Facing an enrollment cliff, two of Oregon’s oldest colleges may join forces

Two of Oregon’s oldest nonprofit universities are exploring a merger , which would create the state’s largest independent private university with more than 6,000 students enrolled across four separate campuses.

The presidents of Willamette University , which has its flagship campus in Salem, and Pacific University , which is based in Forest Grove, said that if approved by state and federal regulators, a process they expect could take at least two years, the two schools would be known as the University of the Northwest. The two have signed a letter of intent, which starts the clock on a cost-benefit analysis for both campuses.

Similar mergers have been announced across the country with increasing frequency over the last decade, particularly among smaller liberal arts colleges an