Willamette University and Pacific University signed a letter of intent to negotiate a definitive merger that would create the largest private university in Oregon, provisionally called the University of the Northwest. Leaders said the plan would preserve each campus’s identity, keep separate admissions and academic programs, and share an administrative structure to stretch resources and expand program offerings. The merger is presented as a response to enrollment declines and financial pressure; it must clear accreditation and state and federal approvals before closing.