Thank you to everyone who attended, asked great questions, and shared their thoughts at the recent Joint Merger Update Forum sessions held at ACPHS and Russell Sage.
We appreciate your engagement in this historic and transformative merger. It’s a long process to work through, and your energy and vision for the institution we’re creating together has been essential to our success so far.
18 transition teams (with subgroups) have been busy working through details for the merged institution. These teams are small, but it’s because they are pulling in members of our college communities for their expertise as needs arise. We’ve attached the spreadsheet listing all of the transition team representatives (attachment excluded for website), which we shared in a previous message.
We’ve heard from you that you’d like more frequent updates about what our transition teams are working on, and we’re creating a plan to share that information with you on a regular basis.
As our student population grows and our mission expands, we will need the full strength of our talented community, and we fully expect that the vast majority of our employees will continue with us, with natural attrition over the next two years helping us align roles thoughtfully as we come together as one institution. We are approaching this transition with care, clarity, and optimism, and we look forward to sharing the full design of the new institution, including roles, compensation, and benefits, in September 2026 once enrollment and budget planning are complete.
We’re bringing our communities together on many levels now, including a joint meeting of our Board of Trustees in December, a joint holiday celebration for ACPHS and RSC employees on December 12 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the ACPHS campus, and an employee survey that will go out afterward and remain open through mid-January. We’re giving a joint presidents’ merger update at ACPHS and RSC alumni meetings, and our student-athletes and student government associations are making exciting connections across our institutions, too.
We know there are many creative ideas emerging already, and we’re happy to hear them. Please note that an employee survey will launch after our holiday gathering, and we welcome your feedback there.
The enthusiasm you expressed at the forums for the combined power of our two institutions was exciting. Merger updates will continue regularly in the new year, and we appreciate your patience and understanding during a long and complex but worthwhile process.
Sincerely,
Matt Shaftel President Russell Sage College
Toyin Tofade President Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
