Dear Community Members,<\/p>\n
I am pleased to inform you that today our Board of Trustees approved an agreement that will formalize our relationship with Bloomfield College and enable its merger into Montclair as a new constituent college of the University. The board of Bloomfield College approved the agreement last night.<\/p>\n
The University has been and will continue to work with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, and other entities to take all steps necessary to consummate the merger.<\/p>\n
Both institutions will continue to work together over the next several months to address the details of integration and to develop comprehensive plans to ensure a smooth transition. Our goal is for the merger to be finalized on or before June\u00a030,\u00a02023.<\/p>\n
We have engaged\u00a0 to help Bloomfield College and its students because the missions of both institutions are closely aligned around providing access to high-quality educational experiences for our students. This strategic initiative is entirely consistent with our institutional identity and our values. Since our founding more than 100 years ago as a normal school, Montclair has been an innovator and a leader.<\/p>\n
Over the past several months, as we have explored and analyzed a potential relationship, my top priority, and our Board\u2019s top priority, has been to ensure that this would be a benefit to the University and its students and not a burden, financially or in any other way. We would not be proceeding if this fundamental test was not passed. This will be our approach as we continually strive to find new ways to deliver our mission as a public research university committed to advancing the public good.<\/p>\n
We are grateful for the support of Governor Murphy and the state legislature for providing $12.5\u00a0million to sustain Bloomfield College through this process.<\/p>\n
This partnership has the potential to serve as a new national model for integration in higher education. It will allow us to further the missions of both institutions and ensure future generations of student success while strengthening our university.\u00a0 This is a win for students of both institutions, for the State of New Jersey, and for the future of higher education.<\/p>\n