Montserrat College of Art, a small free-standing art college in Massachusetts, has entered into a formal discussion with Salem State University about merging together, the two institutions announced.

Salem State President Patricia Maguire Meservey and Montserrat College of Art President Stephen D. Immerman revealed that they are in that an initial and confidential due diligence process had concluded and that they "are excited by the potentially significant benefits of such an integration."

"Montserrat offers a unique brand of arts education for a unique student population," Immerman said in a statement. "However, as a small, private college with less than 400 students, it is challenging to provide the resources needed to maintain and grow the competitive advantages needed for working artists. By joining Salem State, we believe that we can ensure that the Montserrat name and the college's tradition of excellence and student-centered education will remain available for future generations of aspiring artists and designers."

The boards of trustees on both campuses have agreed to move forward with the next stage of due diligence to determine the feasibility of merging Montserrat College of Art and Salem State University and to work through the details of such an effort with both campus communities, emphasizing that the goal would be to have a final agreement in place by July 2015.

Both presidents stated that the reason for publicly announcing this initiative is to "bring both communities into the discussions necessary to more thoroughly consider all implications of this proposal."

"Joining these two institutions would bring together extraordinarily talented faculty and students from both programs," said Salem State's Meservey, and "would enhance opportunities for collaboration and expand access to a broader array of artistic and student centered facilities on both Salem and Beverly campuses." She went on to add that, "this would be a unique academic program on the North Shore, serving students who find their passion in the arts."

If finalized, it is anticipated that the full implementation will take effect in the 2017-2018 academic year.