Recruit, Retain, and Engage with Agentic AI

Episode notes

Recorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Carolina Recchi, CEO at EdSights; Lev Gonick, Enterprise Chief Information Officer at Arizona State University; Christina Yancey, Vice President at AIR (American Institutes for Research); Emily Smith, VP, Strategic Partnerships at CollegeVine; JC Bonilla, COO and Head of AI at Element451; and Tim Renick, Executive Director of the National Institute for Student Success at Georgia State University. As institutions pursued stronger engagement and retention, a new wave of Agentic AI tools promised personalized outreach, predictive support, and 24/7 responsiveness. This session explored the transformative potential of scalable connection, early risk detection, and enhanced student experience - while acknowledging that the reality is still unfolding. Speakers examined critical questions around whether student voices should serve as the key KPI, whether these systems can truly lower costs, empower staff, and increase persistence, and how institutions should evaluate the trade-offs between automation and meaningful human support.

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