2025 Association Award Recipients

At the 1953 Annual Conference of the National University Extension Association (NUEA), which was the forerunner of UPCEA, Robert Browne of the University of Illinois gave a speech honoring Tom Shelby, retiring Dean of the Division of Extension at the University of Texas. Browne conferred on Shelby the FX Key in honor of service to extension. Engraved on the key was “Fellow of Extension,” the year, and the Association’s initials. This was the first recognition award given by the Association.

The Association’s Awards Program has grown to include Association-wide, Community of Practice, and Regional Awards. Through these awards, UPCEA recognizes its members’ outstanding contributions to the Association and the field, as well as their achievements in innovative programming, marketing and promotion, community development, and services, research and publications, and many other areas.

To the following recipients of this year’s awards and honors, UPCEA extends its congratulations.

Julius M. Nolte Award for Extraordinary Leadership

The Julius M. Nolte Award for Extraordinary Leadership is the most prestigious of all UPCEA awards. First established in 1965, the award is given to an individual in recognition of unusual and extraordinary contributions to the cause of continuing education on the regional, national, and/or international level. The award honors the memory of Julius M. Nolte, a pioneer in the field of continuing higher education. Nolte served as Dean of General Extension at the University of Minnesota from 1934–1962. He served as NUEA President in 1950–51, and was Secretary/Treasurer of the Association from 1956 to 1964.

Debbie Cavalier
Berklee College of Music

Phillip E. Frandson Award for Literature

The Phillip E. Frandson Award for Literature recognizes the author and publisher of an outstanding work of continuing higher education literature. It is given in memory of Phillip E. Frandson, Dean of Extension, University of California, Los Angeles, and NUEA President, 1977–78.

High-Impact Design for Online Courses: Blueprinting Quality Digital Learning in Eight Practical Steps (Simunich, Gregg, Ralston-Berg) cover

High-Impact Design for Online Courses: Blueprinting Quality Digital Learning in Eight Practical Steps
Bethany Simunich, Quality Matters, and Andrea Gregg and Penny Ralston-Berg, The Pennsylvania State University

This award is being presented at the 2025 UPCEA Summit for Online Leadership and Administration (SOLAR) conference (DT&L), July 22-24, 2025 in Portland, Oregon.

UPCEA Leadership In Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Award

The UPCEA Leadership in Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Award recognizes an individual or a program that represents best practices and demonstrates positive impact in promoting cultural shift in the organization that promotes diversity and inclusive excellence. This award will recognize outstanding accomplishment in one or more of the following areas: educational programs and services, administrative practice, workplace culture, community impact, regional economic development, or research. A key element is demonstrating innovative and systematic practices and measurable outcomes to advance the academic success, understanding, or quality of life of diverse perspectives and underrepresented groups. Examples of programs may include those that promote the educational success of diverse students, incorporate diversity and inclusive excellence in the curriculum and instruction, implement inclusive practices and awareness among faculty and/or staff, explore and remove institutional barriers and inequities, among others.

Stephanie McGrew
A.T. Still University of Health Sciences

UPCEA Excellence in Teaching Award

The UPCEA Excellence in Teaching Award is presented to individuals who have provided outstanding teaching, course development, mentoring of students, and service to continuing education. This award recognizes those who have made significant contributions to credit or non-credit programs and who have provided inspirational teaching to continuing education students.

Dr. Nikki Ashcraft
University of Missouri

UPCEA Outstanding Professional, Continuing, and/or Online Education Student: Credit Award

The Outstanding Professional, Continuing, and/or Online Education Student Award recognizes outstanding student achievement in professional and continuing education.

Esteban Contreras
Oregon State University

Dorothy Durkin Award for Strategic Innovation in Marketing and Enrollment Management

The Dorothy Durkin Strategic Innovation Award recognizes an individual for achievement in strategic planning, marketing innovation or enrollment management success. A key element in all areas is demonstration of creativity layered on a foundation of strategic thinking. Awardees will have exhibited leadership and commitment to achieving a responsive, student-centric culture at their institution.

Asaf Wolff
University of the People

UPCEA Research and Scholarship Award

The Research and Scholarship Award recognizes significant new research with implications for professional practice in the field of online and professional continuing higher education.

Center for 21st Century Universities (C21U)
Jeonghyun Lee, Meryem Yilmaz Soylu, and Stephen W. Harmon
Georgia Institute of Technology

UPCEA Outstanding Program: Noncredit Award

The Outstanding Program—Noncredit Award recognizes outstanding professional and continuing education programs that do not offer credit.

Higher Education Coaching Academy 40-hour Coach Practitioner Course
University of Central Florida

UPCEA International Program of Excellence or Innovative Practice Award

UPCEA recognizes globalization as one of the key forces molding higher education today. The Association encourages its member institutions and organizations, to extend their outreach globally and to facilitate international or global professional, continuing, and/or online education in creative and innovative ways. The Association aims to play an active role in preparing individuals for effective participation in a global society by engaging in activities that promote the exchange of knowledge and ideas of global significance.

International Nursing Pathway
Alamo Colleges District, Universidad Tecmilenio, and Methodist Healthcare System

UPCEA Business & Operations Award for Operational Excellence

The UPCEA Business & Operations Award for Operational Excellence recognizes outstanding individual contributions in operations, entrepreneurial, and intra-preneurial work that move an UPCEA member institution into a more favorable position, specifically in financial, human, administrative and IT operations in professional, continuing and online units at postsecondary institutions. The award also recognizes achievements and contributions to the UPCEA Business & Operations Network and may include in sharing, illustrating, demonstrating, best practices and/or emerging trends in all aspects of business and operations for the professional, continuing, and online units at UPCEA member institutions.

Lyla Garner
Mississippi State University

UPCEA Excellence in Advancing Student Success Award

The UPCEA Excellence in Advancing Student Success Award is sponsored by InsideTrack
UPCEA recognizes student success is paramount to the mission of every institution of higher education. Professional and continuing education units realize they must provide strategic and crossfunctional projects, initiatives, and services that maximize success of the adult or non-traditional student. To that end, UPCEA aims to play an active role in preparing members for advancing the success of students in both credit and non-credit programs by acknowledging best practices and initiatives that “move the needle” in the advancement of student success.

Virtual Career Development Center
The University of Oklahoma

UPCEA Strategic Innovation in Online Education Award

The award recognizes an institution of higher education (i.e. campus, system, or consortium) that has, at an institutional level, set and met innovative goals focused on online education and been strategic in the planning, development, implementation and sustainability in line with the institutional mission. Examples include authentic institutional online organizational structure, partnership models to achieve specific goals, maximizing resource efficiencies, improving the learning experience for faculty and students, or the use of technology and learning design to advance online education and address institutional goals.

IU Online Programs of Scale
Indiana University

UPCEA Innovation in Alternative Credentials Award

UPCEA Innovation in Alternative Credentials Award recognizes that innovation is the life’s blood of online, continuing, and professional education, and is critical in our members keeping up with the changing needs of students, society, and industry. Creating alternative credentials and innovative programs that align with current trends in the workforce will ultimately better serve students in their long term success. This award is presented to a higher education institution that has successfully implemented an innovative alternative credential program with positive results.

San Antonio College Marketable Skills Program
San Antonio College, Alamo Colleges District

UPCEA Engagement Award

The UPCEA Engagement Award recognizes an outstanding mutually-beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources between a member institution and one or more external constituents such as local communities, corporations, government organizations, or associations. The recognized partnership will demonstrate a knowledge partnership that has resulted in a measurable and sustainable shared impact in areas such as economic development, community development, workforce training, or capacity building.