Drexel University’s merger with Salus gets approval as President John Fry prepares for a likely exit

Drexel University’s proposed merger with Salus University, a small, private health sciences university based in Elkins Park, has been approved by the institutions’ accrediting agency, Drexel’s president said Monday.

“As of July 1, Salus academic units — with the exception of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, which will remain a standalone college — will begin the transition process to fully merge into Drexel’s colleges by next summer,” John Fry wrote in a message to both campus communities, announcing the decision by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

With the move, 1,187 Salus students, 362 faculty and professional staff, and more than 14,000 alumni will become part of Drexel, Fry said.

» READ MORE: Drexel and Salus Universities have decided to proceed with a merger

The approval of the merger comes as Fry, 64, who has led Drexel for 14 years, prepares to leave the school and become the next president of Temple University. Fry is the leading finalist for the job and the unanimous choice of the selection committee, and Temple’s board is expected to vote soon on his candidacy, according to multiple sources.

Mergers like this have become more frequent locally and nationally as the higher education landscape grapples with lower enrollment and challenging economic conditions. Just last month, Temple University started talks to acquire University of the Arts after the 150-year-old school abruptly closed due to an “urgent” financial crisis.

Drexel and Salus still are awaiting approvals from the U.S. Department of Education for the combined entities to participate in federal financial aid programs, which is expected next June. Until then, Salus will continue to run its student programs, courses, registration, billing, and financial aid systems, Fry wrote.

Fry highlighted the importance of both institutions.

“This merger brings together the strengths of both institutions in graduate health sciences, including Drexel’s medical, biomedical, public health, nursing and health professions, and Salus’ optometry, audiology, biomedicine, blindness and low vision studies, physician assistant studies, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology and orthotics and prosthetics programs,” he said.

The only overlap in programming is the physician assistant program, and the plan is to keep both programs, Fry said. Salus’ campus in Elkins Park will continue on as well.

Salus president Mike Mittelman will join Drexel’s board of trustees and continue on to help with the transition, Fry said. Three Salus trustees will join the Drexel board.

The two universities announced a year ago that they would proceed with a merger and seek the necessary approvals. They had announced in April 2023 that they were exploring a merger.

Salus was founded in 1919 as the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, and both Fry and Mittelman said that legacy and name will be preserved.

Drexel isn’t new to affiliations. In 2011, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the oldest natural history museum in the nation, became a part of Drexel.