Engage Digital Summit 2026

Keynotes

Watch Engage Digital Summit’s most impactful talks. Learn how AI is transforming strategy, support, and the student experience.

Welcome to Engage Digital Summit 2026

Element451 CEO James Novak opens Engage Summit 2026 with a look at the opportunity ahead for higher education.

Element451 Product Keynote

This session is a first look at what Element451's product and technology teams have been building - new agent capabilities, expanded use cases, and features that haven't been seen outside these walls yet.

The Power of Pressure

Dane Jensen, acclaimed speaker, leadership expert, and author of The Power of Pressure, explores how today’s leaders can convert pressure from a hindrance into a strategic advantage.

Where We're Going: Element451's Vision for the Year Ahead

Element451's product and technology leaders will preview our product roadmap and show how we're doubling down on our vision of AI that helps your institution better engage students, support their success, and operate more efficiently.

Summer Webinar Series

Join higher education leaders all summer long for live webinars exploring AI, student access, enrollment, engagement, success, and the future of higher education. Sessions are every Tuesday starting at 2PM (ET).

June 30, 2026: The Future of Enrollment: Connecting AI, Data, and Student Engagement With Encoura Connect

Join leaders from Element451 and Encoura for an exclusive introduction to Encoura Connect, a powerful new solution that brings together Encoura's industry-leading student data and insights with Element451's AI-native CRM and engagement platform.

July 07, 2026: From Inquiry to Completion: How CCBC Redesigned the Student Experience

This session walks through how CCBC built a cross-functional Student Achievement and Success framework, streamlined processes, and created a clearer path for students from day one. You'll leave with a practical model for designing student journeys that reduce friction and improve outcomes.

July 17, 2026: How to Buy AI in 2026: A Sourcing Playbook for Higher Ed

The AI vendor landscape is noisy, crowded, and moving faster than most procurement cycles. This session breaks down how institutions should evaluate AI in 2026 — separating infrastructure from applications, pilots from production-ready systems, and polished demos from measurable value.

July 21, 2026: The Awareness Gap: Why Mission-Fit Students Never Find You

As the enrollment funnel shifts and students enter the consideration set earlier — and more quietly — brand visibility has never mattered more. This session breaks down why awareness erodes before anyone notices and how to measure the signals it actually produces.

July 28, 2026: 20 New Teammates, Zero New Budget: Wake Tech's Approach to AI-Driven Student Success

Wake Tech redesigned how work gets done, treating AI as a teammate rather than just a tool, and achieving the equivalent of 20 new staff members without adding headcount. This session covers the workforce redesign, change management approach, and human-centered guardrails that made it possible.

Aug. 04, 2026: Mastering the Prompt Stack: Build AI Agents Like an Enrollment Marketer

Generic prompts produce generic outputs, and that's why most AI tools still feel reactive instead of strategic. This session introduces the Enrollment Marketing Prompt Stack, a practical framework for designing AI prompts that mirror how enrollment marketers actually think and work.

Aug. 11, 2026: Evolving With the Platform: A Practical Model for CRM Growth

This session will reframe CRM success as an ongoing process of evolution, not a one-time deployment. Using a three-stage maturity model, Durham Tech explores how governance, team collaboration, and intentional feature adoption keep the platform healthy and outcomes-driven over time.

Aug. 18, 2026: How Element451 Connects to Every System on Campus

Agents are only as effective as the data they can access. This session covers the major integration improvements Element451 has shipped, including native integrations, API access, and import/export tools, and shows how they make it easier to connect your campus technology stack to Element451.

Aug. 25, 2026: Telling Our Story, Growing Our Future: How ABAC Built Brand and Broke Enrollment Records

Discover how ABAC combined storytelling, digital engagement, video, data, and targeted outreach to achieve record enrollment, surpassing 4,000 students in Fall 2025. Learn practical strategies for aligning brand and technology to drive enrollment growth.

Sept. 01, 2026: Start Small, Scale Smart: A Four-Phase Framework for AI Adoption

Learn how Alamance Community College successfully launched a new platform through a phased adoption strategy, starting with key departments, building momentum through early wins, and scaling engagement across campus through effective training and change management.

Sept. 08, 2026: Fighting Fraud and Keeping Your Data Clean

Learn how institutions are using Element451 to combat application fraud, strengthen identity verification, and improve data quality. Explore new agents and platform enhancements designed to keep student records accurate, trusted, and actionable.

On-Demand Summit Sessions

Explore 50+ on-demand sessions featuring real-world strategies and AI innovations helping colleges and universities improve enrollment, engagement, and student success.

Presidents Leadership Panel: How Higher Ed Leaders Are Thinking About AI

Join a presidents’ leadership panel moderated by Sara Custer, Editor-in-Chief of Inside Higher Ed, exploring how institutions are turning AI into a strategy for enrollment, student success, and long-term growth.

The Hype Is Real (Mostly): A Builder's State of the Union on AI in 2026

Cut through the noise around agentic AI with a practical look at what’s real, what’s next, and how to evaluate AI opportunities for your institution.

Evolving With the Platform: A Practical Model for CRM Growth

CRM success doesn’t end at implementation. Learn how Durham Tech uses governance, collaboration, and a practical maturity model to continuously evolve its CRM and drive long-term results.

From Inquiry to Completion: How CCBC Redesigned the Student Experience

Discover how CCBC redesigned the student experience through a cross-functional success framework that improved retention, accelerated graduation, and increased course pass rates.

When AI Beats Humans: Running Experiments That Actually Prove It

Learn how Assumption University rigorously tested AI agents against traditional enrollment processes and what the results reveal about measuring real impact, cost, and performance.

Building Career-Ready Students: AI in Workforce Programs

Explore how Auburn University uses AI-powered student workforce programs to scale coaching, build career-ready skills, and improve outcomes for both students and the institution.

A First Look at Element451's New Interface

Get an early look at upcoming Element451 innovations, including new features, live prototypes, and the evolving agentic workflows shaping the future of the platform.

Leverage the Technology Ecosystem to Enhance a Student-Centric Process

See how institutions use the Common App and Element451 integration to streamline data sharing, personalize engagement, and convert more applicants into enrolled students.

How JCC Used First- and Third-Party Data to Drive Enrollment

Learn how Johnston Community College combined unified student data, AI-powered insights, and personalized outreach to drive a 60% enrollment increase and become one of the nation’s fastest-growing community colleges.

Practical AI for Marketing Teams: Real Use Cases You Can Apply Today

Learn how marketing teams can use AI to automate repetitive tasks, solve everyday challenges, and free up time for higher-impact work through practical, real-world workflows.

Beyond Static Workflows: How Forsyth Tech Built a Living Student Engagement System

See how Forsyth Tech used AI-powered engagement, knowledge management, and agent workflows to create a more personalized, scalable student experience from inquiry to completion.

Start Small, Scale Smart: A Four-Phase Framework for AI Adoption

Learn how Alamance Community College used a phased adoption strategy to drive campus-wide platform success through targeted pilots, staff training, and scalable early wins.

The Future of Discoverability: Making Your Content Findable by Humans and Machines

Learn how to make your institution’s content discoverable in the age of AI by optimizing for generative search, AI agents, and new conversational discovery experiences.

Your Agents, Your Process: See What You Can Do with Custom Skills

Learn how Custom Skills help AI agents follow your institution’s exact policies and workflows, with live examples and a practical checklist for what to build first.

The Future of Enrollment: Connecting AI, Data, and Student Engagement With Encoura Connect

Discover how Encoura Connect combines trusted student data, AI-powered engagement, and connected workflows to help institutions recruit, engage, and enroll best-fit students more effectively.

Goodbye Admissions, Hello Retention: How Trinity Valley Rebuilt Enrollment from the Ground Up

Learn how Trinity Valley Community College reimagined enrollment through a unified Enrollment Services model that reduced silos, improved student support, and aligned enrollment with retention success.

AI in the Classroom: What Students Are Actually Doing with It

Gain a student’s-eye view of how AI is actually being used in the classroom and learn practical strategies for fostering transparent, ethical conversations between students and faculty.

Practical CRM Wins: How Guilford Tech Uses Agentic AI to Improve Student Engagement

See how a community college uses agentic AI within its CRM to automate engagement, improve responsiveness, and drive stronger enrollment outcomes without replacing the human touch.

The Future of Case Management: How Staff, Faculty, and Agents Work Together to Support Students

See how Student Alerts and Case Management combine faculty insight, agentic AI, and coordinated workflows to identify at-risk students early and accelerate intervention when it matters most.

Your Desktop Just Got an Agent: Inside Claude Cowork

Explore how agentic desktop assistants can automate complex tasks, manage workflows, and boost productivity while maintaining the governance and controls institutions need for responsible AI adoption.

Lightning Series: AI Frontier

Explore emerging AI technologies—from voice agents to AI-generated video—and what they mean for student engagement, marketing, and the future of higher education.

Mastering the Prompt Stack: Build AI Agents Like an Enrollment Marketer

Learn how to design smarter AI prompts that improve personalization, engagement, and conversion across the student lifecycle using a practical enrollment marketing framework.

Customer Panel: Moving from AI Experimentation to Real Outcomes

Hear from higher education leaders who are moving beyond AI pilots to deliver measurable impact across recruitment, admissions, and student support through practical, scalable implementation.

Telling Our Story, Growing Our Future: How ABAC Built Brand and Broke Enrollment Records

Discover how ABAC combined strategic storytelling, digital engagement, and data-driven outreach to achieve record enrollment growth and strengthen its institutional brand.

Meet Harper: How Cape Cod Community College Built a Frontline AI Admissions Agent

See how CCCC transformed enrollment operations with Harper, an AI admissions agent that delivers around-the-clock support, streamlines engagement, and enhances the student experience.

How Element451 Connects to Every System on Campus

Learn how Element451’s latest integrations, APIs, and data tools help connect campus systems, give AI agents richer context, and create more seamless student experiences.

Leading Through the Unknown: AI Strategy, Fear, and the Future of Higher Ed (A Leadership Panel for the AI Age)

Join higher education and technology leaders for a candid conversation about leading through the AI era, navigating uncertainty, driving transformation, and building strategy in a rapidly changing landscape.

Lightning Series: AI Frontier

Explore the next frontier of AI with sessions on connected agent ecosystems, real-time data access, and the governance frameworks institutions need to deploy autonomous AI responsibly and at scale.

The Future of Continuing Education and Workforce Development

See how AI is transforming continuing education and workforce development through smarter discovery, engagement, and enrollment experiences.

The Activation Gap: A Practitioner’s Roadmap to a Responsible Agentic Campus

Learn how institutions can build the governance, data, and organizational foundations needed to scale AI successfully beyond pilot projects.

20 New Teammates, Zero New Budget: Wake Tech's Approach to AI-Driven Student Success

Discover how Wake Tech used AI-powered workforce redesign to expand capacity, improve efficiency, and support more students without adding headcount.

AI à la Mode: 31 Flavors of Smart Ideas for MarComm Leaders

Discover 31 practical AI use cases that help marketing and communications teams save time, spark creativity, and improve results across everyday workflows.

Your Institution's Brain Is Leaking: Agent Skills Are How You Bottle It

Learn how Agent Skills turn institutional knowledge into portable, AI-ready workflows that can be loaded across platforms and put to work fast.

Fighting Fraud and Keeping Your Data Clean

Learn how Element451 helps institutions combat fraud, verify identities, and improve data quality with AI-powered tools designed to keep student records accurate and trustworthy.

AI Frontier Lightning Series

Learn how to evaluate AI vendors with confidence and see how Bakersfield College transformed student engagement through connected data, automated workflows, and a modern CRM strategy.

3 Things You Didn't Know Element451 Could Do

Three demos. 15 minutes each. In barely any time, you'll walk away with capabilities you didn't know you had.

The Awareness Gap: Why Mission-Fit Students Never Find You

Learn why institutional awareness matters more than ever and how enrollment and marketing leaders can strengthen brand visibility before prospective students ever enter the funnel.

Building The Agentic Campus: Lessons Learned

Join senior higher education leaders for a candid discussion on the lessons, challenges, and opportunities shaping the future of AI-driven institutional transformation.

Engage Summit 2027
June 21-23, 2027

Join us at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort as Engage returns to bring higher education leaders together to build the journey to student success. Book your hotel by November 30, 2026, and receive complimentary conference registration, including access to pre-conference workshops.

Meet Encoura Connect, built with Element451

One Connected Platform

Encoura Connect isn't a separate tool to manage. The data, the scores, and the intelligence live inside Element, right where your team already works.

Ready to see what happens when Bolt agents act on real enrollment intelligence? Let us show you how Encoura Connect, built with Element451, can help your institution engage the right students and support them across the entire student lifecycle.

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