Mergers, Affiliations, and Consortiums: Post-Secondary Collaboration in Canada

Whether voluntary or forced, the merging of one post-secondary education (PSE) institution with another involves a complex dance of negotiation—not only around traditions, identity, and power asymmetry, but also with practicalities of finances, enrolment, and student services. While academic mergers are still rare in Canada, there are signs that post-secondary institutions are increasingly open to institutional partnerships and collaboration. What’s in it for them?

Mergers, Affiliations, and Consortiums explores these challenges, motivations, and opportunities in fine detail. It includes interviews with those at the front lines of academic collaboration. It also compares international examples of mergers with Canada’s unique challenges in providing high-quality PSE to a dispersed student population, and how and why collaboration may offer solutions. Readers will gain insight into the factors that can facilitate—or derail—the negotiation of new institutional partnerships.