When Should a Small College Start Thinking About a Merger or Partnership?

August 24, 2026, by Dean Hoke – It is a question more college presidents and boards are confronting—and one that is best considered before circumstances force the answer.

Regular Edu Alliance Journal contributors Chet Haskell and Barry Ryan and I have written extensively about partnerships, mergers, acquisitions, and the strategic choices facing smaller institutions. On September 8, Chet and Barry will take that discussion live as panelists for a special edition of Small College America: Consequential Conversations.

They will be joined by Dr. Walter Iwanenko, President of Gannon University, who brings the perspective of a sitting president who has spent more than two years leading the Gannon-Ursuline College merger.

Mergers, Acquisitions and Reinvention: What Small Colleges Need to Know
Tuesday, September 8 | 1:00 p.m. Eastern | One hour | Complimentary Registration: https://admissions.augustana.edu/register/?id=ebacbeea-a1a3-43ac-8dab-0aee8a3d94ed

Kent Barnds and I will host and moderate the conversation.

The discussion will go beyond the mechanics of a merger. When should an institution begin exploring its options? What role should presidents and trustees play? What can derail a promising partnership? And how can institutions approach collaboration from a position of strength rather than waiting until their choices have narrowed?

Perhaps the most important question is this: If an institution waits until it needs a merger or partnership to survive, has it already waited too long?

We invite Edu Alliance Journal readers to join the conversation.

Register here:
https://admissions.augustana.edu/register/?id=ebacbeea-a1a3-43ac-8dab-0aee8a3d94ed