The number of faculty—including those on the tenure track—is on the rise, new data from College and University Professional Association for Human Resources shows. According to a survey of more than 900 colleges and universities about their worker head counts published this week, the number of tenure-track faculty increased 7 percent between the 2024–25 and 2025–26 academic years—marking the highest single-year increase since 2016. By contrast, tenure-track ranks only grew 1 percent between the 2023–24 and 2024–25 academic years.
Professional, Continuing, and Online Education Update by UPCEA
Daily updates of news, research and trends by UPCEA
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Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Colleges made deep staff cuts while adding tenure-track faculty last year - Ben Unglesbee, Higher Ed Dive
Full-time staff at colleges dropped 6.6% in 2025 compared to the year before, ending several years of growth, according to data released Wednesday by the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources. The decline was even sharper among part-time staff, whose ranks plunged by 23.9% last year, CUPA-HR’s latest survey data showed. However, faculty numbers grew overall during the year. Tenure-track faculty headcounts saw the largest spike at 7% year over year, the biggest increase for that group since at least 2016.
Report: Benchmarking Online Ed - Colleen Flaherty, Inside Higher Ed
Last year, the online and professional education association UPCEA urged institutions to close the gap between student expectations on institutional preparedness for online learning as part of its annual report on the Benchmarking Online Enterprises Survey. This year’s report, released Monday, warns that the story beneath the 2026 data isn’t one of a “rising tide lifting every online enterprise equally, but rather a sector beginning to sort itself into those pulling ahead and those bracing for contraction.”
Monday, August 31, 2026
Bankrupt Anna Maria College to sell nursing program for $1.1M - Ben Unglesbee, Higher Ed Dive
After closing abruptly this year, the Catholic institution is trying to pay off millions of dollars in debt. Anna Maria College, in Massachusetts, plans to sell its nursing program for $1.1 million to nearby Assumption University next month, according to court documents filed Monday. Anna Maria closed this year following its spring term due to financial duress and filed for bankruptcy in late June to pay off its debts and liquidate its assets. Anna Maria requested court permission to sell the nursing program assets to Assumption via a private, noncompetitive sale on Sept. 30. The college is also looking to sell its real estate while in bankruptcy, which it hopes will cover its $17.7 million in secured debt.
With New AI Requirements and Courses, Colleges Eye AI Fluency - Emma Whitford, Inside Higher Ed
Their approaches may differ but their motivations are the same: Employers are, at breakneck speed, increasingly asking for graduates who know how to effectively use AI. It’s called AI fluency, said Ray Schroeder, a senior fellow at the online and professional education association UPCEA, and it “can be a decisive factor between getting a job and not, especially at entry level,” he said. “Corporate HR departments who do the hiring are requiring or evaluating how much experience and ability applicants have in [AI], and it’s very important to those corporations because AI is becoming very important in their day-to-day operations,” he added. As of March, more than a third—35 percent—of entry-level jobs require AI skills, up from 13 percent six months prior, according to the most recent job outlook survey from the National Association of Colleges and Employers.
Organizational AI Adoption Jumps Six Points - Andy Kemp, Gallup
Reported organizational adoption of AI grew sharply in Q2 2026. Forty-seven percent of U.S. employees now say their organization has integrated AI tools to improve productivity, efficiency or quality, up from 41% in the last quarter. One in five employees remain unsure as to whether their organization has integrated AI tools, unchanged from prior quarters. AI users most often use AI for writing, research and problem-solving. Meanwhile, coding and automation users report the largest productivity gains.
Friday, August 28, 2026
Worker Anxiety Over AI Is Growing, and Employers Aren't Preparing Employees for What's Next, New Survey Finds - JFF.org
In a marked shift from a year ago, workers are now more likely to say AI is a net-negative than a net-positive when it comes to finding jobs, building wealth, and securing their quality of life, according to a new national survey released today by national nonprofit Jobs for the Future (JFF). The survey, conducted by AudienceNet in late 2025, also found that early-career workers are more likely to feel AI’s impact on their jobs compared to those with more experience. In addition, just over one-third of workers say employers are providing the training, guidance, or opportunities they need to use AI in their jobs, a drop of almost 10 percentage points. The new research builds on a 2024 JFF survey, which found that a plurality of workers—defined as anyone employed—said AI did more good than harm across society. In the new survey, the sentiment flipped; more workers now say AI does more harm than good. Optimism about AI’s impact on workers also fell by 10 percentage points. In the 2024 survey, nearly half of respondents felt somewhat or very optimistic about the impact of AI on workers. In the new survey, only about one-third of workers (39%) say they feel optimistic.
Once globally preeminent, U.S. universities are sliding into decline - Jon Marcus, Hechinger Report
Now, as a new academic year begins, American dominance in higher education globally is incontrovertibly in decline, according to data, international rankings and independent experts. The slide has been accelerated by a year and a half of funding cuts, restrictions on international students and curbs on what can be said or taught. But it began before those political challenges, with enrollment declines, lackluster returns on ever-rising prices and public mistrust. “It takes a while for all of these problems to trickle down, but they are beginning to trickle down,” said Eric Mlyn, a faculty fellow at the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University who studies academic freedom.
Private Colleges Are Losing Their Safest Market Position. The Middle Is Where Demand Dies First - Soren Kaplan, Inc.
Higher education’s squeeze shows why leaders with neither premium power nor low costs can be first to crack when demand turns against them badly. Private colleges now discount their sticker price by a record 57 percent for first-year students, and net tuition revenue is falling. On July 1, new federal caps on student loans took effect, squeezing the business model that funds much of higher education. Dozens of schools are cutting academic programs and staff to close budget gaps. These pressures look like a story about weak colleges failing. The deeper pattern is an industry splitting into two, with the strong ends pulling away from a collapsing middle. That raises a question every leader should ask about their own market: when demand shrinks, which competitors die first?
Thursday, August 27, 2026
New self-paced AI training courses launch - Purdue University
Teaching and Learning Technologies (TLT) has launched a new set of Artificial Intelligence Training Courses to help Purdue instructors and staff use AI confidently and responsibly in their day-to-day work. The four self-paced courses cover AI policy and ethics, approved tools, and practical ways to apply AI to teaching, research, and administrative tasks. TLT built the courses in collaboration with Purdue’s Center for Instructional Excellence, Purdue Libraries, and Purdue Information and Technology’s AI and Automation team, keeping the content grounded in the tools and policies in use across campus. And because the professional development courses are built to be updated as guidance and tools change, they will stay current as AI keeps evolving.
Why college students are paying way less for course materials now - Alcino Donadel, University Business
College students are spending markedly less on textbooks and other course materials than they were two decades ago thanks to the continued expansion of digital learning. Students spent $388 on course materials for the entire 2025-26 academic year. That’s 26% less than five years ago and about 50% less than in 2007-08, when students paid $701 on average for course materials, the latest Student Watch report from the National Association of College Stores found. Spending on course materials has remained relatively stable over the past three years. The decline in student spending has mirrored growing preference for digital textbooks accessed on laptops, desktops and other devices, said Lacey Wallace, research analyst for the National Association of College Stores.
College costs for families up 10% from last year, poll finds - Natalie Schwartz, Higher Ed Dive
College costs for families averaged $34,019 during the 2025-26 academic year, up 10% from the previous year, according to an annual report from financial services company Sallie Mae. Families paid out of pocket for 49% of those costs — which include tuition, fees, housing and other expenses — drawing from student and parent income and savings, according to a poll for Sallie Mae conducted by Ipsos. They covered another 27% through scholarships and grants and 22% through borrowing. A much smaller amount, 2%, came from gifts from friends and family. How families pay for college could change in the coming years with the implementation of new federal student lending caps. Even so, two-thirds of surveyed families said they support federal lending limits, and 53% said colleges should respond by lowering tuition rates.
Wednesday, August 26, 2026
More Than a Virtual Class: How BU Virtual Brings the Classroom to Students Around the World - Boston University Virtual
For a student logging into a live session in one of Boston University’s online graduate programs, the experience can look deceptively simple: a faculty member appears on screen, classmates join from around the world, and the class begins. What students don’t see is everything happening around that moment. Behind each live online class is a coordinated team of producers, technicians, learning facilitators and instructional designers working alongside faculty members to create an experience designed specifically for working professionals. Cameras are positioned, audio is monitored, presentations and video are queued, graphics appear at the right moment, student questions are managed, and faculty are supported throughout the session. The goal is not to showcase the technology. It is to make the technology disappear.
UC introduces AI Buddy Program for staff amid learning, privacy concerns - Andrew Ramiro Diaz, Daily Bruin
The UC launched a new initiative in July that encourages staff to learn more about how to use artificial intelligence tools. The AI Buddy Program pairs UC Office of the President staff at differing levels of AI expertise to meet once or twice a week and learn from each other. The program sign-up form allows participants to select any AI tool they are interested in learning, such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. However, UCLA professors said they are concerned about the UC’s use of AI, including its impacts on teaching and learning, privacy and data protection. The University advised staff on its website to speak to their supervisors before participating in the program. Tobias Higbie, the chair of external relations for the Council of UC Faculty Associations, said he believes the UC should be cautious when implementing AI tools because they can risk students’ data security.
AI agents are sitting through students’ online courses, and colleges are struggling to stop them - Varun Mirchandani, Digital Trends
AI cheating has already gone from asking a chatbot to write an essay to using tools that can make that AI-written work look human. We’ve previously talked about AI tools designed to help students cheat and the growing problem of AI detectors struggling to keep up, as well as how commonly students are already using AI for homework. Now the technology isn’t merely helpiing students do the work. In some cases, it can effectively be the student. Just tell the AI to take the class. According to a New York Times report by Dana Goldstein and Alan Blinder, students can take things a step further and hand an entire online course over to an AI agent. As per the report, AI agents can be given simple instructions such as “log in and complete my quiz” and then operate inside online learning platforms. They can watch prerecorded lectures, take tests, write papers, and even participate in discussions with classmates.
Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Author Talks: The biggest misconceptions about leadership - McKinsey
What if success depends less on talent than on luck, resilience, and your choices when things go wrong? Former Inflection CEO Mike Grossman challenges conventional wisdom about success and leadership. In this edition of Author Talks, McKinsey’s Artemis Vallianatos speaks with Mike Grossman, six-time Silicon Valley CEO and McKinsey alumnus, about Failure Is An Option: Reflections of a Silicon Valley CEO (Simon & Schuster, July 2026). Drawing on nearly three decades as a leader and lifelong learner, Grossman challenges the notion that hard work alone determines success. Instead, he argues that integrity, adaptability, and learning from failure are what truly define effective leadership. An edited version of the conversation follows.
Lifelong learning remains central to Mayo Clinic’s mission amid rapid healthcare change - Matthew Brenden, Mayo Clinic
Healthcare is evolving at an unprecedented pace. Advances in artificial intelligence, precision medicine, digital health and quality improvement are transforming how care is delivered, while new knowledge and evolving professional standards require clinicians to continually adapt. For healthcare organizations, keeping pace is about more than meeting licensure or certification requirements. It requires a workforce prepared to respond to emerging technologies, new models of care and rapidly expanding medical knowledge while continuing to deliver the highest quality patient care. At Mayo Clinic, continuous professional development is a strategic investment in that future.
One New Thing: Virtual Reality Brings Collaborative Learning to Life - Melissa Morriss-Olson, US News
Purdue University’s Envision Center has developed CollabXR, an extended reality platform that allows faculty and students to enter the same immersive virtual environment and interact with three-dimensional models together. During a spring 2025 pilot, instructors in disciplines ranging from nursing and aeronautics to the liberal arts used the platform to help students visualize and explore complex concepts that would be difficult to experience in a traditional classroom. According to CollabXR’s website, the tool can allow students to “watch a heart beat in the palm of [their] hands, annotate the Hubble telescope or dive into an exploding star in space.”
Monday, August 24, 2026
From Workshop to Anytime: Bringing Live Training Online - Office of Innovative Technologies (UK)
Some of the most valuable learning opportunities on campus happen in workshops. Whether they happen in a conference room or over Zoom, they create energy, connection, and opportunities for real-time questions. Workshops support learning and engagement across campus throughout the year. What a single session can’t do is reach everyone who needs it or remain available when future learners are ready. When a workshop is worth offering again or making available to an audience that can’t all gather at once, an online, self‑paced version keeps that good work going. Creating an effective online learning experience is more than simply posting a recording.
How to Leverage Tech to Serve Rural Communities - Catherine Han and Heather Marriott, NCOA
The MAC, Inc., Maryland Living Well Center of Excellence (LWCE) is using technology to break down barriers for older adults in Smith Island and across Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester counties. All are regions marked by transportation limitations, health access challenges, and geographic isolation. Yet LWCE has become a beacon of innovation in aging services. LWCE’s State Program Coordinator, Sue Lachenmayr, shared her insights on how to most effectively use technology to provide programming to rural populations.
LSU Launches Free AI Literacy Essentials Course - LSU
Today, LSU launched AI Literacy Essentials, a free online course that provides a general introduction to artificial intelligence (AI) and how to use it effectively, professionally, and ethically. The course is offered through LSU Online’s professional development program and is available now to LSU students, faculty, and staff, and will open to the general public on August 26. As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into education, business, healthcare, government, and daily life, the ability to understand and use AI effectively is no longer a competitive advantage. It is rapidly becoming a prerequisite for success in nearly every field. AI Literacy Essentials helps participants develop the knowledge and confidence needed to navigate an AI-driven world, regardless of their background or prior experience.
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