Indiana State University Wins 2026 Jim Fong Grant for Credential Pathways

Indiana State University has been awarded the 2026 Jim Fong Grant for Advancing Online and Professional Education, UPCEA reported on November 10, 2026.

The grant will fund a specialized project designed to bridge the gap between short-term workforce training and traditional academic degrees. By utilizing regional data analysis and landscape surveys, the university aims to identify exactly where it can build stackable, non-credit-to-credit credential pathways that align with the needs of local and regional employers.

The ultimate goal is to transform non-credit learning into formal degree enrollment. This strategy seeks to recognize the skills learners already possess and provide them with a clear, data-driven trajectory toward higher academic credentials.

“Indiana State University is excited for the opportunity to work with UPCEA to identify key non-credit to credit pathways that will help us further serve our local and regional communities,” said Sam Nikolai, Associate Provost for Online Education at Indiana State University. “We are deeply grateful to UPCEA and Jim Fong for making this work possible.”

This initiative addresses a growing challenge in higher education: how to effectively link professional development with formal degree programs. Many institutions are currently attempting to connect these two spheres, but Indiana State’s approach could serve as a scalable model for others.

Indiana State University Wins 2026 Jim Fong Grant for Credential Pathways

The project relies on high-level market intelligence to ensure educational offerings are not created in a vacuum. Instead, the university will use regional market intelligence and employer partnerships to shape pathways that respond to actual economic demand.

To execute this strategy, UPCEA will provide several specialized research services to the university. These include:

The occupational opportunity model (OOM)
Comprehensive employer interviews
Benchmarking of existing non-credit to credit pathways
Occupational mapping analysis (OMA)

These tools will provide the foundational programming recommendations necessary for Indiana State to build its stackable credential strategy.

“Indiana State University’s project goes straight to one of the most important questions in our field: how to build real, connected pathways between non-credit and credit learning,” said UPCEA CEO Bob Hansen.

Hansen noted that the project puts a long-standing industry perspective into practice, honoring the legacy of Jim Fong, who championed the use of data to determine which programs should be built and for whom.

For colleges and universities serving regional economies, the findings could offer a blueprint for linking workforce training directly with academic programs. This would allow institutions to grow enrollment by creating a more seamless transition for adult learners moving from specialized training into full degree programs.

The Jim Fong Grant is named for UPCEA’s first Chief Research Officer and founding director of UPCEA Research & Consulting, who retired from the organization in 2025. The grant honors his contributions to data-driven decision-making by providing these research services to a member institution annually.

Worth a look