From Questions to Connection: Building a Student-Centered Digital Ecosystem of Engagement

At Rutgers University–Newark, the RISE (Retention, Impact, Success, and Engagement) initiative redefines how students interact with institutional resources and the broader campus community. We launched two integrated, campus-wide platforms to create a unified, student-centered digital ecosystem as part of this transformation. Mainstay, an AI-powered chatbot, delivers accurate, real-time answers to student questions 24/7, reducing friction and increasing support for critical services like registration, financial aid, and advising. Campus Groups, a mobile and web-based engagement hub, provides a single destination where students can discover and manage events, organizations, and co-curricular experiences—with full integration into our campus event calendar, room scheduling systems, and student organization tools. Deep integration with Canvas extends this experience to include course-based communities and communications, making Campus Groups a bridge between academic and student life. Together, these tools serve as the digital front door to Rutgers–Newark. A cross-campus SME governance and feedback framework ensures continuous content accuracy, relevance, and service improvements.