91�첥

After several months of negotiations, the Board of Trustees at 91�첥 and Medaille University today announced the signing of a Memo of Understanding (MOU) that sets in motion a cooperative agreement that would fulfill the missions of both institutions into the future.

“Institutions of higher education across the region and nationally have been significantly impacted by the COVID 19 pandemic and in Western New York, this has been exacerbated by declining birth rates and demographics in which there are simply fewer people attending college,” said Dr. Bassam Deeb, President, 91�첥.  “As a result, the 91�첥 Board of Trustees in 2019 directed me to explore potential collaborations and strategic alliances with other institutions of higher education and we have engaged in a number of conversations and meetings about potential collaborations leading to today’s announcement with Medaille University.”

“There is complementary non-overlapping academic offerings between both institutions providing a full range of higher education credentials, including certificate, associate, baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral level,” said Dr. Lori Quigley, Medaille University Interim President.  “This combination of professional programs in health care along with experiential learning, and professional training in education, business, and social sciences is a tremendous foundation and synergy for success allowing both institutions to serve their student populations.”

Discussions between the two institutions of higher education began in October 2021.  Committees comprised of Trustees from Trocaire and Medaille were formed as part of the process to negotiate and review respective operations, financial information, campus infrastructure and other considerations. 

While Trocaire and Medaille have signed a cooperative agreement, there are a number of steps that will take place in the anticipated timeframe of approximately 12-18 months for the agreement to be finalized, including approvals from various accreditors and regulators.

“The real work begins now as we start the process of transparently engaging stakeholders from Trocaire and Medaille as we work towards fulfilling this mission,” Dr. Quigley continued.

Dr. Deeb said “There is a lot of information we need to assess in order to answer questions that invariably are going to be asked and in particular from students at both institutions.”