Missouri Valley College Reports Record Enrollment

There is an academic renaissance happening in Marshall, Missouri. Recent campus reinvestment projects at Missouri Valley College have exploded into record student enrollment this fall – with the college seeing a 30 percent gain in new students and an overall 14 percent increase in the student population.

MVC’s preliminary numbers show an on-campus population of 1,564. President Joe Parisi said this is a “never seen before” record on the campus. The increase was generated through 709 new students, up from last year’s 542, and far outpaces MVC’s most aggressive projections.

“When you put these impressive enrollment numbers together with our retention increase, it really is unprecedented,” said Parisi. “Needless to say, our residence halls are full, and we are aggressively exploring options for additional housing for next year.”

These numbers are the direct result of the numerous new facilities, programs, and improvements at Missouri Valley. In just the past 12 months, the College has constructed two new buildings – the Julie Ann Deems Julien School of Nursing and Health Sciences, and Marshall Village, a new 31-bed residence hall. New degrees in cybersecurity and RN to BSN nursing have been introduced along with a new master’s degree in education, and plans are already drawn up for new residence halls to accommodate additional growth next year.

The College has also worked hard to improve the students’ overall campus experience, including more in-demand food options through a Viking Express grab and go outlet and a new Micro Market C-store for after-hours purchases, in addition to increased layers of safety and security with 90-plus cameras at various locations.

Parisi noted students are also pleased and excited by the College’s reinvestment with new renovations at MacDonald Hall, upgraded air conditioning at the Morrison Gym, and an innovative new partnership with Burrell Behavioral Health focusing on improved mental health options for students. These renovations follow a recently added Starbucks at the Malcolm Center, and a pizza vending machine at Burns Athletic Center.

Something the College is particularly proud of is the grade point average of incoming freshmen – 3.11, another campus record. To add to the College’s recent academic achievements are the 130 The Heart of America Athletic Conference scholar-athletes announced this summer, more than any other school in the 14-team HAAC!

MVC is growing in just about every area, including the online population, and in graduate studies. This year’s across-the-board increases have outpaced every historical growth spurt including those seen in 2010 and 2018. This is the second consecutive year Missouri Valley has seen enrollment growth.

There are a multitude of reasons for the increases, Parisi said, but one of the biggest is a 36 percent increase in domestic students, with much of that increase coming from our backyard right here in mid-Missouri.

Finally, Missouri Valley has had a 14% increase in retention over just two short years. Parisi said that the retention improvement at Missouri Valley are a result of the care and nurturing by the faculty and the staff, and a tireless effort by the individuals who work “each and every day executing our new retention plan. That translates into better student satisfaction. It’s a great day to be a Viking.”