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Engineering the Class
Dr. Joseph Parisi on Building Enrollment Through Technology Investments
Episode 17 | July 2026
Three Conversation Topics:
- Investing in Enrollment Technology
- What Enrollment Technology Can Change
- Reevaluating the Enrollment Tech Stack
Summary
Dr. Joseph Parisi, the 14th president of Missouri Valley College and former vice president for enrollment management, shares how returning to his alma mater led to a major strategic decision to invest more than $1 million in enrollment technology. The results are impressive: MVC has reported record on-campus enrollment, a 14 percent increase in retention, a freshman GPA of 3.3, and a seven percent gain in domestic enrollment. In this conversation, Dr. Parisi explains how he assessed the institution's technology gaps to build the case for a significant investment and aligned people and processes to maximize the impact of new tools. He also discusses why the best CRM in the world is only as effective as the people using it, makes the case for a multi-term enrollment strategy, and shares practical lessons for achieving real ROI from technology investments.
TOPICS: Presidential Leadership — Enrollment Technology
Key Moments in This Episode
Topic 1 | Investing in Enrollment Technology
[02:32] Diagnosing the Gaps
Dr. Parisi describes arriving at his alma mater and immediately assessing the enrollment infrastructure, from secret-shopping the campus experience to analyzing communication flows and technology responses. He outlines how he used a backward design model to identify what was missing.
[08:04] Evaluating Enrollment Technology Vendors
Dr. Parisi shares how he cut through a crowded market of CRMs, AI tools, and marketing platforms to find the right fit for Missouri Valley. He explains why onboarding and learning a system is just as important as choosing one, and what he looks for before signing any contract.
Topic 2 | What Enrollment Technology Can Change
[13:10] Unpacking the Results
Dr. Parisi breaks down how a 27 percent growth in the prospect pool translated into record headcount and a sharply improved academic profile. He explains how geodemographic targeting, brand development, and a consistent communication cadence worked together to produce two consecutive years of enrollment records.
[18:30] Continuous Assessment and Multi-Term Strategy
Dr. Parisi makes the case for moving beyond once-a-year fall assessments, describing how Missouri Valley now recruits actively across multiple terms. He explains how technology makes it possible to monitor messaging performance, track conversion at every stage, and respond in real time.
Topic 3 | Reevaluating the Enrollment Tech Stack
[26:18] Where to Start When Your Technology Is Behind
Dr. Parisi offers a direct framework for enrollment leaders who know their institution needs to upgrade but don't know where to begin. He argues that no technology investment will deliver meaningful results without a clear understanding of the goal.
[27:49] People Drive the Technology
Dr. Parisi closes the topic by drawing a firm line between the tools and the team, arguing that data and decisions only matter when the people entering information into a CRM are trained, aligned, and using consistent language. He describes Missouri Valley's approach to campus-wide technology adoption across admissions, faculty, and coaching staff.
Bonus | Rapid-Fire Advice
[29:37] Three Pieces of Advice for Future Leaders
Dr. Parisi keeps it simple: people, people, people. He shares his framework for putting students and the institutional mission at the center of every cabinet conversation, and explains why evolving, adapting, and pivoting are core leadership responsibilities, not just buzzwords.
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Featuring
Todd Abbott
Vice President, Business Development, Liaison
Todd Abbott is a higher education leader with 28 years of experience. As a Vice President at Liaison, he partners with colleges and universities to strengthen their enrollment operations and achieve their strategic goals. His expertise spans enrollment, marketing, and student retention, including leadership roles on campus and in the edtech industry. A former Dean of Enrollment, Todd champions data-informed strategies that prioritize student success and institutional growth.
Joseph Parisi, Ed.D.
President, Missouri Valley College
Dr. Joseph Parisi, President at Missouri Valley College and former Vice President for Enrollment Management and Athletics at Central Methodist University and Lindenwood University, has distinguished himself in every aspect of his career—as a coach, an educator, and as a senior leader leading decades of unprecedented enrollment growth at multiple institutions. During this time, Parisi has also served as a consultant assisting many nationally recognized universities. Himself an All-American wrestler, in 15 years he coached 130 All-Americans, 28 national champions, and 21 academic All-Americans and his teams won the national championship seven times: Parisi won NWCA coach of the year honors multiple times. In addition, four more of his teams were runner-up to the national champions. Parisi has served the Miss Universe Organization and also judged the Miss Missouri USA Pageant, as well as the Miss Illinois, Miss Oklahoma, Miss Kansas and Miss Arkansas pageants, and selected as a judge for the prestigious Miss Universe pageant in Nassau, Bahamas. Dr. Parisi has been inducted into the Parkway School District Hall of Fame in St. Louis Missouri. Parisi’s teams were inducted into the Missouri Valley College Hall of Fame, and inducted into the Lindenwood University Athletic Hall of Fame and he was personally inducted into the Lindenwood University Hall of Fame in 2015. He was also personally inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in October of 2023. His teams won the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame Achievement Award five times, and he was presented a resolution from the Missouri House of Representatives naming him a “legendary coach.” Other honors include a “Beyond the Best” award from Streetscape Magazine, the Alvin M. Francis Award in Educational Leadership, and the Corporate LiveWire Innovation & Excellence award.
Disclaimer: Please note that the views and opinions expressed by the participants of 'Three in 30' are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Liaison.