2021 Regions Week Conference |
October 19 | 12:00 PM ET
In a year complete with a global pandemic, political unrest, and a multitude of social reckonings, the inequities that have plagued society for decades were brought to the forefront. Legacy systems that have systemic biases built into them forced women, people of color, and frontline workers to exit the workforce and put their academic endeavors on pause at the highest rates.As higher education is one of the most effective catalysts of upward mobility, it is incumbent upon leaders in the industry to design systems that make access to higher education more equitable for those who it has traditionally been out of reach for. To do this, we need to design programs that account for the real lives and whole person experiences of these students. Two impactful interventions we will dive into are:
Tiffany Watson, Associate Provost for Executive
Projects and Initiatives
Eloy Oakley October 20 | 12:00 PM ET
Using up to the minute findings from the UPCEA Center for Research and Consulting, Jim Fong, UPCEA’s Chief Research Officer, will share an overview of several influences the pandemic has had on the demand for credentials, learner expectations around customer service and marketing, as well as trends in retention, persistence, and staffing. Being competitive post-pandemic isn't only about the credential, delivery, or degree—it's also about operations and how we center our processes around the New Adult Learner. What does this emergent set of data tell us about the pivots needed for learner success? What does this mean for our legacy processes? What does the PCO unit of the future (or next year) look like, and how can we intentionally be user-designed?
Jim Fong is the founding director of UPCEA’s Center for Research and Strategy. In his role, Jim has analyzed demographic, occupational, technological and societal trends and data to help the higher education community better serve the adult and corporate learner. As the Center’s director, he works closely with dozens of colleges and universities annually in new program development initiatives, enrollment management and marketing process analyses and the review of online and continuing education portfolios.
Prior to joining UPCEA, Jim worked as a higher education strategic marketing and CRM consultant and researcher for two firms and prior to that was the Director of Marketing, Research and Planning for Penn State Outreach. At Penn State Outreach, he was responsible for strategic marketing, marketing management, research, creative and database teams. Jim played a major role in the early launch of Penn State’s World Campus by assessing new program needs and the development of marketing strategies and systems.
Jim holds an M.B.A., an M.S. in Applied Statistics and a B.S. in Mathematics, all from The University of Vermont. In 2004, UPCEA awarded him the Adelle Robertson Award as its Continuing Professional Educator for the year. That year, he also received the Mid-Atlantic Region’s Distinguished Service Award.
October 21 | 12:00 PM ET
After months of pivoting amid the pandemic, the challenges (and opportunities!) for 2022 loom large. Institutions have many goals moving forward, and companies who serve higher education are embracing new concepts and ideas. What have we learned? Where are we going? What’s next? Join in this LIVE, two-way conversation to get valuable insights from partners who have been on the forefront in helping UPCEA members navigate the past year and move into what lies ahead. After a brief welcome from UPCEA’s CEO and Board President, who will set the stage for the session, attendees will be randomly placed into breakout rooms where small group discussion will be facilitated by representatives from UPCEA’s partners and include conversation among attendees, leveraging multiple perspectives, insights, and questions.
Nancy Coleman, Dean, Division of Continuing Education
Bob Hansen, CEODr. Robert J. Hansen was named Chief Executive Officer of the University Professional & Continuing Education Association in 2010. Under Hansen’s leadership, UPCEA has strengthened its reputation as the world’s leading association for professional continuing education while bringing a new focus on the association’s unique role in online leadership and management. In the past decade, Hansen has launched the industry leading Summit for Online Leadership and Administration, the Council for Chief Online Learning Officers (C-COLO), and a respected quality framework, the UPCEA Hallmarks of Excellence in Online Leadership. More recently, UPCEA developed companion frameworks, the Hallmarks of Excellence in Professional and Continuing Education and the Hallmarks of Excellence in Credential Innovation. With the three Hallmarks, UPCEA now provides a comprehensive set of standards that reflect the ambitions, potential, and importance of units that serve adult learners.
Hansen previously served as Associate Provost for University Outreach at the University of Southern Maine, a regional public university located in Portland, Maine. Prior to that position, he spent six years at Saint Xavier University of Chicago, first as Assistant to the President & Secretary of the Corporation and then as founding Executive Director of Orland Park Campus & Off-Campus Programs. Hansen also previously served as Assistant to the Governor for Education in the administration of former Illinois governor, Jim Edgar. Hansen earned a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Illinois, an M.A. in English Language and Literature from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Notre Dame.