PITTSBURGH (TNS) — Two Catholic colleges on Lake Erie are looking to merge, following a trend that is becoming increasingly popular in higher education.
Leaders at Gannon University in Erie and Ursuline College in the Cleveland area announced Monday that they had signed a letter of intent to integrate their systems.
If integration comes to fruition, the combined campuses would create the largest Catholic university system in the Lake Erie region, with roughly 6,000 students and 1,300 employees, university officials said.
The partnership comes as Gannon was looking to expand its footprint and Ursuline wanted to partner with a larger institution.
Over the past decade, enrollment has increased at Gannon’s two campuses in Erie and Ruskin, Fla. The university’s Florida campus opened in 2015.
At Ursuline, meanwhile, enrollment fell 30% between fall 2013 and fall 2022, according to Department of Education data. The number of sisters at the Ohio college is also on the decline.
Integration is a “proactive effort by two faith-based institutions to take advantage of our respective strengths,” Gannon President Walter Iwanenko Jr. said in a news release. “We believe we are creating something special that addresses long-term sustainability and has the ability to transform Catholic higher education in the region.”
Ursuline President David King said the opportunity would allow Ursuline to preserve its traditions and expand its opportunities.
“The landscape in higher education, particularly private liberal arts schools, is changing rapidly,” Mr. King said in the release. “Our leadership has taken a proactive approach to embark on a new path that educates our students for generations to come and preserves our traditions and mission.”
University consolidation is on the rise as more institutions face enrollment declines related to population drops in young adults and diminished confidence in higher education. In the past year, 16% of university presidents have discussed merging with another institution, a recent survey by education consulting firm EAB found.
In Western Pennsylvania, state-owned schools in California, Edinboro and Clarion combined in 2022 to form Pennsylvania Western University. Enrollment downturns and financial concerns brought on that consolidation.
The decision to merge the Lake Erie schools is contingent on a two-month “due diligence” phase that would lead to a definitive agreement between the institutions. The entire consolidation process would take between 12 and 18 months.
School officials at Gannon and Ursuline said there will be no immediate changes to programs, tuition or athletic teams on their campuses, and no immediate impact on employment or pay at Ursuline.
Gannon enrolled over 4,600 students in fall 2023. Ursuline, meanwhile, enrolled 950 students in fall 2022, per the Department of Education.
Base tuition at both schools is over $38,000 this academic year.
