In this episode, Michael Horn and Jeff Selingo talk with Marymount Manhattan College trustee Abby Fiorella about how the board decided and prepared to pursue a merger with Northeastern University. Fiorella describes several strategies that proved essential: starting merger conversations early, reshaping the board to include stronger financial and regulatory expertise, establishing clear program priorities, and approaching potential partners with a student-centered strategy. The conversation highlights how proactive long-term planning can help smaller institutions successfully navigate the mergers and acquisitions process while preserving its key mission.
As Fiorella emphasized, “you have to get out of your own way… hope and belief are good things, but not when the financials and the demographics don’t support it. And that’s important.”