Dive Transient:
- Lewis College, a Catholic establishment in Illinois, will take over St. Augustine Faculty, one other personal nonprofit establishment within the state, the universities introduced Tuesday.
- The establishments’ respective governing boards unanimously accredited the deal, which remains to be topic to state, federal and accreditor approvals. St. Augustine officials said they count on the merger to formally wrap up by the top of this 12 months and that the 2 establishments will function beneath the Lewis title by spring 2024.
- Each schools mentioned college students ought to see no disruption whereas they watch for the regulatory inexperienced gentle.
Dive Perception:
The universities solid the merger as a means for Lewis — which at 6,500 college students is the eighth largest personal nonprofit faculty in Illinois — to succeed in extra bilingual learners and Hispanic college students within the better Chicago space, the place St. Augustine relies.
St. Augustine, based in 1980, was the primary bilingual greater schooling establishment within the Midwest.
Nevertheless, like many small personal nonprofits lately, it has suffered continuous enrollment declines, dropping from greater than 1,500 college students in fall 2010 to about 730 in fall 2021, in keeping with the newest out there federal knowledge.
A number of different small schools introduced within the final couple of months they’ll both shut or merge, typically citing challenges recruiting college students and managing pandemic-induced monetary stress.
In comparison with St. Augustine, Lewis is a bigger establishment. It was founded in 1932 as Holy Identify Technical Faculty, an solely male establishment that opened with 15 college students.
Not till the Sixties did Lewis begin shifting into the Lasallian custom. Lasallian establishments are affiliated with the De La Salle Brothers, a Roman Catholic non secular educating order.
Lewis additionally skilled speedy progress, reaching 2,000 college students by 1970. Round this time, the college thought-about a merger with what was then the Faculty of St. Francis, one other Illinois establishment now referred to as the College of St. Francis.
Now Lewis is the one increasing with its acquisition of the St. Augustine campus. Lewis has three different campuses, together with one in New Mexico.
“Our two establishments are well-matched in mission and values,” David Livingston, Lewis College’s president, mentioned in an announcement. “We fill a novel area of interest inside greater schooling, serving college students from all walks of life with reasonably priced packages that ship a liberal arts core and an emphasis on profession and workforce preparation.”
Of their statements on the merger, each establishments drew consideration to Chicago’s fast-growing Hispanic and Latino inhabitants. Latino folks will comprise greater than 30% of the area’s inhabitants by 2040, according to the Chicago government.
“And but solely about 30 p.c of Hispanic adults in Illinois have a university credential,” St. Augustine officers mentioned. “By equipping our college students for fulfillment in as we speak’s market, we may be essential in constructing an equitable, economically thriving Chicagoland.”
