Dive Brief:
- Holy Names University and Samuel Merrit University are considering consolidating their schools onto a single campus, according to the Mercury News. The two schools, both based in Oakland, CA, are formally exploring the idea after an agreement by both institutions' boards of directors, and they hope to come to an agreement within a year.
- The Holy Names campus would be the site of the single school, with the schools planning to invest in more classrooms and other facilities to accommodate the increase in students, faculty and staff. The schools would remain separate institutions with separate administrations but would share some facilities, and may create programs for the schools to share.
- Samuel Merrit's enrollment is strong, due in part to its emphasis on healthcare education, while Holy Name has struggled to fill seats on its campus. Supporters do foresee some challenges, including some opposition from local residents who would be opposed to the increased traffic, but are nevertheless hopeful, with Samuel Merritt President Sharon Diaz saying it is a "practical" solution.
Dive Insight:
Many colleges and universities have considered forming consortia as a stepping stone to exploring the positive possibilities of merging facilities. The Atlanta University Center and the Universities at Shady Grove are two examples of how this model could work, with the former being comprised of small private historically black colleges and universities in Atlanta, and the latter bringing satellite campuses of nine of the state's public universities to one remote location. Students enroll at the institution of their choice, but benefit from access to classes offered at the neighboring institutions and share a library, computer labs and other research facilities. As institutions continue to look for ways to contain costs while simultaneously offering affordable, quality educations, such a collaborative model could be one solution.