The theme of the 2019 UPCEA Mid-Atlantic conference is Navigating Reinvention, inspired by our host city, Pittsburgh. Developing from its frontier colonial origins into an industrial powerhouse in the 20th Century, the Steel City has responded to the post-industrial economy by transforming itself into a 21st-century hub for innovation. The 446 bridges that surround Pittsburgh, the most in any city in the world, speak to Pittsburgh’s industrial past and its transformative present. And today, Pittsburgh’s strengths in sectors including technology, health care, business, and education, and its success as an incubator for startups, reflect the city’s position as a meeting place for the super global and the hyper local. Our host institution, The University of Pittsburgh, through its strengths as a research university, has contributed to the city’s success in these areas, as seen in a myriad of discoveries and accomplishments, from developing the first polio vaccine in 1955 to creating the first heavier-than-air powered aircraft to make a sustained flight. Founded in 1787, Pitt has reinvented itself over the centuries to meet the changing needs of its communities, thereby playing a central role in the successive reinventions of its home city. This resilience and enthusiasm for reinvention are especially crucial in today’s world, with its rapidly changing conditions and evolving challenges in political, economic, social, cultural, and scientific arenas.
In this conference, we invite participants to take inspiration from Pittsburgh and to collaborate with other conference attendees as we determine how professional, continuing and online education units can navigate 21st-century obstacles by reinventing our practices and programs. How do we make a compelling case for the value of professional, continuing and online education to our many audiences and constituencies, and what policies and practices will ensure our units’ viability in the face of a rapidly changing future? How can we partner with industry to identify and the meet the needs of a current and future workforce? How do we scale engagement in our online programs? How can we collect and analyze data to ensure our programs provide robust, effective learning opportunities for our students? And how do we connect and contribute to local and global communities as we develop and deliver our programs?
The 2019 Mid-Atlantic regional conference provides a forum for professional, continuing and online educators in front-line, mid-level and senior leadership roles to explore these challenges, discover new solutions, and forge strong connections with colleagues and peers. The theme Navigating Reinvention reflects the conference’s focus: identifying our most significant challenges and obstacles, and connecting with peers to create a roadmap for viable solutions. Just as Pittsburgh is bordered by three rivers, the conference has three tracks: Reinventing yourself through professional development; Reinventing your unit by developing innovative operations; Reinventing professional, continuing and online education through engagement in strategic questions. See the tentative schedule here.
The conference’s location in the Pittsburgh Marriott City Center provides participants with an excellent location from which to explore the city. There’s an energy and vitality to the city that perfectly represents the power of reinvention and transformation. I look forward to seeing you all in the Steel City, and being inspired to navigate our own reinvention!
Paul Nardone
Misericordia University
Chair, UPCEA Mid-Atlantic Region
For other UPCEA events visit https://upcea.edu/events.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
   ![MindEdge](https://upcea.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/MindEdge.png")                 |
Join the conversation on CORe, UPCEA's professional networking platform!
Like UPCEA on Facebook!
Follow UPCEA on LinkedIn!
Follow UPCEA on Twitter!