The EDUCAUSE Annual Conference, known for bringing together leading thinkers in higher education technology, took place in Nashville, Tennessee from November 12–13. Professionals and technology providers gathered to network, exchange ideas, and explore solutions to today’s challenges. Entrinsik was well-represented with a delegation that included executives, the entire higher education sales team, members of the Enrole team, and members of the Client Success team. After the conference, Entrinsik’s CEO Brad Leupen, Chief Product & Strategy Officer Madhavi Chandra, and VP of Informer Engineering Andrea Vega sat down to reflect on the state of the industry.
Institutions want AI, but many are struggling to move beyond planning.
University leaders are no longer debating whether to provide AI to their campus communities. The question has shifted to how to deploy it in a meaningful, responsible, and measurable way. Across EDUCAUSE, the Entrinsik team noticed a recurring theme: most institutions are deep into strategy work, including governance committees, assessments, surveys, and pilot ideation, yet few have moved into sustainable, operationalized practice.
The gap between strategy and implementation is widening.
Colleges and universities are setting intentions, drafting frameworks, and experimenting with vendors. But turning this strategy into real outcomes is where momentum is stalling. Early adopters who have engaged AI vendors are now asking harder questions: Is this actually solving problems? Does it integrate with our systems? Will it scale? Does it meet both today’s needs and tomorrow’s unknowns?
This is where Informer enters the conversation. Institutions such as California Lutheran University and Coker University have demonstrated how effectively Informer elevates productivity when AI Assistants are built on governed enterprise data and integrated into existing systems.
Success hinges on platforms and people.
AI adoption is not just a technology decision. It is an organizational alignment exercise. Securing buy-in is often the determining factor in whether an initiative thrives or stalls. Leadership needs to see ROI. Departments need to understand the benefit. End Users need to experience meaningful improvements in their day-to-day work.
Once goals are set and AI is integrated, institutions can begin tracking progress against their objectives. But the foundation must be strong: departments aligned on what success looks like and how it will be measured. For some, success may be faster application processing. For others, reduced student wait times for support. Without this clarity, AI adoption becomes a sunk cost instead of a strategic investment.
Context is king.
Thousands of AI tools exist, but without secure enterprise context, they are ineffective for higher education. A model that works in healthcare or retail rarely translates seamlessly into an academic environment with unique requirements around governance, privacy, FERPA, intellectual property, and cross-system complexity.
Higher education institutions need a partner that understands these nuances with a track record of delivering quantifiable results. That is why colleges and universities continue turning to Entrinsik. Informer provides the governed foundation, deep integrations, and proven outcomes institutions require.
The real issue: Institutions are stuck between cumbersome rebuilds and AI sprawl.
A clear pattern emerged from EDUCAUSE. The dominant message was strategy. Roadmaps. Governance. Policies. Pilots. Necessary work, but not enough to drive transformation.
What was missing? Practical execution models.
Most solutions on the market require institutions to:
- consolidate platforms
- replace existing systems
- stitch together disconnected AI tools with no governance
This is where institutions are getting stuck.
Challenge 1: The assumption that AI requires a platform rebuild.
Some institutions believe they must overhaul their entire technology stack to adopt AI successfully. While this may be true in certain cases, Informer integrates directly with existing ERP, SIS, LMS, and related systems, significantly reducing the implementation burden. AI solutions do not need to be disruptive or require heavy lifting.
Challenge 2: Aligning every department is incredibly difficult.
Admissions has different priorities than Student Services. Faculty have different concerns than Finance. IT worries about security. The Registrar focuses on Data Governance. Aligning all of these groups on a single new platform becomes a coordination challenge.
The alternative is departments adopting their own AI tools independently, which leads to AI sprawl: dozens of disconnected chatbots with no governance, no oversight, and no way to manage risk.
This is the real gap.
Not a lack of strategy.
A lack of a practical execution path that avoids both a costly rebuild and ungoverned chaos.
The path forward: Governed AI that integrates with existing systems.
Institutions that are making progress are taking a phased, realistic approach: integrating AI with existing architectures rather than replacing them. Informer provides a governed AI layer that:
- works with ERP, SIS, and LMS systems
- ensures consistent Governance and Security
- allows teams to move at their own pace
- provides full traceability
- prevents AI sprawl
Start where the need is greatest. Demonstrate value. Expand thoughtfully. No rebuild required.
Higher education is moving upward. The question is who moves with it.
AI momentum in higher education is undeniable. Institutions like California Lutheran University are living proof that an ethical, governed, institution-wide AI environment is both achievable and transformative. Time savings, financial efficiencies, improved student experience, and enhanced staff productivity are now within reach.
There is no better time for institutions to take the next step. Put your data to work and let us build something meaningful together.
