Welcome to the 2026 UPCEA Annual Conference!

April 15-17, 2026
New Orleans, LA

Dear Colleagues,

We are so delighted to invite you to the 2026 UPCEA Annual Conference that will be hosted in New Orleans, LA, on April 15-17. This event promises to be an invaluable opportunity for us to come together as a community, share insights, and collaboratively address the pressing issues facing our schools and the broader landscape of education today.

At 2025’s record-breaking conference in Denver, we discussed how online and professional continuing education can “lean in” and leverage the flexibility of our units to respond to the numerous challenges that confront our institutions from federal education policy changes to cuts in budgets. Now more than ever, we must evolve to address the needs of our diverse student populations, the integration of technology in educational practices, and the imperative to ensure equitable access to quality education for all. By the time of the 2026 Annual Conference, we will have much to share about how we are adapting and evolving.

The 2026 UPCEA Annual Conference will be a dynamic gathering of educators, researchers, administrators, policy makers, learning designers, and other higher education industry professionals. We will harness the collective experiences, thoughts and ideas of this energetic group to collaborate on groundbreaking strategies that will drive lasting impact for our institutions and our learners.

After conference activities, we invite you to “laissez les bons temps rouler” in New Orleans, LA. Steps away from the conference hotel, you can sample some of the city’s amazing food and music, explore the historic French Quarter, view resonant art at the Contemporary Art Center or the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, and visit the World War II museum – and you will have only scratched the surface of all there is to do in this historic city.

Please mark your calendars and stay tuned for further details regarding the conference, to include the call for proposals. We look forward to reconnecting and engaging in a productive and inspiring conference.

See you in April!

Warm regards,

Ilianna Kwaske
Interim Dean, Tulane School of Professional Advancement
Co-Chair 2026 UPCEA Annual Conference

Kappie Mumphrey
Vice President, LSU Online & Continuing Education
Co-Chair 2026 UPCEA Annual Conference

Need a justification letter for your manager or organization on why you should attend? Download a template here.