Queens-Elon merger sparks concerns over job losses

Merging with Elon brings new opportunities, but students worry about professors’ jobs

The following article appeared in the Oct. 17, 2025, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with smart and original local news for Charlotte. We offer free and paid subscription plans. More info here.

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Some students worry about the fate of faculty and staff in the proposed merger with Elon University, as other higher ed combinations have led to job cuts

Eammon Dunn, a freshman graphic design major at Queens University, seen here at a popular spot for students on campus called The Coffee House, says he’s “a little bit annoyed” by the planned merger with Elon University. (Photo: Rachel Black for The Charlotte Ledger)

by Rachel Black and Tony Mecia

When freshman Eammon Dunn committed to Queens University of Charlotte, he was following a family tradition.

His father got his degree there. His mother is a faculty member. His sister is also a Queens student.

With help from his scholarships, he wasn’t just committing to any college that offered his preferred major—he was committing to an institution intertwined with his family.

But now that Queens is set to merge with Elon University, Dunn — like many people around Queens’ campus — is left with more questions than answers.

“I’m a little bit annoyed because I did not sign up to go to Elon University,” Dunn said. His stake in Queens’ identity is personal, but he’s not the only one who feels that way. He said the professor who broke the news to him during class became emotional and lamented the “death of Queens’ private-school identity.”

It has been nearly a month since Queens and Elon announced they were combining forces. Despite rounds of town hall meetings with students, faculty, staff and alumni, though, many around the quaint Myers Park campus still say they feel unsettled, as many of the key questions involved in merging the two universities remain unanswered.

The universities have said that students like Dunn should experience few changes. But one of the bigger questions remains what will happen to Queens’ faculty and staff — especially because recent mergers of colleges have resulted in job cuts. In college mergers, the smaller of the two schools is usually the one that feels the brunt of those cuts.