The Oakland college reverses course and announces a new survival plan. Men will be admitted as undergraduates, changing tradition.
Mills College in Oakland, which had previously planned to close by 2023 because of financial woes and falling enrollment, has announced a merger with Northeastern University in Boston that would keep the campus open.
The new plan would allow the historic college campus to stay alive indefinitely but would cease its tradition of serving only women in its undergraduate programs and would end its independence. The college, which last year enrolled about 960 students, would become known as Mills College at Northeastern University, and current Mills students could stay or possibly transfer to Northeastern’s main campus in Boston, according to an announcement.
The deal is not finalized and much remains open to negations. The Mills College board has authorized the talks with Northeastern “because we share a vision of what education can and must be in the coming decades. The missions of Mills and Northeastern are aligned through our shared commitment to access, social justice and urban education,” according to a statement from Mills President Elizabeth Hillman.
Northeastern already has satellite programs in San Francisco and San Jose. The university has five other satellite campuses, including two in Canada — Toronto and Vancouver.