Convergence: An Interview with UPCEA CEO Bob Hansen

Recording live from the inaugural Convergence conference in Washington, DC, co-hosted by UPCEA and AACRAO! Convergence brings together higher education professionals to discuss credential innovation. #Credovation! In this episode, Bob Hansen, CEO of UPCEA, shares the impetus for the Convergence conference, reflects on the state of credentials in higher education, and looks to the future of collaborations with AACRAO. And gives his favorite Flannery O’Connor book. 

Key Takeaways:

• There are echoes of reactions to online learning in the current conversations around microcredentials; they’re an idea whose time has come, but we will continue to need to articulate the “why” even as administrators push into the “how.”
• The partnership between UPCEA and AACRAO in relation to microcredentials is mutually beneficial; UPCEA members have been on the cutting edge of developing microcredential programs, and AACRAO members remain grounded in the verification and certification of credentials. 
• UPCEA continues to focus on the many and varied initiatives launched before and during the pandemic. And plans are already underway for next year’s Convergence conference in October in New Orleans, LA. 

Host:

Doug McKenna,
University Registrar, George Mason University
cmckenn@gmu.edu 

Guests:

Bob Hansen, Ph.D.
CEO, UPCEA
www.upcea.edu   

References and Additional Information:

https://conferences.upcea.edu/convergence2023/ 

https://www.aacrao.org/signature-initiatives/learning-mobility/digital-credentials 

https://upcea.edu/membership/ 

https://www.amazon.com/Everything-That-Rises-Must-Converge/dp/0374504644