Marlboro College and the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut are not considering a merger anymore after failing to negotiate a way-out.
Last week, the college based in Vermont announced the suspension of the negotiations due to “concerns around the sustainability of a merged institution.”
The development comes more than a month after both the institutions announced the merger to deepen connections between professional programs and the liberal arts. The University of Bridgeport offers various bachelors, masters, Ph.D. and Ed.D. programs within its three colleges.
“Both institutions worked diligently on a deal that would have seen Marlboro continue to provide its distinctive teaching tradition on its Vermont campus as the Marlboro College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Bridgeport, providing new geographic and programmatic options available to students on both campuses,” the college said in a statement.
“The two schools suspended negotiations, citing insurmountable barriers to developing a compelling financial and academic model that supported both institutional missions.”
In the earlier merger plan, the university had agreed to rename the College of Health Sciences, the College of Engineering, Business, and Education, and the College of Arts and Sciences, to the Marlboro College of Arts and Sciences and retain its faculty, students, and campus.
Over the years, the college has been witnessing a decline in student enrollment prompting its Board of Trustees to consider an alternative to closure and a way to financially secure the school’s future. In the past few months, the college was coordinating with dozens of potential partners after a Request for Partnership Vision was sent to more than 70 colleges and universities. The college is now looking for a new partner.