Comprehensive due diligence and partner assessment helped New Jersey City University identify a sustainable path forward and evaluate Kean University as a prospective merger partner

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Sept. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Strategic Partnerships in Higher Education (SPH) Consulting Group today celebrated the completion of the historic merger between Kean University and New Jersey City University (NJCU). The merger officially took effect on July 1, 2026, establishing Kean Jersey City as the newest campus in the Kean University system.

The milestone followed 17 months of planning and collaboration between Kean and NJCU after NJCU selected Kean as its merger partner. The combination preserves a four-year public higher education presence in Jersey City while expanding academic opportunities, student services, and institutional resources for the communities historically served by NJCU.

SPH Consulting Group helped lay the strategic groundwork for this outcome through a comprehensive engagement commissioned by NJCU. Selected through a competitive request-for-proposals process, SPH conducted institution-wide due diligence, evaluated NJCU's strategic and financial position, examined potential restructuring alternatives, and identified and assessed prospective institutional partners.

"This merger represents the preservation and strengthening of an essential public mission," said Ricardo Azziz, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., principal of SPH Consulting Group. "Our work focused first and foremost on identifying a sustainable path that would protect access to higher education and expand opportunities for NJCU's students and the broader Jersey City community. We are proud that our analysis contributed to the decision-making process that ultimately helped make Kean Jersey City possible."

"Successful higher education mergers require objective analysis, mission alignment, institutional courage, and sustained collaboration," Azziz added. "The creation of Kean Jersey City demonstrates what can be achieved when leaders act proactively and keep students and communities at the center of major institutional transformation."

The merger represents one of the most significant public higher education combinations in New Jersey's history. It also provides a national example of how institutions facing existential challenges can use rigorous due diligence and strategic restructuring to preserve their missions and create stronger opportunities for future generations.

ABOUT SPH CONSULTING GROUP

Strategic Partnerships in Higher Education Consulting Group specializes in mergers, acquisitions, consolidations, affiliations, closures, and other forms of major institutional restructuring in higher education. Its consultants bring direct experience leading and advising complex institutional transformations and help colleges and universities evaluate strategic alternatives, identify compatible partners, and navigate significant organizational change.

For more information, visit https://sphconsultinggroup.com/.

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SOURCE SPH Consulting Group