Mount Ida College. Becker College. Wheelock College. Pine Manor College. Hampshire College. Cambridge College. Massachusetts is replete with schools — often small, private colleges — that have in recent years closed, merged, or sought partnerships to stay open.
With colleges facing a “demographic cliff,” an anticipated drop in enrollment over the coming years due mainly to demographic trends, more institutions are likely to have to make difficult decisions: Can and should this institution stay open? Should it seek a merger or partnership, and what would that look like? Ernst and Young’s EY Parthenon estimated in 2022 that 40 percent of the United States’ higher education institutions are at risk based on their financial position, market demand, and graduation and retention rates.
College closures and mergers are not necessarily a bad thing. If there are too many schools to serve available students, a right-sizing of higher education can ensure that the remaining schools are able to attract enough students to provide a strong college education. But any closure is disruptive to the community, staff, faculty, and, most importantly, students. One recent study by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center and the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association found that from 467 colleges that closed between 2004 and 2020, only 47 percent of students who experienced a closure reenrolled at a new institution, and only 17 percent of students who were enrolled in the closed schools graduated.
Looking at experiences of schools that have closed, merged, or considered it provides some lessons for policy makers and school leaders on how to improve the process when schools can no longer sustain themselves.
The abrupt closure of Mount Ida College was in many ways a worst-case scenario. The school announced in April 2018 that it would close the next month, with its Newton campus purchased by the University of Massachusetts Amherst, after discussions over possible mergers fell through. The announcement shocked students and faculty, and many students said agreements that would have allowed most students to transfer to programs at other schools, including UMass Dartmouth, were inadequate. The school’s closure prompted a lawsuit and legislative hearing.
In response to the Mount Ida closure, the state Legislature passed a law requiring private colleges to report financial information to the Board of Higher Education, creating an “early warning system” meant to identify at-risk colleges and require them to develop risk mitigation and contingency plans. The state crafted rules governing institutional closures to ensure plans are in place to address things like student transfer agreements and access to academic records.
Since then, the department revoked the accreditation of Bay State College, over that school’s objection. It oversaw the closure of Becker College in Worcester in 2021, after college officials said enrollment declines and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic made its finances unsustainable. The department issued a warning over the financial status of Pine Manor College in Chestnut Hill in 2020, soon before the college announced a merger with Boston College. It has issued public warnings and imposed enhanced monitoring on a handful of other small schools.
Observers say the state process seems to be successful so far, with Becker and Pine Manor avoiding the abrupt closure announcements and transfer challenges that sparked outrage at Mount Ida. But it is also too early to tell if there are additional changes to the process needed either to protect schools or to protect students, and those policies bear continued watching.
One merger that has served as a national example of a success is the 2018 closure of Wheelock College, which merged with Boston University to create the Boston University Wheelock College of Education and Human Development.
Mary Churchill, associate dean of strategic initiatives and community engagement at BU’s Wheelock College, said one factor that allowed for a successful merger was that the college’s senior leadership and board of trustees were willing to proactively search for a partner before the college’s financial situation grew dire, based on forecasting and enrollment projections. By selling the president’s house and an adjacent residence, Wheelock College was able to close its books in the black, Churchill said, making the deal more financially attractive to potential partners.
A book written by Churchill and final Wheelock College president David Chard, “When Colleges Close,” lays out the intensive planning process that led to the merger. College leadership hired a consulting firm then mapped out and ranked specific priorities for merger partners like maintaining Wheelock’s name, having a similar programmatic vision, and being willing to invest in Wheelock’s mission. It cast a wide net, ultimately getting six proposals and choosing Boston University’s. Through negotiations, Wheelock and BU reached an agreement in which all Wheelock students were able to complete their degrees at BU, with the same tuition and financial aid as at Wheelock.
Because Boston University had different standards for tenure than Wheelock, BU reevaluated the 32 tenured Wheelock faculty members for tenure at BU and created a new job category guaranteeing them a permanent position even if they did not receive a formal tenure designation. Ultimately, just under half of Wheelock staff and faculty were given jobs at BU. BU Today reported in 2018 that 72 staff and 39 part- and full-time faculty were laid off, while 93 faculty and staff were hired by BU, including about 30 tenured faculty members.
Between 90 percent and 95 percent of Wheelock students who were scheduled to graduate in 2019, the year after the merger, graduated on time.
Colleges also need an alternate plan if merger talks fail. Hampshire College sought a “strategic partner” in January 2019 and did not accept an incoming freshman class that year, citing financial challenges. But students, faculty, and alumni strongly protested, with students staging a lengthy sit-in. Ultimately, the president and board chair resigned, and the board of trustees voted to keep Hampshire College independent. The new president launched a $60 million fund-raising campaign, and the school revamped its curriculum and recruited in new regions, including internationally. The number of students enrolling has gradually increased since 2019, and school officials say it is on track to return to full enrollment by 2027.
The projected fall in college enrollment means there are simply too few American students for US colleges to enroll. Colleges should do what they can to win the game of institutional musical chairs that will play out over the next few years. But some of them are bound to lose. As the higher education landscape changes, closure and merger need not be dirty words — as long as they are done well.
Editorials represent the views of the Boston Globe Editorial Board. Follow us @GlobeOpinion.