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St. Ambrose officially ‘parent company of Mount Mercy University’
‘Effective today, all assets of Mount Mercy have been formally transferred’
Jun. 4, 2025 5:30 pm, Updated: Jun. 5, 2025 12:34 pm
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More than a century after the Sisters of Mercy in 1924 established Mount Mercy Academy — which would evolve into a junior college in 1928, a four-year college in 1960, and a full-fledged university with graduate degrees in 2010 — the Cedar Rapids campus officially has new ownership.
“At 11 a.m. this morning, June 3, 2025, St. Ambrose University formally became the parent company of Mount Mercy University,” St. Ambrose President Amy Novak wrote in a Tuesday message to faculty and staff. “Effective today, all assets of Mount Mercy have been formally transferred.”
The paperwork establishing the union completes “step one of the federally mandated two-step process to unite our institutions,” Novak said.
The announcement comes 10 months after the institutions’ presidents on Aug. 1, 2024 sat down for a joint press conference in Cedar Rapids to take questions about the union under St. Ambrose — the larger and more financially sound institution of the two.
Based in Davenport, St. Ambrose in fall 2024 reported a total enrollment of 2,500, while Mount Mercy reported 1,404 total students — both of which were down from the year prior and meaningfully down from pre-pandemic levels in 2017 of 3,118 for St. Ambrose and 1,849 for Mount Mercy.
But just months after announcing the merger, Novak this week said the news already is exciting prospective students.
“Enrollment at both institutions is on track to be well above budget, graduate programs are expanding, philanthropy is up, and a new narrative is being written about how we can work collaboratively to strengthen mission, contain costs, and build new revenue streams,” Novak wrote on her LinkedIn page Wednesday. “Our math has always been 1+1 equals 3 or 5 or 10. And, that journey is happening.”
Although the union is forging ahead officially, Novak said in her campus message, “This moment is about far more than paperwork.”
“It signals the start of a transformative chapter — a bold, mission-centered reimagining of Catholic higher education,” she said. “Together, we are building something innovative, deeply rooted in our shared values, and urgently needed in today’s educational landscape.”
As the campuses continue the work to unite faculty, staff, students, and programming, Novak said their catalogs will be combined by next summer.
“There have been a few naysayers along the way and others who doubted whether a new model of higher education could be developed,” she said. “Friends, we are doing it! Cost savings are being realized already.”
The universities are joining forces in an increasingly fraught higher education universe threatened by funding cuts, a looming enrollment cliff, shifting workforce demands, along with changes in state and federal education policy in a post-pandemic world under a new presidential administration.
Two years removed from the closure of Iowa Wesleyan University — after 181 years and a long stretch of financial turmoil — St. Ambrose, at the helm of the union, will maintain the Mount Mercy campus in Cedar Rapids, along with its name, athletics program, and Mustangs mascot.
Campus leadership, however, could change next year, Novak indicated in her message.
“I especially want to thank President Todd Olson for his extraordinary servant leadership,” Novak said of Mount Mercy President Olson. “Todd has been a steady, visionary voice throughout this process, and his care for the people and mission of Mount Mercy has shaped every conversation.
“I am pleased to share that Dr. Olson will continue as the campus president for Mount Mercy through May 31, 2026. As well, we have formed the MMU Campus Board who will serve as ambassadors and provide strategic support and guidance as we move forward.”
Although the campuses haven’t shared more details about what “step two” of the union involves, Novak said, “This partnership is not simply a combination.
“It is a living model of what Catholic higher education can become: dynamic, collaborative, and mission-driven.”
Vanessa Miller covers higher education for The Gazette.
Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com
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