California Lutheran University rolls out AI assistant

California Lutheran University (CLU) has begun rolling out a cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) assistant to enhance retention, enrollment and operational effectiveness.

Created in partnership with Entrinsik, “Ask Gumby” marks a paradigm shift in how higher education institutions deliver student support and engagement. It delivers intelligent, personalized answers to academic and administrative questions directly within the university’s MyCLU App/Portal.

AI platform understands, learns and delivers

The phase one rollout launched last week as part of the 40^th anniversary celebration of CLU’s Pearson Library – a symbolic moment uniting tradition with innovation, according to the announcement. A full campus-wide deployment is scheduled for fall 2025, including student tutors and instructor assistants.

Ask Gumby leverages Entrinsik’s Informer and Informer AI technology to provide immediate, contextually relevant answers to student and faculty inquiries across academic and administrative domains. The platform’s AI engine allows it to understand context, learn from interactions and deliver increasingly accurate, relevant support.

Image credit: Justin Barkhuff, director of enterprise applications, California Lutheran University

Students can ask about anything from course requirements to financial aid, class schedules, academic policies or even the wait time at Starbucks – receiving immediate, trusted answers based on real-time institutional data.

“At Cal Lutheran, our AI journey started by articulating a vision for what a proper higher education AI solution needed to be,” said Justin Barkhuff, director of enterprise applications at CLU. “Entrinsik quickly stood out as the only real path forward, and they’ve been the perfect partner.”

In a world where higher education is being upended by AI, CLU and Entrinsik have created a model for others to follow, according to Barkhuff. “We expect significant, measurable impacts on operational effectiveness, enrollment, retention, student support and learning outcomes.”

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New AI-driven opportunities in higher education

The initiative shows what’s possible when AI is implemented strategically and responsibly in higher education, setting a precedent for innovation, partnership and long-term impact, Entrinsik stated.

“We’re committed to developing solutions that transform how institutions leverage their data to enhance student success, and we’ve been proud to be associated with the Cal Lutheran team and able to provide them the data backbone upon which they build all of their amazing campus-wide solutions,” said Brad Leupen, CEO of Entrinsik.

By integrating AI into business intelligence, Entrinsik is providing educational institutions like CLU with a powerful tool to transform how they utilize their data, added Madhavi W. Chandra, chief product officer at Entrinsik. 

“This innovation supports students throughout their academic journeys by delivering timely and accurate information, fostering a more integrated, less fragmented experience. The framework that CLU has, not only gives students a level of support that has been unachievable to this point but also allows for proactive communication back to the student, and that's huge.”

By analyzing patterns in student inquiries, the Entrinsik-powered solution can proactively address common challenges before they become barriers to academic progress, creating an unprecedented level of support for the entire campus community.

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