‘Ask Gumby’ Earns Future Campus Award for Innovative Student Guidance

California Lutheran University has been recognized with the Tambellini Future Campus Award for its groundbreaking AI initiative, “Ask Gumby.” Developed by the university’s Information Technology team, the AI-powered chatbot was created through a strategic, campus-wide effort and significant in-house software development to enhance student support and success.

The award was presented at the Future Campus™ Summit, held August 5-6 in New York City, honoring institutions that are reimagining the role of technology in higher education.

Cal Lutheran’s IT department received the prestigious award in the category of “Impact on Learning Outcomes and Experience.” The Tambellini analysts and advisors who reviewed submissions noted the IT team’s bold, adaptive efforts to improve the student experience and learning outcomes, as well as the scalability and long-term impact of “Ask Gumby.”

“This project is about more than introducing new technology,” said Zareh Marselian, chief information officer at Cal Lutheran. “It is about removing barriers for our students, faculty and staff so they can focus on learning, teaching and collaboration;, with a goal of what I call a frictionless user experience. By integrating informer AI assistants into our digital experience platform, we are creating a personalized experience that provides proactive, timely and actionable information to our constituents.”

The program is designed to be a resource for students, faculty, staff and administration. It integrates with Cal Lutheran’s existing systems, including the enterprise resource planning system, student information system, and learning management system and is implemented through the MyCLU Digital Experience Platform.

“Ask Gumby” honors the nickname students bestowed on the campus’s signature statue, “The Enormous Luther.” A beta version launched on April 11 for faculty and staff. The IT team has continued to pilot and refine the program’s capabilities through ongoing collaborations with students, faculty, staff and the administration.

The program will be available campuswide this fall to students, faculty, staff and administrators. Offerings will include AI assistants to generate student-worker schedules, saving staff thousands of hours per year; AI tutors to guide students using Socratic methods; and AI instructor assistants that will analyze AI tutor conversations and institutional data to suggest strategies for course content based on student interests and learning needs.

Cal Lutheran expects the chatbot to deliver measurable gains in operational effectiveness, enrollment, retention, student support and learning outcomes. It also ensures that Cal Lutheran students will master AI literacy, including technical fluency, critical thinking, and ethical awareness. These skills empower students’ success in an increasingly AI-driven world.

Data governance was a priority when developing “Ask Gumby.” The chatbot respects institutional policies, protects academic intellectual property and aligns with data privacy and security standards.

To develop the program, Cal Lutheran’s IT team partnered with Entrinsik, a global software company that provides state-of-the-art solutions. The Future Campus Award evolved from the Tambellini Technology Leadership Awards, established in 2015 to honor the achievements of higher education IT leaders and their teams.