Northeastern and Marymount Manhattan College seek to merge

President Joseph E. Aoun announced the news in a message to the Northeast community on Wednesday. The new entity will be called Northeastern University – New York City.

Marymount Manhattan College in New York City. Photo courtesy of Marymount Manhattan College

Northeastern, a global research university and world leader in experiential learning, and Marymount Manhattan College, a private liberal arts college on New York City’s Upper East Side, have agreed to merge.

Northeastern President Joseph E. Aoun announced the news in an email to the university community on Wednesday.

The boards of both institutions approved an agreement that, subject to state and federal regulatory approvals, would establish Northeastern University – New York City, which will become the 14th campus of Northeastern’s global university system.

“As always, our guiding principles for building the global university system remain,” Aoun said in his message. “Improved mobility for university students; industry-aligned lifelong learning opportunities; and unparalleled opportunities for faculty to globalize their teaching and research.”

The merger would combine MMC, a liberal arts university known primarily for its performing arts programs, with Northeastern’s global experiential learning network and its rapidly growing research enterprise.

MMC has a desirable location for students, high-quality academics, and deep connections to New York City’s arts and theater ecosystem. Due to concerns about declining enrollment and the significant challenges facing small colleges in the U.S., MMC’s board of directors began exploring options with the goal of preserving the university’s educational mission. This process concluded with the MMC board of directors voting unanimously in favor of the merger with Northeastern.

Photos courtesy of Marymount Manhattan College

Marymount Manhattan College has a desirable location for students, high-quality academics, and deep connections to New York City’s arts and theater ecosystem. Photos courtesy of Marymount Manhattan College

“MMC and Northeastern are natural partners. The institutions mirror each other in many ways, including how we foster meaningful engagements with our communities and create opportunities for our students to leverage the resources of world-class cities to find an edge in their career and life,” said Peter Naccarato. , interim. president of MMC. “We are very excited to establish this connection based on our shared values.”

In his message, Aoun thanked MMC leaders for their “willingness to embark on this exciting journey together.”

“I want to thank the leadership of Marymount Manhattan College for their partnership,” Aoun wrote. “Their foresight and dedication to the well-being of their students is admirable and increasingly needed as the landscape of higher education continues to change.”

When the merger is complete, MMC students and faculty will gain access to Northeastern’s global university system, which includes campuses in the US, UK and Canada, experiential learning programs in 149 countries, and more than 4,000 industry partners.

Northeastern students and faculty will be able to take advantage of additional undergraduate and experiential learning programs anchored on a campus in the financial and media capital of the world.

MMC underscored in its most recent academic plan an emphasis on interdisciplinary and experiential learning, which Aoun called “a wonderful alignment with Northeastern’s core strengths.”

Northeastern already places more than 250 co-op students in New York City each year with major employers, including Amazon, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, and The New York Times.

“This merger exemplifies the innovation and creativity occurring across the diverse landscape of American higher education, as colleges and universities seek new and creative avenues to spur student success and enhance institutional capacity,” he said. Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, the nation’s largest higher education advocacy organization. “It is a win-win for Northeastern University and Marymount Manhattan College and, most importantly, for the students they serve.”

Under the terms of the merger agreement, Northeastern will assume all assets and liabilities of MMC.

Currently enrolled and admitted MMC students will be able to continue as Northeastern students in their chosen field of study. Students will receive individualized guidance and support to ensure they complete their degrees and have pathways to degree completion.

05/25/23 – VANCOUVER, BC. – Vancouver Campus Stock on Thursday, May 25, 2023. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

06/03/22- Seattle, MA – File photo of the interior of the Northeastern campus in Seattle on Friday, June 3, 2022. Photo by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University

Photo by Adam Glanzman Photograph captured on Northeastern’s London campus during Fall 2022.

02/02/22 – OAKLAND, CA: Northeastern students Malathi Reddy, Griffin Gould, Tess Spitzer Caldwell and Alia Salem and Mills student Anna Ettlinger and Northeastern student Olivia Oestreicher sit in Holmgren Meadow at Mills College in Oakland , California on February 2. 2022. Photo by Ruby Wallau for Northeastern University

Clockwise from top left, Northeastern University campuses in Vancouver, Seattle, London and Oakland, California. Photos by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University, Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University, Adam Glanzman of Northeastern University, and Ruby Wallau of Northeastern University

As part of the agreement, continuing students at MMC will not incur tuition or fee increases (other than the usual annual increases).

Full-time MMC faculty at the time of the merger will become Northeastern faculty, receive one-year contracts, and be considered for open tenure-track, tenure-track, and non-tenure-track positions. All personnel employed by MMC on the effective date of the merger will become employees of Northeastern.

As part of the merger, Northeastern will establish a center that reflects the strengths and traditions of MMC. Northeastern will also retain MMC’s Bedford Hill and Taconic College prison education programs.

Amid the changing landscape of higher education, many smaller universities face challenges. In New York alone recent closures include Wells College, Cazenovia College, College of St. Rose, Medaille University and Alliance University. Nationwide, approximately one university closes each week.

In addition to sustaining MMC’s future as part of Northeastern, this merger in New York comes at an opportune time as the city faces a hiring crisis. An online job board launched by Tech:NYC, an organization representing New York City’s technology industry, lists more than 5,582 current openings at 694 companies.

At the same time, recruiters are struggling to find enough qualified candidates, with unemployment rates for tech workers falling to 1.7% in New York City, compared to 4.8% in the overall economy.

Under Aoun’s leadership, Northeastern has created a thriving global network of campuses in the US, UK and Canada.

Meeting industry needs while expanding ideas, talent and solutions will be a priority at Northeastern University in New York City.

“Over time, enrollments will span a variety of academic disciplines, particularly those that align with the unparalleled economic ecosystem that is New York City,” Aoun said.

Northeastern has approximately 22,000 undergraduate students across three of its campuses: Boston, London and Oakland. Another 20,000 students are enrolled in professional graduate programs, ranging from master’s degrees to doctorates and certificate programs.

Northeast campuses that prioritize graduate and professional master’s programs include Seattle, Vancouver, Toronto, Miami, Silicon Valley, and Charlotte, North Carolina, as well as Arlington, Virginia, and Portland, Maine.

The Burlington and Nahant, Massachusetts, campuses, home to Northeastern’s Marine Science Center, are focused on research.

Established in 1936, MMC offers 34 undergraduate majors, including entrepreneurship, behavioral neuroscience, biotechnology and environmental studies.

MMC’s campus includes 55 teaching spaces and two 750-bed dormitories in New York City. The 55th Street residence hall has 32 floors of student housing.

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