University of Bridgeport To Merge With Small Vermont College

BRIDGEPORT, CT — The University of Bridgeport is entering into a merger with Marlboro College, a small liberal arts school in Vermont, according to a statement from the two institutions. The merger is expected to take place as soon as spring 2020.

Marlboro College has been ranked among the best in the Northeast by Princeton Review. The University of Bridgeport will keep its name, but Marlboro College will become the Marlboro College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Bridgeport, according to the Associated Press.

The move is intended to to "expand geographic and educational opportunities for students while creating a sustainable future for one of New England’s storied liberal arts colleges at a time of rapid change in the higher education landscape."

The merger will allow students to take courses on both campuses, which are roughly two hours apart, according to The Associated Press. Other possibilities include combined classes between the two campuses and a first-year seminar for University of Bridgeport students at the Vermont campus.

Combined enrollment for undergraduate and graduate programs at Marlboro is less than 500 students, according to the statement. Marlboro does not offer traditional majors and minors, instead allowing students to craft their own academic programs.

The s also seeks to take advantage of its setting in the Green Mountains of southeastern Vermont, as all students have access to outdoor facilities including an organic farm, solar greenhouse, and ecological reserve.

The University of Bridgeport is a private, non-sectarian institution with 5,400 students offering degrees in engineering, business, education, the health sciences, and the arts and sciences.

“At a time of hyper-competition and swift change in higher education, our two unique institutions are demonstrating a new paradigm for colleges and universities of the future,” Laura Skandera Trombley, president of the University of Bridgeport, said in a statement. “In strategically combining the shared values, strengths, and resources of the University of Bridgeport and Marlboro College, we are proactively ensuring an extraordinarily enriched academic experience for current and future generations of students.”

The merger will also save money by efficiency while boosting enrollment at Marlboro College, The AP reported.

“This partnership of two mission-driven schools embodies a remarkable complementarity, joining UB’s strengths in engineering and the health sciences with Marlboro’s strengths in the arts and sciences and self-directed learning,” Kevin Quigley, president of Marlboro College, said in a statement. “It links our beautiful campuses in the Green Mountains and on Long Island Sound in innovative ways that will expand educational opportunities for all of our students, better preparing them for meaningful work and lives of purpose.”