackle the most pressing challenges and innovations shaping the future of online learning leadership. These virtual gatherings offer an opportunity for COLOs to share real-world strategies, learn from each other's experiences, and engage in forward-thinking dialogue. From revenue diversification to AI implementation and academic integrity, each chat offers timely insights for building stronger, more resilient digital learning enterprises.

All sessions are designed by and for COLOs-so your voice matters. These coffee chats are more than conversations; they're catalysts for collective insight and institutional transformation.

Need to update your UPCEA roster and designate a COLO? Contact Mel Edwards ([email protected])!

Click here for the COLO-exclusive thread with chat details

January 15, 2026 | 3:00 PM-4:00 PM ET

Coffee Chat | Higher Education in 2026: Reframing Language and Practice for Today’s Learners

Hosted by the UPCEA's Engagement & Opportunity Committee

As the postsecondary environment shifts under the current administration, higher education professionals are reflecting on how best to describe and support learners who have not been fully engaged in traditional models of postsecondary education. Many institutions are exploring new ways to identify, describe, and reach students who have historically been overlooked or excluded from standard pathways.

This unrecorded coffee chat offers a space for colleagues in professional, continuing, and online education to:

Discuss how language and framing are evolving in this work.
Share approaches to identifying and describing learners in ways that are accurate, respectful, and responsive to current directives.
Consider strategies for advancing engagement & opportunity while navigating new expectations.

The session is designed as an open, collegial conversation to exchange ideas and resources in a supportive peer community.

Click here to download a calendar invite

January 21, 2026 | 2:00 PM-3:00 PM ET

Webinar | Online Education Goes Global: Navigating Policy and Legal Issues for Enrolling Internationally-Located Students

Hosted by the UPCEA Policy Committee

As on-campus international student enrollment in US-based programs declines amid shifting federal policies, universities are increasingly exploring online programs as a pathway to serve globally-distributed learners. Join us for a comprehensive webinar examining the critical policy and legal considerations institutions must address when expanding online programs to internationally-located students. This session will highlight the complex web of regulatory compliance issues and equip administrators, faculty, and policy makers with essential guidance to navigate the legal, regulatory, and operational issues in serving international students online. Discover best practices for compliance strategies, risk mitigation approaches, and sustainable methods for international online program delivery while maintaining institutional integrity and student success.

Presenters:

Patty Milner, University of Arkansas
Amy L. White, University of Arkansas
Corina Caraccioli, Louisiana State University

Moderator: Amy Collier, Middlebury

January 27, 2026 | 3:00 PM-4:00 PM ET

Coffee Chat | The Operational Side of Credential Innovation: Finances and Organizational Structure

Hosted by the Credential Innovation Network

Join us for the third session in our coffee chat series for those new to the credential innovation space. Building on our previous conversations, this chat will focus on the ways that we can explore business goals and models as well as how to justify your worth, whether monetarily or with success metrics. If business is one of the many hats you wear, whether or not it’s your background, this conversation is for you.

Click here to access the room at 3PM on January 27 or download our calendar invite below.

Click here to download a calendar invite

January 28, 2026 | 2:00 PM-3:00 PM ET

Webinar | Decoding Workforce Pell and the New Program Accountability Framework: Negotiated Rulemaking Insights and Implementation Guidance

Hosted by the UPCEA Policy Committee

Join us to explore the new Workforce Pell Grants for short-term credential programs as well as discussions about federal program accountability frameworks. We’ll unpack the U.S. Department of Education and its negotiated rulemaking sessions on Workforce Pell, and provide attendees insights into what clarity there may be as we look toward the July 1, 2026 implementation.

We’ll discuss a comprehensive breakdown of what negotiators debated, where consensus emerged (or didn’t) and how those discussions are likely to shape the upcoming proposed and final regulations. In this session, we will explore the key policy questions, program eligibility considerations, and implementation challenges. We’ll highlight both the opportunities Workforce Pell may create for expanding short-term credential access and the restrictions or guardrails institutions should be prepared to navigate.

We will also review the broader accountability framework, including the potential implications for programs facing increased scrutiny or possible loss of Title IV eligibility under the existing Gainful Employment (GE) and Financial Value Transparency (FVT) regulations, as well as the new Do No Harm accountability framework created under the OBBBA. Participants will gain insight into expected elements to watch for in the Department’s final Workforce Pell and accountability regulations and implementation steps institutions can begin planning now, even before the rules are final.

Whether you are preparing new or existing short-term programs, updating compliance strategies, or simply tracking federal policy developments, this webinar will equip you with the knowledge needed to stay ahead of upcoming changes and make informed decisions for your institution.

Presenters: