Unity Environmental University Pioneers Higher Ed Transformation with Salesforce’s Agentforce
Unity Environmental University has established itself as the first higher education institution in the United States to deploy Salesforce’s Agentforce, introducing an AI-powered agent named “Una” that promises to revolutionize student engagement and streamline administrative operations.
A recent briefing held during TDX 2025 revealed how this Maine-based institution is leveraging Salesforce’s technology stack to address critical challenges facing higher education today, from student recruitment to retention and operational efficiency.
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Reimagining the Student Experience
Dr. Melik Peter Khoury, President of Unity Environmental University, explains that Una represents a fundamental shift in how students interact with the institution: “As we integrate Agentforce into our workflows, we can quickly address standard questions like financial aid details or class registration while freeing our team to engage more deeply with students.”
In our exclusive interview with Dr. Khoury last November, he shared a more comprehensive vision for Una that extends far beyond typical chatbot functionality: “I want to replace the request for information page on our website. I want to get beyond ‘fill out this form and we’ll send you stuff.’ I want the student to be able to come to our website, speak to our agent, and anything that they could possibly be emailed, mailed, sent, called or talked to—I want the agent to be able to have that conversation.”
The immediate implementation focuses on prospective students, guiding them through admissions and program selection. Perceval Inkpen, Digital Experience Analyst at Unity Environmental University, notes: “Right now, Una is designed for prospective students, guiding them through the application process, helping them find programs that match their career goals, and showcasing the Unity experience.”
Beyond Chatbots: The Agentic Advantage
What distinguishes Una from traditional chatbots is its ability to act rather than simply retrieving information. During the press conference, Margo Martinez, VP & GM of Education at Salesforce, emphasized this distinction: “Unity’s students will now have access to a deeply knowledgeable, contextually aware AI agent that can provide personalized support, 24/7 throughout their entire university experience.”
Dr. Khoury had previously shared with us the challenge his team faced in developing Una: “The biggest challenge in developing Una wasn’t programming it with pre-defined answers but teaching it to understand our institutional knowledge. We approached it like onboarding a new staff member—providing comprehensive documentation and allowing the AI to develop its own understanding rather than limiting it to a set of scripted responses. This is what fundamentally separates Una from traditional chatbots.”
Unified Data Architecture as Foundation
Unity’s implementation is built on a comprehensive Salesforce architecture, combining Agentforce with Education Cloud and Data Cloud to centralize student data on a single platform. This integrated approach aims to reduce advisor workload by approximately 25% and shorten class registration to under 20 seconds—12 times faster than previous methods.
In our November interview, Dr. Khoury described his technology strategy as “Salesforce-first,” explaining: “If it can be done in Education Cloud, it should. If it can’t, then can it be integrated into it? We are able to start working towards a centralized data structure from prospect to planned giving.”
The university expects significant efficiency gains, with recruiters potentially saving an estimated 17 hours per week by automating repetitive tasks. This aligns with Dr. Khoury’s prior statement about his institution’s approach: “We created this enterprise model with shared services and centralization around finance, HR, IT, and then created verticals that are obvious and product-related to allow maximum differentiation pedagogically.”
Looking Beyond Initial Implementation
Dr. Khoury’s ambition extends far beyond the current deployment. In our interview, he outlined a vision where Una evolves into a lifelong companion for students: “Our vision is for every student to have their own dedicated AI agent from day one at Unity. This agent will support them throughout their entire educational journey and beyond graduation. The true power lies in continuity—the agent retains their complete academic history, enabling it to provide relevant guidance as alumni transition to careers and continue their lifelong learning.”
During the press conference, he reiterated how Una bridges technology and human connection: “It’s not just about automation, it’s about fostering more meaningful interactions and ensuring every student feels supported and valued throughout their journey at Unity.”
Implications for Higher Ed Technology Strategy
For Salesforce architects and developers in the higher education space, Unity’s implementation represents a significant case study in enterprise agility applied to education. When asked directly if that was his approach, Dr. Khoury confirmed: “I want people to think of Unity like Yamaha—the company makes both pianos and motorcycles, but they’re not using the same engineers for both product lines. Similarly, our faculty teaching in-person courses aren’t the same ones teaching online. We’ve created an enterprise shared services model with centralized corporate expertise and specialized vertical divisions that allow us to adapt without disrupting the entire organization.”
Unity’s experience suggests that institutions willing to embrace AI agents may gain significant competitive advantages. As Dr. Khoury noted in our interview: “This is the higher education equivalent of Netflix versus Blockbuster. Most institutions are still operating like Blockbuster—forcing students to come to a physical location, follow rigid procedures, and pay penalties for not following the rules. Netflix offered Blockbuster a partnership for $50 million and was laughed out of the room. We know how that story ended.”
A Model for Future Implementation
For Salesforce architects considering similar implementations, Unity’s approach offers valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities of deploying AI agents in higher education. Dr. Khoury recommends starting small: “Choose one manageable project and learn from it. In education, we often claim to value continuous improvement and iterative approaches but then contradict ourselves by wanting everything perfected before launch. You need to be willing to learn and adjust as you go.”
Unity’s deployment of Agentforce represents a significant step toward transforming higher education through technology. As Dr. Khoury concluded in our interview: “Viewing AI merely as a productivity tool for existing processes is shortsighted. The real opportunity lies in developing digital partners for your employees that fundamentally transform how work gets done and how students experience education.”
This pioneering implementation may serve as a blueprint for other institutions seeking to enhance student experiences and operational efficiency through AI-powered agents, ultimately reshaping what it means to be a truly modern educational institution.
