Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JULY 13, 2026 17 FOCUS | NONPROFITS recovery funds. Federal restrictions following the merger delayed UB's plans to intro- duce new degree programs, so school leaders initially focused on other ways to attract students, including expanding athletics, Wilken said. The university has since added men's lacrosse, swimming and diving, and is launching men's and women's rowing. After those federal restrictions were lifted, UB expanded its academic offerings by introducing an associate degree in nursing and a master's degree in medical science in partner- ship with Puerto Rico-based Ponce Health Sciences University. Wilken said UB regularly reviews its curriculum and isn't afraid to eliminate programs that no longer meet student or workforce demand. "There's a lot of rhetoric in the environment that if you're sunsetting programs that you're struggling," she said. "In every business there comes a time where you need to make adjustments. Technology changes, industry changes. And so, sunsetting a program is an appropriate, necessary business practice." Beyond academics, Wilken has also focused on rebuilding the universi- ty's culture after the upheaval of the merger by emphasizing transparency and communication. She launched UB Pitch, an internal initiative that allows faculty and staff to propose ideas that generate revenue, reduce costs or improve the student experience. New pressures The changes have produced measurable financial results. Univer- sity tax filings show UB has posted an operating surplus in each of the past four fiscal years, including about $8.9 million in fiscal 2025. Since fiscal 2022, the university's net assets have more than doubled to more than $50 million. Still, broader industry challenges remain. UB has long relied on international graduate students as a major revenue source, but the Trump administra- tion's tighter immigration policies and reduced issuance of student visas have sharply reduced that student population. The impact has been dramatic. International graduate student enroll- ment fell from 1,399 in fall 2023 to 341 by spring 2026. Over the same period, domestic enrollment remained relatively stable, helping offset some of the decline. Overall, UB enrolled 3,279 students this past spring, down from 3,894 in spring 2024. "Even prior to the current administra- tion there was a slowdown in inter- national visas," Wilken said. "We still have a number of athletes coming in from all over the world. But it's typi- cally small numbers versus the large international graduate student popula- tion that we had seen post-pandemic." In response, UB is building partner- ships with institutions in Nicaragua and China that Wilken said improve students' chances of receiving visas. The university is also considering online programs for international students who cannot travel to the United States. "We're still keeping our international roots and mission strong. But we're just looking at the model differently," she said. The university also found new ways to fund improvements to its 50-acre campus on Long Island Sound. In August 2024, Goodwin and UB issued a $47 million social bond to finance capital projects. The proceeds funded upgrades to UB's health simulation lab, recreation facilities and School of Engineering, including a new lab focused on biomedical engineering, robotics, Internet of Things and smart manufacturing. "We have one of only three high-pro- cessing computers in the state of Connecticut, and we're building our own large language model, which allows us to do unique industry and research partnerships that a school of this size doesn't always have the opportunity to engage in," Wilken said. The university also secured a $3.2 million Community Investment Fund grant from the state to renovate two historic buildings into a new welcome center. 'Holding steady' The New England Commission for Higher Education, one of UB's accred- iting institutions, has a broad view of the challenges facing the sector. Last year, NECHE saw five member institutions close in a single year — something that had never happened before, President Lawrence Schall said. He said mergers and acquisitions are becoming increasingly common. "Ten years ago, very few institutions were having those conversations. Today, the majority of institutions are having those conversations," he said. He considers the Goodwin merger to have been positive for UB, but he says, for small schools, in a sense, the turnaround effort is never over. "We watch the institution closely and we've seen progress. But Bridgeport is operating in a very difficult environment like many of our small independent institutions are," he said. "It's a chal- lenge. It will continue to be a challenge." Wilken shares that assessment. "I think for higher education, some corrections do need to occur," she said. "There are a lot of institutions versus the number of students ready to enroll. I do think you will see more mergers, acquisitions and partner- ships over the next few years." But, despite the fresh challenges her own turnaround effort is encountering, she's bullish on UB's future. "We're holding steady, which, in the higher-ed landscape right now, steady is where growth is," she said. UNIVERSITY OF BRIDGEPORT ENROLLMENT DOMESTIC INTERNATIONAL TOTAL ENROLLMENT ENROLLMENT ENROLLMENT* 2022 FALL 2,862 1,045 3,907 2023 SPRING 2,625 1,082 3,707 2023 FALL 2,630 1,461 4,091 2024 SPRING 2,526 1,368 3,894 2024 FALL 2,651 1,187 3,838 2025 SPRING 2,617 1,022 3,639 2025 FALL 2,946 643 3,589 2026 SPRING 2,862 417 3,279 *Enrollment numbers include both undergraduate and graduate students. Source: Univ. of Bridgeport Why keep the UB name? G oodwin University President Mark Schein- berg said preserving the University of Bridgeport's brand was a key part of the merger strategy. With a long history — the school will mark its 100th anniversary next year — and a large alumni base, he believed UB had far stronger name recognition in southern Connecticut than Goodwin. "If you tried to do that with Goodwin, who doesn't have any particular name recognition in the southern part of the state, you would be killing yourself," he said. Goodwin University President Mark Scheinberg led the 2021 acquisition of the University of Bridgeport. HBJ Photo | Steve Laschever

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