Pacific University and Willamette University signed a letter of intent to negotiate a merger that would create the largest private university in Oregon, provisionally called the University of the Northwest. Under the proposal the institutions would move to a shared administrative structure while preserving distinct campuses, academic programs, admissions requirements, and athletics. Officials told regulators they expect to file for approvals and finalize operational details in the coming months. Willamette President Steve Thorsett and Pacific President Jenny Coyle framed the move as a strategy to broaden curricular offerings and shore up finances amid enrollment declines that have pressured both institutions’ budgets. The plan must gain sign‑offs from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and state and federal regulators before it can proceed; observers say the deal could become a model for regional private-college consolidations seeking scale without full institutional absorption.