After a two-year process, the merger between Drexel and Salus universities was finalized by the Department of Education on Thursday.
Drexel will absorb Salus’ Elkins Park campus, three clinical facilities, as well as its students’ academic and financial aid records.
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“I am thrilled to welcome Salus students, faculty and professional staff to our community,” Drexel President Antonio Merlo said. “This is an exciting new chapter in health sciences education that unites the strengths of our two institutions.”
Talks of a merger began in April 2023 when both universities announced that a collaboration could make the schools’ programs more competitive and expand graduate school enrollment and research opportunities. After both boards of trustees approved the proposal, the universities signed a merger agreement that June.
A year later, the Pennsylvania Department of Higher Education and Middle States Commission on Higher Education approved the merger, after which Salus’ non-academic operational units became a part of Drexel’s jurisdiction.
The Department of Education’s final stamp of approval officially marks the absorption of Salus’ education programs into Drexel’s portfolio.
Salus University, a private school based in Montgomery County, was originally established in 1919 as the Pennsylvania State College of Optometry — the first school of this specialty in the nation.
The university included three colleges offering health science programs such as audiology, occupational therapy, blindness and low-vision studies, which will join Drexel’s College of Nursing and Health Professions or Drexel’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Professional Studies in the College of Medicine. The Pennsylvania College of Optometry will become Drexel’s newest college.
During the 2023-24 school year, Salus University had around 1,187 enrolled students and roughly 335 employees, according to the university’s data. They will now be considered students and faculty members of Drexel.
“By uniting the strengths of both institutions, we are expanding opportunities for students, enhancing academic excellence and strengthening our collective impact in the health sciences,” said Elisabeth Van Bockstaele, chief strategy officer and senior provost for Graduate Studies.