2026 UPCEA Annual Conference

Small Team, Big Impact: Building a Scalable Partner Engagement System
Marlborough B | Community and Economic Engagement | Applied | Tag(s): Engagement and Opportunity
When your team is small but the goals are big, every connection counts. Learn how Mississippi State University’s College of Professional and Continuing Studies built a scalable partner engagement system that transforms individual contacts into long-term, measurable partnerships. By centralizing data, tracking relationship growth, and making it simple for faculty and staff to contribute, the system links partnerships directly to enrollment and engagement outcomes. See real examples with industry and community college partners, discover tools for consistent follow-up and reporting, and leave with ready-to-use templates and a framework you can adapt to make your own partnerships intentional and impactful.

• Maddie Ludt, Mississippi State University
• Sean Owen, Mississippi State University

Moderator: Shauna Cox, Modern Campus

Roundtables
Grand Ballroom AB
In this session, attendees will have the opportunity to engage with up to two different topics during small-group, 30-minute, table-based guided discussion around a specific and timely topic, question, or issue. Roundtables are designed to provide space and time to important but particularly nuanced topics which deserve attention, and presenters will promote the sharing of thoughts, solutions, and questions among their respective table’s attendees.

Moderator: Jill Boatright, Loyola University of New Orleans

Breaking the (Traditional) Mold: How TESU Leverages Partnerships to Excite and Ignite Student Success
Community and Economic Engagement | Applied | Tag(s): Engagement and Opportunity
Join Thomas Edison State University (TESU) and Sophia Learning to learn how to effectively leverage partnerships to eliminate student retention and completion barriers. Attendees will walk away with clear ideas and examples of how to apply these strategies at their home institution.

• Vanessa Bush, Sophia Learning
• Thomas Phillips, Thomas Edison State University
• Kelli Parlante-Givas, Thomas Edison State University

Global Partnerships for Empowerment: From Grassroots Initiatives to Corporate Collaboration
Cambridge | Community and Economic Engagement | Applied | Tag(s): Engagement and Opportunity
Partnerships—whether grassroots or corporate—can transform lives and communities by expanding access to education and opportunity. This session highlights two powerful international models of how higher education drives inclusive growth. The American University in Cairo’s School of Continuing Education, with 100 years of serving the community, will share how partnerships with corporations across multiple sectors have supported women’s empowerment, teacher training in rural Egypt, and healthcare workforce development. The University of Wisconsin–Whitewater will present an ongoing collaboration with a nonprofit in Guatemala that empowers indigenous women through entrepreneurial training, microloans, and student engagement across disciplines. Together, these case studies illustrate how partnerships of different scales can amplify impact, build sustainability, and advance mobility. Attendees will gain actionable insights to design, adapt, and implement partnership-based initiatives that connect student learning with community empowerment around the world.

• Jodie Parys, University of Wisconsin, Whitewater
• Doaa Salem, The American University in Cairo
• Ahmed Marzouk, The American University in Cairo

Moderator: Jesus Rosario, Coursera

CPaCE Inspires: Storytelling & Podcasting for Workforce Resilience and Lifelong Learning
Churchill A | Community and Economic Engagement | Applied | Tag(s): Engagement and Opportunity, Policy
This session explores how Cal State Long Beach’s College of Professional and Continuing Education (CPaCE) fosters workforce resilience and community engagement through its podcast and speaker series, CPaCE Inspires. With over 250 downloads across nine episodes, the podcast connects listeners to real-world career stories and strategies, making abstract concepts tangible and actionable. Focused on industries like biomanufacturing, data science, and port operations, the series highlights lifelong learning and inclusive innovation. Participants will learn how storytelling and podcasting support career development, expand access, and reflect broader trends in workforce-aligned education and delivery models that meet evolving labor market demands.

• Angelo Ramos, California State University, Long Beach

Moderator: Michael Miller, EducationDynamics

Connect, celebrate, and collaborate at the Network Lunch & Awards. Hosted by UPCEA Networks (Areas of Practice) and open to all attendees, this luncheon brings peers together to recognize excellence through Network Awards and strengthen connections across the UPCEA community. Select the Network that aligns with your professional focus.

Community and Economic Engagement
Churchhill C1
Join the Community & Economic Engagement Network to collaborate with colleagues fostering partnerships that strengthen campus-community impact, workforce development, and economic engagement.

• Award Presentation: Engagement Award

Moderators:

• Marjaneh Gilpatrick, Northern Arizona University
• Ann Nikolai, California State University, Chico
• Brenda Sipe, Northern Arizona University
• George Calderaro, Columbia University
• Kimberly Love, Weber State University
• Michael Pierick, University of California, Merced

From Custom to Credential: Driving Innovation Ecosystems at Michelin and Beyond
Churchill A | Community and Economic Engagement | Applied |
What happens when a global company asks higher ed to help fuel their innovation engine? At the intersection of industry need and academic expertise, Furman’s Center for Innovative Leadership co-created a program with Michelin to build intrapreneurial skills. What began as a bespoke engagement evolved into something bigger: a scalable, open-enrollment professional certificate in Corporate Entrepreneurship now available beyond Michelin. In this session, we’ll share how this partnership came together, its success, and why the co-funded curriculum model is worth replicating. Attendees will leave with insights on building industry-relevant learning, forming high-impact partnerships, and transforming custom programs into scalable offerings.

• Sarah Waylett, Furman University
• Garrett Stern, Furman University

Moderator: Kim Jackson, University of South Florida

Beyond the Classroom: Partnering for Community and Regional Impact through Continuing and Professional Education
Prince of Wales | Community and Economic Engagement | Applied | Tag(s): Engagement and Opportunity, Policy, Faculty
Continuing and professional education serves as a bridge, linking universities with communities and institutions with one another in ways that amplify public impact. At Oregon State University, Professional and Continuing Education (PACE) collaborates with academic colleges to design noncredit programs that extend faculty expertise into communities, creating accessible learning pathways and advancing civic engagement. Moving from local to regional scale, the session explores how partnerships among institutions can amplify impact even further. Two institutions will share a model for inter-institutional collaboration that builds complementary, stackable programs to meet regional needs. Together, these perspectives reveal how continuing education strengthens both local and regional ecosystems by translating academic knowledge into shared community and economic benefit. Attendees will leave with practical frameworks for cultivating faculty partnerships, building collaborative networks, and positioning noncredit learning as a catalyst for community connection and regional growth.

• Shauna Cox, Modern Campus
• Amrit Ahluwalia, Western University
• Luke Dowden, Alamo Community Colleges District
• Patrick Kelley, Oregon State University
• Katie Hensley, Oregon State University

Moderator: Inez Bush, California Sate University, Dominguez Hills

Roundtable Presentations
Grand Ballroom AB
In this session, attendees will have the opportunity to engage with up to two different topics during small-group, 30-minute, table-based guided discussion around a specific and timely topic, question, or issue. Roundtables are designed to provide space and time to important but particularly nuanced topics which deserve attention, and presenters will promote the sharing of thoughts, solutions, and questions among their respective table’s attendees.

Moderator: Jessica DuPont, Oregon State University

From Classroom to Career: Preparing Students for In-Demand Jobs
Community and Economic Engagement | Applied | Tag(s): Engagement and Opportunity
This session highlights the Orthotic Fitter Program (OFP) at CSU Dominguez Hills and the Fitness and Wellness (FWL) bachelor’s degree at Northern Arizona University that prepare students for in-demand careers in allied health. OFP trains students to fit devices that restore mobility, using existing courses to create flexible pathways into jobs or advanced degrees. FWL offers an accessible, low-disruption learning experience, allowing community college students to transfer seamlessly while staying at their home campus. Both programs meet employer needs, produce workforce-ready graduates, and serve as models for designing educational offerings that align with market demand and support student journeys.

• Inez Bush, California State University, Dominguez Hills
• Marjaneh Gilpatrick, Northern Arizona University

Workforce Futures: Building Pathways and Credentials through Cross-Sector Partnerships
Churchill A | Community and Economic Engagement | Applied | Tag(s): Engagement and Opportunity
How can education and industry co-design programs that close urgent workforce gaps—both broadly across sectors and deeply within a single field? This session brings together two complementary models. In Arizona, Northern Arizona University and partners across higher ed, K–12, and employers are reimagining skills-aligned pathways that streamline transfer, elevate skills-based hiring, and prepare learners for teacher education, fitness and wellness, supply chain management, criminal justice, and beauty & wellness. In Tennessee, the University of Tennessee System, through the University of Tennessee Grow Your Own Center (UT GYO), scaled a statewide, $0-tuition registered teacher apprenticeship pathway enabling apprentices to earn a wage while working toward licensure. UT GYO is scaling an OER competency-based online curriculum (TeachBridge Pathways), aligned to InTASC standards and designed to support Education Preparation Providers and school district partners statewide. Building on this success, UT is using lessons learned from GYO to expand access for working learners and to meet employer needs in other industries beyond teacher preparation. Together, these cases highlight how cross-sector partnerships can align credentials, curriculum, and labor-market demand at scale.

• Briana Johnson, iDesign
• Marjaneh Gilpatrick, Northern Arizona University
• Brenda Sipe, Northern Arizona University
• Erin Crisp, The University of Tennessee System
• Bianca Pratt, The University of Tennessee System

Moderator: Saira Cooper, Rice University

Reimagining Scalable Education: Insights from Georgia Tech’s Lifetime Learning Symposium
Marlborough A | Community and Economic Engagement | Applied | Tag(s): Engagement and Opportunity, Policy, Faculty, Graduate Education
Discover how Georgia Tech’s new Lifetime Learning Symposium—formerly Affordable Degrees at Scale—is advancing scalable, workforce-relevant education through national collaboration. This session highlights key themes from the Symposium, including affordability, access, and innovation in professional, continuing, and online learning. Presenters will share insights from the initiative's first year and invite participants to explore how institutions of all types can engage in shaping the future of lifelong learning.

• Warren Goetzel, Georgia Institute of Technology
• Ronnie Godshalk, Georgia Institute of Technology
• David Joyner, Georgia Institute of Technology