Dive Brief:
- Gannon University and Ursuline College have inked a definitive agreement to merge by Dec. 15, 2026, the colleges announced Thursday.
- Both institutions’ boards of trustees approved the deal last month after signing a letter of intent in the fall. The merger of the two Catholic colleges will be subject to regulatory sign-offs, and the parties expect to receive accreditor approval in June.
- After an 18-month transition period, Ursuline will be renamed the “Ursuline College Campus of Gannon University.” The smaller institution will operate under Gannon but maintain its own distinct academic programs, athletics and facilities.
Dive Insight:
The Pennsylvania-based Gannon and Ohio-based Ursuline — located about 95 miles apart — said their combination would create “the largest Catholic system of higher education along Lake Erie.”
The two have been in merger talks since last spring. In September, they announced their letter of intent to combine under the Gannon name. At the time, they said the resulting higher education system would have 6,000 students and 1,300 employees.
By then, the due diligence process to vet the combination had started. According to the Jan. 2 announcement, a “significant amount” of due diligence has since been completed — enough that “both institutions are confident in the path forward.”
Merging with Ursuline, a liberal arts-focused college, would expand Gannon’s academic portfolio, which includes engineering, business, health professions and education, officials said in September.
Employees from Gannon and Ursuline have established 13 integration teams and are working to “determine the best ways to combine the strengths of both institutions.” Their focus includes collaborating around areas such as technology and academics, according to institutional leadership.
“We believe it is important to retain the school’s identity even as we move — collectively — in a new direction,” Gannon President Walter Iwanenko said Tuesday in a statement. “Ursuline’s legacy will continue, just as Gannon’s legacy will continue. The goal is to preserve and strengthen our institutions to build a better future for both.”
Gannon is by far the larger institution, with 4,548 students in fall 2023 — up 6% from five years ago — compared to Ursuline’s 923, according to federal data.
Ursuline President David King, who joined last summer from Eastern University, said in the Jan. 2 release that his institution had options for its future path thanks to its strengths. While its enrollment has declined in recent years, Ursuline still managed to book a small budget surplus in the fiscal year ending June 2023 — unlike many other institutions that have sought operating partners.
“We chose this pathway because it preserves our mission and will offer new and expanded opportunities for our students,” King said. “There is a deep reservoir of alignment between our two institutions that is remarkable.”
The announcement noted that Ursuline students would not see any change in tuition, financial aid and scholarships or in academic and athletic programs.
