Operations Fundamentals That Drive Institutional Resilience
We’re nearing the end of 2026. What a ride (again!). AI is pushing us in many directions; our industry continues to be under pressure (though with more predictability than early 2025, when the new administration’s actions came very quickly), and many institutions are seeking ways to stabilize their revenue and improve student outcomes. Through all […]
[Webinar] AI Is Already in Your Administrative Core. Do You Know Where?
![[Webinar] AI Is Already in Your Administrative Core. Do You Know Where?](https://www.thetambellinigroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/2026-10-27-tambellini-webinar-social-1024x536.png)
Most institutions could not produce a list of the AI running inside their administrative systems today, including what it is, whose data it touches, and who authorized it. That is not a failure of diligence. AI arrived switched on, inside systems the institution had already bought. Watch the webinar to hear Tambellini Group analysts assess […]
Workday Rising 2026: Governed AI and What It Asks of Higher Education
Aneel Bhusri opened Workday Rising 2026 by calling it Workday’s “refounding moment.” Nine months after returning as CEO, he wants a company with more than 11,000 customers to act like a startup. The keynote made the case with live product and 17 agents Workday says are already in production. The strategy holds together. Workday is […]
Synthetic Research Participants: Opportunities and Limitations for Higher Education
The Pew Research Center‘s recent publication exploring human vs. synthetic survey respondents has renewed interesting public conversations. The underlying idea is not entirely new. Researchers have long used personas, agent-based models, simulations, and synthetic data. What has changed is the ability of large language models (LLMs) to combine natural-language interaction with demographic, behavioral, contextual, survey, […]
How the CSU System Is Modernizing Enterprise Systems Across Its Campuses
Disclosure: The Colorado State University System worked with Tambellini as one of several external advisors supporting aspects of its enterprise modernization planning. The views expressed in this case study are intended to describe the work performed and outcomes of the project and do not constitute an endorsement of any product or service by Colorado State […]
AI Isn’t Replacing the Org Chart. It’s Rewriting It.
The Enrollment Cliff Isn’t Just a Student Problem Anymore. For a decade, the demographic cliff was the headline threat to higher education’s business model: fewer 18-year-olds, fewer applicants, fewer tuition dollars. That threat has not gone away, but it is no longer the whole story. Only 35 percent of Americans now say a college degree […]
AWS Imagine 2026: Higher Education AI Moves from Experimentation to Institutional Capability
I spent a few days this week at AWS Imagine in Chicago watching for one thing: what the sessions would say about where data and AI in higher education are actually headed. There was no shortage of announcements and demonstrations. Agentic AI ran through the entire event. AWS made its case for model choice through […]
When “Never Again” Becomes a Bad Technology Strategy
Evaluating technology vendors creates strong opinions in higher education. Spend enough time around conversations about Ellucian, Oracle, Workday, Blackboard, Salesforce, or a handful of other large providers, and eventually you will hear some version of this: “I will never do business with them again.” Usually, there is a story behind that statement. A failed implementation. […]
If You Nominate Yourself, What Exactly Is Being Honored?
I was scrolling through LinkedIn when a promoted advertisement stopped me. “Nominate yourself and earn a Dr. title.” The advertisement invited people to nominate themselves for a “prestigious Honorary Doctorate” from an “internationally accredited university.” It promised global recognition, greater professional credibility, and, most strikingly, the opportunity to “earn a Dr. title.” I could not […]
Claude’s Text Watermark: What It Can and Cannot Tell Us
Claude’s new text watermark can tell us something useful about where a piece of text came from. It cannot tell us who did the thinking, who should be considered the author, or whether using AI was appropriate. That distinction is easy to lose. Since Anthropic announced the watermark, I’ve had several conversations with colleagues and […]
