Hilbert College buys Valley College

West Virginia’s Valley College, which is a career-focused college with campuses in Beckley and Martinsburg, is being purchased by Hamburg, New York’s Hilbert College, a Catholic Franciscan college.

The agreement to buy Valley College was signed by the board of trustees of Valley College, which has an info center in Princeton, a satellite school in Akron, Ohio, and a campus in Cleveland, Ohio, in addition to the two campuses in West Virginia. 

This acquisition is part of Hilbert College’s plan for extending its Franciscan mission, increasing enrollment, and providing more social mobility for all of its students. 

With this addition to Hilbert’s fleet of schools, it will be able to serve over 2,000 students throughout Ohio, West Virginia, and New York in both online and in-person programs.

Valley College offers diplomas in both two-year and four-year degree programs in many different subject areas, and is a for-profit accredited institution.

Valley College serves more than 1,000 students, with more than half of those students using some sort of online offering. Many of the students in the four campuses of Valley College, Beckley, Martinsburg, Cleveland, and Akron, are adult students who are often in transitional stages in their lives.

In the past decade, Valley College has grown significantly, raising enrollment from only 100 students to more than 1,000. Its largest programs are in the allied health and health disciplines.

Hilbert College’s President Michael Brophy, Ph.D. was quoted in an article by The Register Herald on the acquisition, saying, “We’re excited about what this move means for our students and communities. The more than 2,000 learners that Hilbert College and Valley College serve will immediately benefit from expanded opportunities.”

Hilbert College and Valley College will operate independently of each other under a new nonprofit entity called Franciscan Services. They will contribute to each other through their accreditor’s policies as separate colleges. Plans for the near term for the two schools include creating a transfer articulation between their programs, and a merging of best practices policies. Franciscan Services will also start reviewing efficiencies that the colleges could create by sharing services agreements.

Valley College President Tony Palmieri talked about the benefits both schools will see thanks to the acquisition, saying, “Through this strategic acquisition, both Hilbert College and Valley College are leaning into the changes affecting higher education, including declining high school graduation rates, increasing workforce development needs, and regional and national higher education trends.” 

Hilbert College is a not-for-profit institution that offers two-year, four-year, and graduate degrees in many different disciplines. It is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Currently around 750 students attend in-person undergraduate programs at the campus setting in Hamburg, New York. There are also 150 more students taking online and graduate programs offered by the school.

In the past year, Hilbert saw a 20 percent increase in enrollment, thanks in part to the new online and athletic programs the school has developed. It enrolls many of its students in communication, psychology, cybersecurity, forensic science, criminal justice, and business disciplines.

The acquisition is expected to be finalized and approved by state, federal, and accreditation oversight organizations.

More information about Valley College can be found on the school’s website, and more information about Hilbert College can be found at its website.