The two private universities are part of a formal agreement to combine. But the transition to a single entity will be a slow process.
Two of Oregon’s oldest private universities are a step closer to becoming one institution.
Governing boards from both Willamette and Pacific universities signed a binding agreement this month to merge the two schools, according to a press statement released from the universities Tuesday. This comes after the schools announced a tentative plan to join forces in December 2025.
Mergers between universities and colleges are becoming more common as schools navigate difficult financial waters. Many higher education institutions in Oregon and across the U.S. are facing declining enrollment, rising costs, sluggish support from state legislatures and uncertainty about federal funding sources.
The financial situation for colleges is so bad that three of the country’s top credit agencies forecast a negative outlook for higher education this year.
Willamette and Pacific have not been immune.
Willamette has suffered from unstable enrollment for more than a decade and has reported operating deficits since 2016. Pacific’s reported finances are balanced, but the school recently underwent a restructuring effort to streamline the university. More than 100 positions were either eliminated or changed, according to the school newspaper, the Pacific Index. A Pacific spokesperson said the school laid off a total of 10 people in the restructure, or less than 1% of the university’s workforce.
But Willamette and Pacific’s leaders say their choice to couple up has little to do with these economic pressures. Instead, they say this move will help future-proof a single university.
“So many universities in Oregon have been retrenching, cutting programs and support for students,” said Willamette University President Steve Thorsett in a statement. “We felt that this is a moment not for retreat, but for innovation and leadership.”
The two schools are located about 50 miles away from each other in Oregon’s Willamette Valley - Pacific in Forest Grove and Willamette in Salem - and are the oldest private universities in the state.
The new, unified university is likely to become the state’s largest private institution, serving an estimated 6,000 students. George Fox University is currently the largest private college in Oregon, with more than 4,300 students.
Merger details are still being ironed out, but the institution’s leaders have previously said that the two universities plan to follow a collegiate model, in which each school will maintain their own identity but operate and share resources under one institution. Athletics programs will be separate.
Leaders believe the collegiate model will play to the strengths of each university, which, once combined, will have graduate programs in law, healthcare and education.
“This merger is built on shared values, complementary missions, and a common purpose,” said Pacific University President Jenny Coyle in a statement. “As institutions across the country are having to do more with less, we decided we want to do more with more.”
The name of the new, unified university is up in the air too. In December, school leaders had referred to it as the University of the Northwest.
Tuesday’s agreement announcement revealed that the combined institution will be governed by a single board of trustees and jointly led by the separate schools’ current presidents.
Coyle will serve as the merged university’s president with oversight of academic and student affairs. Thorsett is set to oversee the school’s business operations as chancellor.
Research on college mergers has shown that strategic consolidation can lead to institutional growth, cost savings and improved student success. But higher ed experts warn that a successful merger comes long before either institution is in a financial crisis.
Willamette and Pacific appear to be heeding that advice. Thorsett and Coyle previously said both schools were running balanced budgets in the most recent school year. Both are also expecting sound budgets in the upcoming year.
The two universities are still early in the merger process.
The consolidation must still go through a slate of accreditation and state and federal regulatory approvals. University leaders say the entire process could take up to two years to complete. But the corporate merger, when the institutions become a single nonprofit entity, is expected to begin early next year.
Current students at both schools should not see any difference in their education, tuition, financial aid or academic standing.
“Life probably won’t change much for students right now. Pacific students are going to be Pacific students. Willamette students will be Willamette students,” Coyle said. “But what we’re signaling is that we’re going to offer more. We’re going to have a much broader portfolio of programs for students in the future.”
This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.