At least seven different schools in the region have announced or consummated mergers in the past six years. From the perspective of administrators, this makes sense. It’s been a rough time for smaller universities or colleges, which are buffeted by declining enrollment, lower alumni donations, and dwindling endowments. As they lose the ability to dedicate resources to developing new programs and courses, mergers appear more and more tempting, said Robert Zemsky, a UPenn professor focused on education reform and higher ed market analysis.
