Four years after New England College bought the New Hampshire Institute of Art in downtown Manchester and incorporated it into the college, pandemic-driven enrollment losses are shifting the students from the Queen City to the main campus in Henniker, starting in the fall.

“The first year (after the merger) we had record enrollment for that institution. We had figured out a model that was working. But when COVID hit, the decline was quite significant, and it didn’t recover really after that,” said Wayne Lesperance, president of New England College. “It became clear we couldn’t get out from under that strain. … It’s a business decision.”

There are about 175 students at what is now the NEC Institute of Art and Design, and “just under 1,000” students on the college’sHenniker campus. Combining them would bring the Henniker on-campus student population back up to levels seen before the pandemic hit. NEC also has about 200 students in its undergraduate online programs and about 2,000 students learning in hybrid and online formats for masters and doctoral degrees.

There is a rule of thumb in higher education that tuition-dependent private schools with a big campus, like New England College, face real financial pressure if enrollment falls below 1,000. NEC has been working to increase enrollment for years.

Lesperance said all faculty in Manchester are offered positions in Henniker. The college will be making changes to some buildings over the summer to incorporate the Art Institute courses, which will begin in the fall.

“Some of the art programs require specialized space and equipment,” said Lesperance, pointing to print-making machines as an example.

The future of the six buildings in downtown Manchester holding the Institute of Art and Design, including a dormitory on Lowell Street that the Union-Leader just praised as an example of distinctive architecture, is unclear.

NEC plans to continue holding events at its galleries and Emma French Hall on Concord Street, as well as using them for students to work in and to hold their senior exhibitions, and is looking “to collaborate with educational institutions and other neighbors,” Lesperance said.

“We have no plans other than that. We’re open to all kinds of ideas,” he said.

New Hampshire Institute of Art had roots in Manchester dating back to 1898. Financial problems led it to merge with New England College in 2019, which was the last year that graduates received NHIA diplomas.

At the time, officials said the merger would strengthen both schools and emphasized that Institute of Art and Design students would not have to take classes in Henniker, responding to concerns about commuting back and forth between the two campuses.

The NEC statement said that starting in the fall, the Institute of Art and Design at New England College “will provide degree opportunities in the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) and the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in several dedicated spaces on the Henniker campus. IAD students will study and live side-by-side with students taking other programs, enjoying full access to all of the College’s resources in athletics, dining, wellness, and extracurricular programs.”

An FAQ indicated that “equivalent” housing would be made available and that tuition, financial aid, meal plans and other financial matters would not change.

Lesperance, who was part of the team that decided to buy the Institute of Art, said one question he has heard several times since the news was released is whether he regretted the move.

“If COVID was not a factor, I’d do it again,” he said. “The opportunity was there but circumstances outside our control took that away from us.”

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