Students and faculty from Pepper Pike’s Ursuline College and Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania, are not the only ones awaiting more details about a recently announced partnership between the two institutions. Kevin Cavanagh, a lead consultant with Higher Ed Consolidation Solutions, said the deal may ripple across higher education as many institutions look for new ways to survive in challenging times. “Any disruption – whether it be COVID-19, demographics, impacts of the FAFSA [financial aid] form, or impacts of a merger happening down the street – anything that could adversely impact their enrollments, I think college leaders are paying attention to those kinds of things,” Cavanagh said. And lots of those leaders are here in Ohio. Higher education is a big business in the Buckeye State. It’s home to 50 private colleges, 14 public four-year universities, and 23 community colleges. What a multi-state approach means for Ursuline, Gannon Officially, the two small liberal arts schools are entering into what they call a “strategic partnership.” They sit in different states about 95 miles apart. Gannon also operates a campus offering health-focused graduate programs near Tampa, Florida. If approved, the two schools will create the largest Catholic university in the region, officials touted in a news release.But crossing state lines means multiple state departments of higher education need to be involved. So, too, will two different higher ed accreditors. Ursuline currently reports to the Higher Learning Commission. Gannon falls under the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. It means a lot of cooks in the proverbial kitchen. Leaders at the two schools said they expect it will take about 12 to 18 months to figure out more details. There are pros and cons on both sides, Cavanagh said.“There’s opportunities when you spread it out over geographic areas because it opens up new student markets,” he said. “But then, the challenge of distance, of managing two institutions that have campuses with significant geographic gaps between them, is a challenge from a managerial and cultural issue.”But Cavanagh said it has been done before. He pointed out examples such as Boston’s Northeastern University. It recently took on a campus in California. Gannon’s board of trustees to replace Ursuline’s Mergers or partnerships sometimes happen to help one institution expand its real estate portfolio. Cavanagh, who isn’t affiliated with either college, doesn’t think that’s happening here. Instead, he said the early language officials are using feels like a “commitment from Gannon to perpetuate the culture and heritage of Ursuline on that campus.” Yet one part of that culture will be phased out. If approved, Gannon will take over Ursuline’s board of trustees and the college will officially become part of the university, according to a Q&A page on Gannon’s website. The new board will be “reflective of the shared interests for both institutions,” officials wrote. Officially called a sole-member model, it’s one of the things that stood out to Cavanagh about this new deal. “This empowers Gannon, via having the control of the board, to make decisions on behalf of the institution,” he said. “Over time, we might see some changes at Ursuline that help slowly fold it more into the culture and the operations of Gannon.”Monday’s announcement said that students or employees will not experience any “immediate” impact.Could other Ohio colleges follow the lead of Gannon and Ursuline?Cavanagh said his organization is seeing an increase in partnership conversations with leaders in both Gannon and Ursuline’s positions. Alternatives, outside of closing, are limited. That’s because the “funding is what it is, and their ability to enroll students and demographics is what it is,” he said. Ohio’s demographics and their impacts on enrollments have long been a concern for college leaders. Projections show the number of high school graduates will keep declining. Plus, the COVID-19 pandemic amplified existing enrollment struggles. Those all can impact a school’s bottom line. Those were some of the factors contributing to the closure of Notre Dame College, about four miles away from Ursuline’s campus, earlier this year. Across the state, Springfield’s Wittenberg University found itself the subject of a less-than-rosy headline in the Chronicle of Higher Education last month: Cash-Strapped Wittenberg U. Envisions a Future With Far Fewer Faculty and Staff.“College presidents and boards are being forced to think differently about the future of their institutions,” said Cavanagh. “I think that we’re going to be seeing a lot more of this over the next decade.”What type of coverage is missing when it comes to higher education in Cleveland? Our reporter Amy Morona wants to know what you think! Send her a note by filling out this form.The post What a partnership between Ursuline College and Gannon University could mean for the future of Ohio’s colleges appeared first on Signal Cleveland.First published by Signal Cleveland.