As Salus University prepares to merge with Drexel, president says he was surprised to learn of financial problems

Welcome to a sunny Thursday, Philadelphia.

The president of Salus University, which is in the process of merging with Drexel, said he was surprised to learn of his partner’s recently revealed financial problems: “I think the outcome would have been different.”

And it’s a busy time at the center of the political universe. Read the latest on Philadelphia’s role in the presidential election, including baseless allegations of vote harvesting at a Center City social services organization and more.

-Julie Zeglen ([email protected])

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Drexel University is undergoing a major time of change as the Philadelphia institution faces a structural deficit and the imminent departure of longtime president John A. Fry. Recent revelations about Drexel’s finances have led some at Salus University to doubt the decision to merge with the school.

Quickly catch up: Elkins Park-based Salus, which focuses on health sciences, and University City-based Drexel have announced their intention to combine assets in summer 2023. Final federal approvals are expected to arrive in June.

Financial problems: Earlier this fall, Drexel announced it would cut staff and benefits as it faces a $63 million operating loss and 15 percent fewer first-year students.

New tensions: Salus Chairman Michael H. Mittelman made statements in a private meeting suggesting that the outcome of the merger would have been different if leaders known about the extent of Drexel’s challenges. A group of Salus teachers also say they are concerned about what the merger could mean for the future of their school.

Education reporter Susan Snyder has the latest.

In other higher education news: After months of uncertainty following the University of the Arts’ abrupt closure in June, Pig Iron School has partnered with Rowan University to resume its master’s of fine arts program.

So close to Election Day, in a swing state, 24 hours can yield headline-grabbing new developments. Here’s the latest presidential election news from Philadelphia and beyond:

🔵 Vice President Kamala Harris met with Democratic politicians at the Famous 4th Street Deli yesterday. The stop came hours before a CNN town hall in Delaware County, where Harris, in her latest attempt to appeal to Republican and swing voters outside Philadelphia, said she believes former President Donald Trump is a fascist.

🔴 A Republican organization linked to Elon Musk has produced an apparently fake manifesto intended to look like Harris’ version of the conservative political initiative Project 2025.

✉️ Philadelphia City Commissioner Seth Bluestein, a Republican, also criticized Musk for spreading misinformation by retweeting a false claim that Center City nonprofit Broad Street Love was involved in widespread vote harvesting.

💰 And Philadelphia Democrats are asking Harris’ campaign for $1.2 million to fund the local party’s election expenses — but they’re not counting on it.

Watch more from a busy day at the center of the political universe.

What you should know today

🧠 Trivia time

A new romance bookstore opened in October in Collingswood. What’s your puny name?

A) Book lovers

B) Under the cover

C) Kiss and Tale

D) A new romance

Do you think you know? Check your answer.

What are we…

⚽ Swipe to choose: Which Union players should stay or go after a lackluster season.

🍣 Visiting: These 21 new restaurants will open in the Philadelphia suburbs this fall.

🏗️ Considering: Urban design principles to make the Center City Sixers arena a civic asset if it moves forward.

🧩 Unscramble the anagram

The oldest continuously inhabited residential street in the United States

FREE STYLE SALON

Email us if you know the answer. We will select a reader at random to publish here. Cheers to Stuart Jay, who solved Wednesday’s anagram: Kenny Gamble. The Sound of Philadelphiaa documentary about the music this songwriter and producer made along with Leon Huff and other legends of the Philadelphia soul genre, is being shown at the Philadelphia Film Festival this week.

Photo of the day

📹 One last civic thing: Political reporter Aliya Schneider rounded up the most searched questions about the 2024 elections in Pennsylvania. Watch her answer them here.

Thank you, as always, for starting your day with The Inquirer. See you back here tomorrow.

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