Allan Chen
VP for IT,
California Institute of the Arts
Lessons from Institutional Mergers: A Small College Perspective
Wednesday, October 29, 2025 | 3:15PM–4:00PM CT | EDUCAUSE Commons, Teaching & Learning Central, Poster Area
Session Type:
Poster Session
Delivery Format:
Poster
In 2024, the California Institute of the Arts entered into an affiliation agreement with the Vermont College of Fine Arts. VCFA would become a wholly owned subsidiary of CalArts but would otherwise retain its accreditation and identity. Infrastructure and administrative services—running from admissions to advancement to IT—would be handled via a shared services model, with CalArts doing the work. CalArts departments and staff would provide functionality to VCFA operations, such as running its Help Desk, in return for VCFA’s revenue. In addition, we had to merge a number of systems, such as migrating VCFA's student data into CalArts’ Student Information System. This approach—unique from full acquisitions and mergers—has led to a number of challenges that had to be addressed. Join us to learn how we have handled the operational and technical aspects of this affiliation, which has been more than a partnership, but less than a merger.
