Two Catholic colleges in Iowa merging to reduce costs, expand offerings

By Elissa Nadworny

Published July 4, 2025 at 5:05 AM EDT

Some religious colleges and universities in the U.S. are in trouble and are cutting programs. Others are seeking mergers to reduce costs and expand offerings

This story about religious colleges and universities was produced in collaboration with The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. You can read the digital version of the story here.

Elissa Nadworny

Elissa Nadworny reports on all things college for NPR, following big stories like unprecedented enrollment declines, college affordability, the student debt crisis and workforce training. During the 2020-2021 academic year, she traveled to dozens of campuses to document what it was like to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic. Her work has won several awards including a 2020 Gracie Award for a story about student parents in college, a 2018 James Beard Award for a story about the Chinese-American population in the Mississippi Delta and a 2017 Edward R. Murrow Award for excellence in innovation.

See stories by Elissa Nadworny