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The First Response Problem
What Graduate Schools Get Wrong at the Top of the Funnel
Episode 13 | May 2026
Three Conversation Topics:
- The Graduate Inquiry Response Project
- Findings and Best Practices
- How to Improve Inquiry Response Strategies
Summary
Art Munin, Senior Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management Solutions at Liaison, joins host Stephen Taylor to unpack findings from the Liaison–NAGAP 2025 Graduate Inquiry Response Project, a study examining how more than 400 institutions respond to prospective student inquiries. Drawing on both the national results and his one-on-one conversations with more than 70 institutions about their inquiry process, Art offers a deeper look at how graduate inquiry response plays out in practice. This conversation explores the gap between what enrollment leaders believe is happening at the top of the funnel and what prospective students actually experience, how easy changes to the inquiry process can have a big impact on enrollment outcomes, why those simple changes feel difficult for institutions but are still very accessible.
TOPICS: Graduate — Inquiry Response
Want to know how our secret shoppers rated your institution’s inquiry response against best practices? Request your institution’s scorecard.
Key Moments in This Episode
Topic 1 | The Graduate Inquiry Response Project
[02:52] Inside the Study Design
Art introduces the 2025 Graduate Inquiry Response Project (IRP) as a joint project with NAGAP and Liaison. The project submitted inquiry forms to 422 institutions and tracked follow-up over four weeks, pairing this observed behavior with a survey of enrollment leaders to surface how actual practice compares to stated expectations.
[04:22] The Perception–Reality Gap
The combination of secret shopping and an administrator survey reveals a striking divergence between what leaders think their inquiry process delivers and what prospective students actually receive. Art notes that a significant numberof institutions studied sent no response at all.
Topic 2 | Findings and Best Practices
[14:51] The Five Keys to Effective Inquiry Response
Art outlines the five keys to effective inquiry response, beginning with form visibility and speed of follow-up, and explains why generic acknowledgment emails fall short of building a real connection. He walks through what meaningful personalization requires and why you should sign emails by a named person rather than a department.
[19:28] What Is True Personalization?
Art redefines personalization to require at least two tailored pieces of information and highlights the power of personalized landing pages that adapt to a student's specific program of interest. He also addresses the dominance of email-only outreach and the underused potential of texting and print as communication channels.
Topic 3 | How to Improve Inquiry Response Strategies
[25:19] Evaluating Communication Plans
Art recommends that teams print their full communication plans and seek candid feedback from current students or professional colleagues. He challenges schools to ask whether their outreach is giving prospective students what they want.
[27:45] Where is Your Inquiry Gap?
Steve asks how a team can diagnose whether they have an inquiry gap. Art explains that the IRP is still actively enrolling institutions in free, confidential secret shopper reviews.
Check out more resources to improve your enrollment management strategy.
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Featuring
Stephen Taylor
Vice President, Graduate Enrollment Strategy, Liaison
Steve joined the Liaison team in 2020 after almost 20 years in higher education administration. Leading teams and driving innovation at schools like Harvard Business School and ASU’s W. P. Carey School of Business, Steve’s experience has focused on the intersection of people, process, and systems as drivers of smart growth. His most recent school position was as Associate Dean for Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business, where he led the unit responsible for all graduate business programs. He holds undergraduate degrees in General Studies and Information Systems and graduate degrees in Business Administration and Philosophy.
Art Munin
Senior Associate Vice President, Enrollment Management Solutions, Liaison
Art has served higher education for more than 25 years in a range of leadership roles. He is currently Senior AVP for Enrollment Management Solutions at Liaison, where he partners with institutions across the full enrollment lifecycle. Previously, he served on the faculty of the USC Race and Equity Center, as Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, as Dean of Students at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, and has held leadership positions at Illinois State University, DePaul University, the School of the Art Institute, and Loyola University Chicago. Art has been an active diversity educator and scholar throughout his career. He spent five years as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, led an 18-year DEI consulting practice, and has published books and articles while presenting widely at national conferences. His book Color by Number: Understanding Racism through Facts and Stats on Children highlights his commitment to data-informed equity work. He earned a Ph.D. in Higher Education and an M.Ed. in Community Counseling from Loyola University Chicago, an M.A. in Multicultural Communication from DePaul University, and a B.A. in Psychology from Eastern Illinois University.
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.