September 08, 2022

Antioch College and Otterbein College Decide to Tie-Up

A As they announced a sort of marriage between their two institutions in late June, the leaders of Antioch College and Otterbein College were essentially starry-eyed. Antioch discovered a partner in Otterbein that could serve as a feeder for its low-residency and online graduate programmes, which are offered at a small constellation of 4 campuses located on the country's coasts. Otterbein enrolled about 2,600 students in the fall of last year. Otterbein discovered an institution in Antioch, which had about 3,400 students enrolled last year, that offers more opportunities for its (primarily) undergraduate students to pursue graduate degrees.

Otterbein University President John L. Comerford said during a news conference on his campus that "all the parents that join with our universities and join with higher education will likely be enthusiastic about what we're putting together, starting, and launching at present."

The number of reports on mergers and acquisitions in higher education is likely to increase over the next few years as more institutions struggle with declining enrollment, rising operating costs, and increasing pressure to keep tuition low.

…the partnership between Antioch and Otterbein took more than two years to develop, and it is intended to show how two universities can work together in a unique way that results in a partnership that is largely equal rather than a takeover…

However, there have been drawbacks to the mergers and acquisitions over the past ten years, typically one of the two varieties. In one instance, a public governing board merges two or more schools to achieve economies of scale, but this results in programme cuts and faculty layoffs. In a different scenario, a small, struggling private faculty is taken over by a larger organisation, but this largely destroys the faculty's identity and autonomy.

The partnership between Antioch and Otterbein took more than two years to develop, and it is intended to show how two universities can work together in a unique way that results in a partnership that is largely equal rather than a takeover. According to a news release, the regulatory approvals should take a year, and new programmes could be offered as early as the fall 2023 semester.

Posted in Collaborations and tagged Collaborations, Antioch College, Otterbein College, Merger, Acquisition
Bookmark the Permalink