(Radio Iowa) – Two Catholic Universities in eastern Iowa have announced plans for what they call a “Strategic Combination” starting this fall. Mount Mercy University president Todd Olson says the agreement will allow students to take courses in Cedar Rapids, or at St. Ambrose University in Davenport. He says the immediate impact is more course offerings, and possible future merger. “This is work we’ll continue to engage in with our faculty our staff and other stakeholders in the months ahead considering options and models that might help us to become a stronger institution together,” he says. Olson says each school is keeping their own sports teams and activity departments.

St. Ambrose president Amy Novak, says working together can help both schools improve. “One of the benefits as we look at this collaboration is just the potential for cost savings and efficiencies that can be gained through economies of scale,” Novak says. “So we’re certainly exploring those possibilities as part of our due diligence that we’re engaging in with our staff and faculty over the next several months.” Novak says exploring cost savings will include looking at the number of employees and what they need.

“What we also realize is that we’ve struggled in some cases in hiring and departments where perhaps we simply don’t have the resources or the demand for a particular faculty member is so high that it’s often hard to get and recruit them to our institutions,” she says. “And so being able to have a single faculty member that may have expertise in something that can be shared across the two institutions, we think will be very beneficial.” Olson says they expect both schools will continue to have a presence in their communities.

“As we pursue this work and in any future potential combination we’re committed to maintaining vibrant residential undergraduate campuses both at Mount Mercy in Cedar Rapids and in St. Ambrose in Davenport,” Olson says. St. Ambrose University was founded in 1882, beginning as a seminary and business school for men. Mount Mercy was established as Mount Mercy Junior College in 1928.