Milan Milasinovic continued as president of the Cleveland school after assuming the same responsibilities at NECI in December, when he “began identifying the ways each school would benefit from the merger,” said a statement issued by NECI on Thursday.
“Both VMCAD and NECI have rich histories as pioneers in their educational fields,” Milasinovic said in the merger announcement. “The convergence of art and business is a hallmark of each institution and, working together, the schools will both benefit from the synergy.”
“There are no anticipated changes in leadership or staff at NECI and NECI’s campus will not be moving from Montpelier, Vermont, for the time being,” said Milasinovic.
NECI’s bakery and cafe La Brioche and restaurant NECI on Main occupy two prominent locations on Main Street in Montpelier.
The school also occupies other properties in the city, and its departure would leave a big hole in the local economy.
NECI, which was founded in 1980 in Montpelier, had been put up for sale in February 2016. City officials in Montpelier have been working recently to ensure the private school didn’t move elsewhere.
But being scattered around multiple locations in the city, rather than having a centralized campus, presents challenges to the school and its students, spokesman Philip Stevens said in an interview.
“We have no plans” to move, he said. “We are open to transition. But we’re not packing our bags.”
Stevens said possible synergies between the Vermont and Ohio schools would include students from one taking online classes offered by the other. Another would be NECI students doing work-study programs in Cleveland, taking advantage of the city’s vibrant restaurant scene and taking classes at Virginia Marti, he said.
