Willamette University and Pacific University signed a letter of intent to negotiate a definitive merger that would create Oregon’s largest private institution, provisionally branded the University of the Northwest. The schools said they plan to operate under a shared administration while preserving separate campuses, admissions rules and academic programs. The deal would combine roughly 6,000 students across liberal arts, health and professional programs and aims to expand curricular offerings while consolidating administrative costs. Willamette President Steve Thorsett and Pacific President Jenny Coyle framed the move as a response to enrollment declines and fiscal pressures that have strained tuition‑dependent private colleges in the region. Regulatory and accreditor approvals, including sign‑off from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and state and federal authorities, are now the next hurdles. If approved, the transaction will be watched as a model for regional consolidation — preserving local identities while centralizing back‑office functions — and could influence other small privates weighing merger options amid demographic headwinds.