The College of Santa Fe's Board of Trustees on Wednesday voted unanimously to form a partnership with Laureate Education Inc., a for-profit company with campuses around the world, school officials said.

The move will bring financial stability and a potential for growth to the college, said president Stuart Kirk.

Officials have since last spring been working to address a financial deficit — they're unwilling to say how much it is — and have made staff and program cuts to attempt to do so.

Those changes, though, have been enough for the college to continue, Kirk said, but are not enough to allow for growth.

Laureate, formerly Sylvan Learning Systems, will assume the school's debt, Kirk said, and will assist in marketing, branding and recruiting more students.

Laureate, based in Baltimore, serves more than 250,000 students at its 19 accredited, campus-based universities around the world and through its online offerings, according to the company's Web site.

Marcia Sullivan, vice president of administration and communication for the College of Santa Fe, said schools that are part of the Laureate network experience enrollment growth between 20 and 30 percent during the first year of the partnership.

The college will become Laureate's first campus-based institution in the United States.

With the partnership come concerns that a for-profit company might disregard the college's long tradition or its newly emphasized focus on the arts.

Kirk argued, though, that the school will not change the program it offers, nor will it change its name or make more staff or faculty changes as a result of the agreement with Laureate.

Katherin Chase, chairwoman of the board of trustees, said even she was initially hesitant to get involved with a for-profit company. But after hearing from Laureate and learning of the potential benefits, her concerns were eased.

And it's the school's long history that has interested Laureate, Chase said. "At this juncture, it's speculative, but we really believe that part of the what they see of value is the college's deep roots and long-term identity," she said.

Jonathan Wacks, chairman of the moving images department, said he met with Laureate representatives and sensed they were interested in the college because of the strength of its art programs as well as the potential for growth.

"I found them to be quite imaginative and excited by the prospect of being involved with an arts school," Wacks said. "Their twin strengths are marketing and recruitment, and frankly, the college's two weaknesses have been exactly those," Wacks said.

Not everyone, though, is convinced the college will be able to continue business as usual. Bob Denison, an assistant professor at the school, said he thinks partnering with Laureate is a good idea, but will definitely mean some changes. "It is not reasonable to assume that a very successful, for-profit enterprise buys a failing, nonprofit enterprise and leaves it alone," Denison said.

Denison said he anticipates significant changes in the schools' financial staff and policies, and expects Laureate to implement the practices it uses at other institutions. "Is this good for the College of Santa Fe?" Denison said. "The issue here is, compared to what?"

If it means the college survives a crisis with the potential to shut it down, it's a good thing, he said. "It's a very good thing if a school continues to exist at 1600 St. Michael's Drive," Denison said. "What is not clear is what kind of school."

Wacks, too, acknowledged that partnering with a for-profit group was not anyone's first choice. "Under the circumstances, I think it's about as good as it's going to get," he said.

Kirk said details like whether the partnership will mean Laureate takes over ownership of the school or whether it will affect tuition have still not been worked out. He said he hopes to finalize the deal by the end of summer.

In November, Kirk announced the school would eliminate some of its liberal arts offerings, cut some staff and focus more on creative arts in an effort to overcome a financial deficit and increase enrollment.

Last month, Kirk confirmed the college was talking with Savannah College of Art and Design about a possible partnership, but those talks were discontinued.

The school, which was founded in 1859 by the Lasallian Brothers, has about 600 traditional on-campus students and also offers evening and online courses. Kirk has said reaching an enrollment of about 2,000 is one of the school's goals.

Contact John Sena at 986-3079 or jsena@sfnewmexican.com.

LAUREATE EDUCATION INC.

• Formerly Sylvan Learning System

• Serves about 250,000 students through its 19 campus-based institutions in Europe, Asia and South America and through its online offerings

• Went from publicly traded to privately held in 2007

• College of Santa Fe will be the company's first campus-based institution in the United States