Planned Merger of Findlay and Bluffton Universities Nixed by Findlay

A planned merger of the University of Findlay and Bluffton University was voted down Wednesday by Findlay’s Board of Trustees. The two colleges with religious roots went into a memorandum of understanding in March, 2024, and have spent the year since in preparation for the proposed merger, according to a release from Findlay.

“Some higher education organizations may find mergers the best path forward,” Katherine Fell, president of University of Findlay, said in a statement. “For us, due diligence in this case has demonstrated that partnering in key ways is a better solution.” Bluffton officials said they were “not privy of the reasoning behind the decision.”