Dive Brief:
- Thunderbird School of Global Management could join Arizona State University under a proposed deal the two schools are considering.
- Under the proposal, Thunderbird, a private nonprofit business school based in Glendale, AZ, would not become part of Arizona State’s W.P. Carey School of Business, but would instead remain its own entity.
- Because Arizona State will not offer competing master of business administration degrees, it’s not clear if Thunderbird’s MBA program would survive an integration of the two schools. Many existing degrees, courses, and new programs would, however, be offered by Thunderbird.
Dive Insight:
Arizona State is conducting due diligence on Thunderbird’s finances, the Wall Street Journal reported. Under the proposed deal, Arizona State could capitalize on Thunderbird’s overseas brand and connections, while Thunderbird could benefit from Arizona’s administration. ASU is also interested in Thunderbird’s global executive education program. Thunderbird has 47 full-time professors and 29 adjuncts, and staff reductions are likely if the deal goes through.
A proposed deal between Thunderbird and for-profit Laureate Education fell through after an accreditor nixed it in March. Thunderbird lost $8.7 million in its most recent fiscal year, more than double the loss of its previous year.
