On March 5th, UNICON hosted a research webinar exploring how universities should position their executive education and non-degree offerings in an era of continuous, lifelong learning.
The session centered on a new UNICON research report — Executive Education in the Age of Lifelong Learning: A Strategic Framework for Navigating University-wide Approaches to Non-Degree Academic Programming — co-authored by Marco Serrato (Arizona State University) and Cate Reavis. Drawing on interviews and survey data from ten UNICON member institutions across five continents, the report explores how universities are moving beyond historically siloed models toward more integrated approaches — and the real trade-offs involved.
Access the complete strategic framework and research findings
Watch the recording
About the authors
Marco has been part of the UNICON community for over 15 years, most recently serving as Chair of the Board of Directors (2019–2020) and continuing as Co-Chair of the Benchmarking and Continuity Committees. He brings both a practitioner’s and researcher’s perspective to this work, drawing on his experience leading non-degree and executive learning at scale at ASU.
Cate collaborated with Marco to research and write this report, bringing her expertise in translating complex institutional strategy into clear, practical insights for executive education leaders.
A long-standing UNICON Board Member and former Chair of the Board, Eric moderated the session and brought his own practitioner perspective from leading executive education at MIT Sloan.
About the research
The strategic framework
The core contribution of the research is a framework of eight strategic dimensions where institutions must make deliberate choices. As Marco noted: there is no single right model for all institutions — but failing to make explicit choices across these dimensions is itself a risk.
By the numbers
100%
of institutions offer both custom and open enrollment programs
88%
reported greater efficiency in resource allocation as a realized benefit
90%
cited faculty selection and coordination as a top operational challenge
80%
of institutions now deliver across all four learning formats
75%
cite improved client relationship management as a top opportunity
Key takeaways
Up next: MIT SLOAN, JULY 16-17, IN-PERSON