EDUCAUSE 2026: Ellucian Showcases Ellucian Student and Higher Education's AI, Powered by Unmatched Expertise

Key Highlights

• Attendees can explore Ellucian Student, higher education's complete solution to power the end-to-end student lifecycle.
• Ellucian showcases AI capabilities purpose-built for higher education at EDUCAUSE 2026.
• Eight Ellucian EDUCAUSE sessions explore AI, SaaS modernization, student insights and institutional resilience.

RESTON, VA - Ellucian, the leading higher education technology solutions provider, today announced details of its participation at EDUCAUSE 2026, a higher education technology conference convening IT leaders, academic innovators and institutional executives September 29-October 2 in Denver, Colorado.

"At EDUCAUSE 2026, we're showing what becomes possible when AI is built around the way higher education actually works," said Mike Wulff, Chief Product and Technology Officer, Ellucian. "Ellucian Student brings together the data, processes and institutional context that AI needs to move beyond generating answers to taking meaningful action. Powered by decades of higher education expertise, our embedded AI capabilities help institutions simplify complex workflows, empower faculty and staff, and keep students moving forward - with the governance and control institutions need to innovate with confidence."

AI Purpose-Built for Higher Education

At this year's conference, Ellucian will showcase Ellucian Student, higher education's complete SaaS solution powering the end-to-end student lifecycle. Together, Student, HCM and Finance align people, resources and decisions around student success while helping institutions reduce complexity, strengthen operations and adapt to changing needs.

Ellucian AI is powered by the Ellucian Higher Ed Knowledge Graph, which reflects more than 50 years of higher education expertise and approximately 10,000 higher education processes cataloged, codified and continuously evolving alongside colleges and universities. This institutional intelligence gives AI the context to understand higher education policies, workflows and regulations and helps institutions move from insight to action.

Attendees can visit Ellucian booth #821 in the EDUCAUSE Commons to connect with Ellucian experts, experience demonstrations and explore AI and Higher Ed Knowledge Graph capabilities designed for the unique needs of colleges and universities.

Ellucian Sessions at EDUCAUSE 2026

Risk and Resilience in U.S. Higher Education Systems
Wednesday, September 30 | 10:45-11:30 a.m. MT
Mile High Ballroom 2C, Lower Level
Presenter: Dan Greenstein, Chief of Industry Transformation, Ellucian
Description: Public higher education systems are facing a new era of structural risk that demands a different playbook. Based on a first-of-its-kind analysis of 91 U.S. public higher education systems, this session explores the underlying conditions driving institutional resilience and why timely action matters. Attendees will examine six distinct system archetypes and a practical framework for identifying emerging risks, strengthening financial sustainability and building the institutional capacity needed to navigate an increasingly complex higher education landscape.

Lunch and Learn: AI's Impact on Higher Ed Operations
Wednesday, September 30 | 11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m. MT
Bluebird Ballroom 3FG, Terrace Level
Presenter: Jeff Dinski, Chief Strategy and Corporate Development Officer, Ellucian
Description: AI is already changing higher education. The bigger question is what comes next. As AI moves from a stand-alone tool to an always-on partner embedded in the systems that run institutions, this interactive Lunch & Learn will explore what AI should automate, where human judgment must remain in control, and how AI could reshape the student experience and institutional operations. Fresh findings from Ellucian's third annual AI survey, live polling, and audience Q&A will fuel a conversation about trust, governance, workforce impact, student success, and the next generation of AI-powered technology.

Community Connections: Facilitated Conversations for Young Professionals and Senior Leaders
Wednesday, September 30 | 2:15 -3:00 p.m. MT
Mile High Ballroom 3C, Lower Level
Presenters: Carrie Rachal, Solutions Specialist, Ellucian; Zach Lonsinger, Interim Innovation and Experiences Manager, The Pennsylvania State University; Jackie Malcolm Bailey, Vice President of Information Technology & CIO, Drexel University; Gianna Mangicaro, Interim Director, ITS Learning Environments and Media Production, Syracuse University; Amie Runk, Strategic Project Manager, Vantage Technology Consulting Group
Description: Join us for an opportunity to participate in meaningful dialogue between young professionals and senior leaders on how to advance higher education technology, our teams, and our organizations. You'll have the chance to connect with other members of the community in structured conversations to build relationships and learn together. Bring your ideas and be ready for a fun and informative dialogue across our community.

Poster Session - Embedding AI Assistants to Improve Back Office Processes
Wednesday, September 30 | 4:30-5:30 p.m. MT
EDUCAUSE Commons, Enterprise Hub, Poster Area
Presenters: Lisa Kraus, Director of Enterprise Applications Services, Anne Arundel Community College; Adam Miller, Senior Technical Solutions Marketing Manager, Ellucian; Shailesh Shenoy, Assistant Dean for Information Technology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Description: Explore how higher education institutions can embed AI assistants into administrative processes to reduce manual work and improve the way faculty and staff navigate everyday institutional operations.

Poster Session - From On-Prem to SaaS: A Strategic Framework for Modernizing Higher Education IT Infrastructure
Wednesday, September 30 | 4:30-5:30 p.m. MT
EDUCAUSE Commons, Enterprise Central, Poster Area
Presenters: Gretchen Fricke: Higher Education Strategic Consultant, Ellucian; Cami Davis, Washtenaw Community College
Description: Explore a strategic approach to moving from legacy on-premises environments to SaaS, with perspectives from higher education leaders navigating modernization and the organizational and technology considerations that accompany transformation.

Poster Session - Accelerating Digital Transformation with the Higher Education Reference Models (HERM)
Thursday, October 1 | 9:30-10:30 a.m. MT
EDUCAUSE Commons, Enterprise Hub, Poster Area
Presenters: Cami Davis, Director of IT Strategic Services, Washtenaw Community College; Gretchen Fricke, Higher Education Strategic Consultant, Ellucian; Sean Vincent, Programmer Analyst, Ellucian
Description: Learn how higher education reference models can help institutions create a more structured approach to digital transformation, connecting institutional priorities with technology modernization and execution.

Beyond Kickoff: Sponsor Tactics That Keep Change Visible
Thursday, October 1 | 10:45-11:30 a.m. MT
Meeting Room 401-402, Street Level
Presenters: Stephanie Galo, IT Project Manager & Business Analyst, Brooklyn Law School; Samantha Kessler, Senior Principal Strategic Specialist, Ellucian; Carrie Rachal, Solutions Specialist, Ellucian; Colette Rodgers, Vice President of Operations, Brooklyn Law School
Description: Executive sponsorship often fades after launch announcements, leaving directors and front-line teams to carry the change alone. Through an anonymized campus modernization case affecting student, finance, and HR services, institutional leaders and change partners will show how they defined sponsor roles for cabinet members, deans, and operational directors and built visible sponsor moments across the life cycle by using a simple scorecard to spot when sponsorship was slipping before momentum did.

Poster Session - What 2,000 Students Told Us About Higher Education-and How Institutions Can Respond
Thursday, October 1 | 3:15-4:15 p.m. MT
EDUCAUSE Commons, Enterprise Hub, Poster Area
Presenter: Adam Miller, Senior Technical Solutions Marketing Manager, Ellucian
Description: Drawing on the 2026 Ellucian Student Voice Report and perspectives from more than 2,000 students, this session will explore what motivates today's learners and what ultimately determines whether they enroll, persist or move on. Attendees will examine trends including students balancing full-time work and education, growing demand for flexible and career-connected pathways, and what institutions can learn from student voices to better attract, retain and support learners. Posters will be available throughout EDUCAUSE Commons hours, with a dedicated presentation period for conversation and questions.

Connecting Technology, People and Institutional Expertise

Across its EDUCAUSE presence, Ellucian will demonstrate how a unified, SaaS-native foundation can help institutions put AI to work across mission-critical processes while keeping people in control. Ellucian AI is designed to understand the institutional context behind the work, coordinate actions across workflows and operate within governance guardrails - helping students stay on track while giving faculty and staff more time for meaningful work.

Ellucian is an EDUCAUSE Mission Partner and supports the conference's Young Professionals experience through year-round collaboration with the Young Professionals Advisory Committee, facilitated networking, sponsorship of the Young Professionals Hub, and support for new professionals.

For more information or to arrange interviews with Ellucian executives at EDUCAUSE 2026, please contact Lindsay Stanley.