“A win-win” merger: Trocaire College acquires Medaille University

Medaille students will not be considered transfer students and will not experience any loss of credits once they begin at Trocaire. Degrees obtained by "Medaille Legacy" will read Trocaire College beginning with the graduating class of August 2023.

Medaille University will finalize its merger with Trocaire College on July 31 if approved by the State Department of Education and other related agencies.

Medaille Interim President Lori Quigley announced the move Tuesday in her State of the University address. She explained that Medaille, based in Buffalo, was driven to take the action by COVID-19, low birth rates and subsequent poor enrollment numbers in the area’s private institutions.

Medaille University is just one private school in the Northeast among a growing list of others that could not recover from the pandemic and the region’s reduced demographic of typical college-aged students.

Dodging a closure, Quigley’s perspective on the merger is optimistic, referring to it in her State of the University address as “a win-win for both institutions.”

“Combining professional programs in health care and technology with experiential learning and professional training in education, business and social sciences is a tremendous foundation and synergy for success, allowing the surviving institution to best serve its student population and the surrounding community,” Quigley said.

Committees from Trocaire, also based in Buffalo, and Medaille began discussions on the merger in October 2021 and issued a memorandum of understanding last August, according to The Buffalo News. Following their cooperative agreement, Medaille sold Trocaire six properties totaling $1,960,256 late last year, according to WIVB.

Medaille students will not be considered transfer students and will not experience any loss of credits once they begin at Trocaire. Degrees obtained by “Medaille Legacy” will read Trocaire College beginning with those graduating in August 2023. Additionally, students from both schools will be able to house in former Medaille resident halls.

Medaille’s athletics program is also not slated to change for the 2023-24 academic year, which is slated to continue as usual, according to Quigley.

All school endowments from donors will be transferred to Trocaire College. The Medaille Alumni Association is planning to meet with Trocaire President Bassam M. Deeb on April 19, according to Quigley.


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Alcino Donadel
Alcino Donadel
Alcino Donadel is a UB staff writer and first-generation journalism graduate from the University of Florida. His beats have ranged from Gainesville's city development, music scene and regional little league sports divisions. He has triple citizenship from the U.S., Ecuador and Brazil.

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