In an announcement to students this morning (28 February), the schools board chair, Lucy Carmichael, said the school had entered into a strategic merger with Reading-based built environment university, the UCEM. The news comes just weeks after the LSAs head and chief executive, Neal Shasore, left the school after three and a half years in the role.The merger will see the LSA officially become a part of the online institution once the higher education sector regulator, the Office for Students, signs off the partnership. That is expected to be some time next month.Carmichael said the LSA and the UCEM were aligned on a vision to earn while you learn, as well as prioritising cross-sector collaboration and interdisciplinary skills. She added in a statement that the partnership would redefine a sustainable model for the mould-breaking school.AdvertisementShe told the AJ: [Our] approach to architectural education enables students to earn while they learn, ensuring our diverse and talented student body are critically engaged with practice and highly employable.Carmichael added: We are excited about the opportunities created by joining forces with UCEM. This alliance will redefine a sustainable model for the LSA by driving forwards our ambitious shared aims within the wider context of professional built environment education.The move ends three months of uncertainty over the future of the school, which was dropped by its long-running validator, the University of Liverpool, in November. Source:UCEM GraduationUCEM's offices in ReadingAs a result, the LSA had temporarily stopped accepting applications for the academic year beginning September 2025. However, applications for the 2025/26 academic year could reopen as early as April following the merger, the AJ understands.From that point on, the LSA will cease to exist as a single charitable entity, instead falling under the UCEMs stewardship. For the first time, certificates for future cohorts will carry the LSAs own name, rather than that of a validator university.AdvertisementThe AJ understands another online education provider, the Open University, had also been considered by the LSA and its board of trustees. Negotiations with the UCEM are believed to have begun as far back as last summer.Separately, the university has applied to take ownership of the LSAs name and branding, according to an application with the governments Intellectual Property Office seen by the AJ. UCEM has since confirmed the school's name will be retained.Peter McCrea, chair of the UCEM board, said: [We are] the leading provider of higher education to the built environment. The board is delighted about the potential that this strategic merger will offer both institutions.He continued: With UCEMs vision to become the centre of excellence for built environment education, growing our provision in the field of architecture through LSAs expertise alongside our current offer, is an exciting prospect for students and industry. Source:Holly-Marie CatoNeal ShasoreThe update comes on the back of the departure of the LSAs head and chief executive Neal Shasore (pictured), who stepped down with immediate effect earlier this month.The exact reason for Shasores decision to step down has not been made public. However, the school said the search for a new head of school would start immediately and it hoped his replacement would have taken up the post by the start of the 2025/26 academic year at the latest.A UCEM academic will take up the role of interim leader while the search for a replacement for the 35-year-old is found, the university told the AJ. The LSAs board of trustees will also cease to exist.The LSA launched in 2015 with an earn as you learn model for Part 2 architecture students, currently has 66 first-year students on its MArch (Part 2) course and 57 second-years, who will be graduating this year.The UCEM, which was founded in 1919, has around 4,000 students, around 80 per cent of whom are in work.Degree courses already under way at the LSA will continue to be accredited by the University of Liverpool until July 2026.The UCEM and LSA say the strategic merger will be completed by May 2025 at the latest.