Alvernia University to acquire Marian University

Alvernia University in Reading, Pennsylvania, will acquire Marian University in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, the schools announced this week.

Pending institutional, canonical, and accrediting approvals from Church authorities and the U.S. Department of Education, the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes, which owns Marian University, said it plans to “gift” the school to Alverniaʼs founders, the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters.

Marian will be renamed Alvernia University Marian Campus and will retain its mascot and most of its branding.

According to Alvernia president Glynis Fitzgerald , “the future of Catholic higher education will be shaped by institutions willing to work together, and steward their resources wisely.”

Notre Dame adds bioengineering department The College of Engineering at the University of Notre Dame announced the opening of a bioengineering department on the heels of the recent establishment of the Bioengineering & Life Sciences Initiative and a $275 million investment into biomedical research at the university.

Research priorities will center on using tissue engineering and engineered disease models to lessen reliance on animal testing; the development of…