The announcement by Cheryl A. McConnell, Ph.D. that Pennsylvania [PA] College of Health Sciences would become part of St. Joe’s was a surprise to everyone. Oh no, another merger? Both McConnell and Mary Grace Simcox, Ed.D. provided strong evidence for why this makes sense. Focusing on our mutual survival in higher education with a focus on nursing puts St. Joe’s in a strong position. 

Given our changing demographics and our current economy, in addition to the impact of the covid-19 pandemic, we can expect to see many more of these mergers in higher education according to experts. Zeroing in on nursing and healthcare also fulfills a societal good. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing has highlighted the projected shortage of registered nurses and the need for healthcare given our aging population.

Judging by the reaction of St. Joe’s students, we too believe that this merger makes sense. In general, students have responded positively to the merger after the initial surprise. Almost all of the responses we got through our informal poll suggest that students support PA College merging into St. Joe’s.

We hope that the university will continue to be transparent and continue to provide the St. Joe’s community with regular updates on the merger status, in the lead up to the expected closing of the merger in January 2024.