Lesley University has reached a $33.5 million deal to purchase buildings on the Cambridge campus of the Episcopal Divinity School, officials from the schools announced yesterday.
Lesley will own seven buildings on the divinity school's 8-acre campus near Harvard Square, and the divinity school will own 13. The two schools will share ownership of a library and collaborate on services there.
They will also enter into a condominium association to govern much of the campus, but each school will maintain its institutional autonomy. The buildings Lesley will purchase include residence halls and a dining facility.
Lesley will also provide the smaller divinity school with some student services, which Lesley president Joseph B. Moore said will be determined by committees and will mostly be administrative, such as class registration and course scheduling.
The divinity school has 97 students, said Nancy Davidge, its spokeswoman. Moore said the deal will allow Lesley - which has 12,000 students, four schools, and multiple campuses, including two in Cambridge - to expand its presence in the area.
Lesley, founded in 1909 to teach women to become kindergarten teachers, has grown into a liberal arts university with multiple career tracks, two doctoral programs, and an arts school.
"Obviously it's a wonderful neighborhood for us," Moore said in a telephone interview. "It frankly makes good use of institutional facilities over at EDS, rather than going further into the neighborhood."
He said the expansion marks an important step for the university. "I think Lesley is growing, and I think the range of programs we've got are very relevant in this day and age," Moore said. "We think that the demand for the programs will continue, so I think it's a real positive stage in Lesley's history and its growth."
The Episcopal Divinity School was formed in Cambridge in 1974 when the Philadelphia Divinity School and the Episcopal Theological School merged. It offers a doctor of ministry degree, master's degrees, and certificates in theological studies.
Although the divinity school is a religious school and Lesley is a secular institution, Moore said the two shared the same educational values. Steven Charleston, president of the Episcopal Divinity School, announced last week that he planned to resign effective June 30.
Davidge said the resignation was planned before the sale of the buildings, but that Charleston felt the sale provided a good opportunity for a leadership change.
