Closures and Mergers
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Column // Merger Watch
Declining K-12 enrollment spells trouble for higher education’s future
Given demographic trends, the sector will likely become more competitive and experience more closures, one consolidation expert argues.
By Ricardo Azziz • Dec. 19, 2024 -
Seattle University plans to acquire arts college
Cornish College of the Arts, in Washington, would retain its campus and be renamed under the Catholic university's banner, the institutions announced.
By Ben Unglesbee • Dec. 6, 2024 -
Trendline
Community Colleges
The nation’s community colleges look to innovative programs and funding models as they work to boost enrollment and stay financially afloat in the changing higher education world.
By Higher Ed Dive staff -
College closures could increase sharply in the face of the demographic cliff
A new model for predicting financial failures from the Philadelphia Fed aimed to produce the most accurate forecasting to date of at-risk colleges.
By Ben Unglesbee • Dec. 5, 2024 -
Keystone College could lose accreditation after MSCHE vote
Middle States Commission on Higher Education found that the Pennsylvania institution failed to show it can sustain itself.
By Ben Unglesbee • Nov. 27, 2024 -
Birmingham-Southern College campus sale falls through
Miles College asked to extend a purchase agreement for the property, but trustees of the shuttered college said they must sell the campus quickly.
By Ben Unglesbee • Nov. 27, 2024 -
Saint Augustine’s University cuts its workforce in half to shore up finances
The North Carolina institution is on probation with its accreditor as it tries to stabilize its operations.
By Ben Unglesbee • Nov. 25, 2024 -
Cal Maritime and Cal Poly set to merge
A new report from California State University leaders said the nautical college faces a "dire, binary choice": Partner with another university, or close.
By Ben Unglesbee • Nov. 22, 2024 -
Webster University to close its military campuses
A decade ago, the nonprofit based in Missouri had over 40 locations on bases. Now, it is shuttering its last nine.
By Ben Unglesbee • Nov. 1, 2024 -
The fallout: A two-part look at the University of the Arts’ closure and legacy
Higher Ed Dive traveled to Philadelphia to chronicle the lasting impact of a beloved arts education institution’s sudden demise.
By Ben Unglesbee • Oct. 14, 2024 -
3 Virginia universities face some viability risk
Radford University, University of Mary Washington and Virginia State University have struggled with enrollment or pricing challenges, or both.
By Ben Unglesbee • Oct. 10, 2024 -
Deep Dive
The fallout: The University of the Arts saga lives on — will its legacy?
Temple University and others have absorbed former UArts students. But can they replace the unique urban arts institution after its demise?
By Ben Unglesbee • Oct. 9, 2024 -
Deep Dive
The fallout: University of the Arts haunted by unanswered questions months after sudden closure
Students and employees were left in the lurch after the nearly 150-year-old institution shuttered with just a week's notice.
By Ben Unglesbee • Oct. 8, 2024 -
Column
To understand the future of higher education, look to the past of healthcare
A college consolidation expert breaks down similarities between the two sectors — and what institutions can learn from them.
By Ricardo Azziz • Oct. 1, 2024 -
Miles College to buy shuttered Birmingham-Southern’s campus
Just miles apart, both institutions struggled with declining enrollment in recent years. But Birmingham-Southern couldn’t rebound financially.
By Ben Unglesbee • Sept. 26, 2024 -
Arizona State to add tuition surcharge, close 1 campus after state funding cuts
With a $24 million reduction in public funds, the Arizona university warned of impacts to students.
By Ben Unglesbee • Sept. 24, 2024 -
Gannon University and Ursuline College eye a combination
The two private Catholic institutions signed a letter of intent that would bring the Ohio-based Ursuline under the umbrella of Gannon, in Pennsylvania.
By Ben Unglesbee • Sept. 17, 2024 -
University of the Arts files for bankruptcy
The Philadelphia institution’s Chapter 7 comes after it abruptly closed this summer and its merger talks with Temple University fell through.
By Ben Unglesbee • Sept. 16, 2024 -
Knoxville College takes a step toward accreditation nearly 30 years in the making
The historically Black institution, which lost accreditation in 1997, filed an application with Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools.
By Ben Unglesbee • Aug. 30, 2024 -
University of the Arts faces full repayment demand from bondholders
A bank notified the university just two weeks after its closure that the full amount was due. Meanwhile, employees are seeking lost wages.
By Ben Unglesbee • Aug. 29, 2024 -
Temple nixes potential deal with University of the Arts
Although officials said they aren’t moving forward with a transaction, they noted Temple has enrolled over 330 former and prospective UArts students.
By Ben Unglesbee • Aug. 29, 2024 -
UT San Antonio to merge with academic health center to create ‘powerhouse university’
System officials cast the move as a way to expand academic offerings and strengthen research funding.
By Natalie Schwartz • Aug. 23, 2024 -
Number of colleges dipped 1.7% in 2023-24 academic year
Data from the National Center for Education Statistics shows a decline in higher education institutions eligible for Title IV federal student aid.
By Natalie Schwartz • Aug. 21, 2024 -
Keystone College agrees to merge with D.C.-based nonprofit
The agreement with the Washington Institute for Education and Research comes several months after a similar deal with the organization fell through.
By Ben Unglesbee • Aug. 19, 2024 -
Column // Merger Watch
Why is the higher education sector so fragile in the US?
The answer lies in how colleges and universities first developed across the country, according to one consolidation expert.
By Ricardo Azziz • Aug. 19, 2024 -
Over 30 tenured faculty face layoffs under University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee plan
The institution’s chancellor recommended closing a general studies college that supports two-year degrees.
By Ben Unglesbee • Aug. 15, 2024