You have /5 articles left.
Sign up for a free account or log in.
Months after announcing plans to explore an affiliation, Drexel University and Salus University will move forward with a merger, scheduled to be completed by next summer, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Governing boards for both universities have already signed off on the proposal, and now the two institutions are awaiting regulatory approvals that will allow them to become one. Once completed, the merger will bring together a large university—Drexel has more than 23,000 students—and a small health sciences–focused institution with around 1,100 students. Drexel University is located in Philadelphia while Salus lies outside the city limits in nearby Elkins Park.
Beyond its main campus, Salus also maintains clinical facilities.
Drexel president John A. Fry told the Inquirer that the two institutions have complimentary offerings, including high-demand physician assistant programs. While some administrative positions may be consolidated, faculty members at Salus are expected to keep their jobs.
The anticipated merger follows similar moves in the Philadelphia market. Last year, St. Joseph’s University absorbed crosstown University of the Sciences, adding numerous health programs. Continuing to build its suite of health programs, St. Joseph’s also announced that it had reached a “definitive agreement” to merge with the Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences.
