Jindal seeks possible merger of SUNO and UNO

Should the University of New Orleans merge with Southern University of New Orleans to save money? That’s the question Gov. Bobby Jindal is asking the Board of Regents. The request comes as Louisiana faces more than $1.6 billion in red ink in the next fiscal year’s budget – and additional cuts to higher education. “Our goal is to provide the best service to students,” Jindal says. “That is why I have asked the Board of Regents to study whether students can be better served by a merger of SUNO and UNO and facilitating a greater partnership with Delgado. Both UNO and SUNO, which are just blocks apart, are under-enrolled and have empty classrooms, while Delgado is struggling to meet the needs of the community with its limited space.” Jindal also is asking the Board of Regents to consider whether that merged campus should then be moved away from the LSU and Southern systems that currently govern them, and into the University of Louisiana System. The idea of a merger is politically explosive and has run into complaints and charges of racism most times it has even been suggested in past years. But the governor says the study should be driven by data and research about whether it could improve education for students, rather than by politics and higher education turf battles. Regents hope to complete the study by March 1. Northshore Sen. Jack Donahue, who served on the streamlining commission, is a supporter of the proposal. “We’ve been talking about this for 18 months, and I’m very happy to see Gov. Jindal taking a first step,” Donahue says. “As the governor knows, this effort should be part of a larger plan to improve the education system while cutting costs, and I look forward to the next phases of this proposal.” In a prepared statement, LSU System President John Lombardi insisted the system “remains firmly engaged in the support of UNO’s mission, and will work closely with UNO, its many constituencies, and the Board of Regents on any proposals to strengthen and enhance the effectiveness of this fine institution.”