Gov. Bobby Jindal asked the state’s top higher education board to research a possible merger of the University of New Orleans campus with the historically black Southern University at New Orleans campus, a politically explosive proposal. Jindal also asked the Board of Regents to consider whether that merged campus should then be moved away from the university systems that currently govern the schools—and into the University of Louisiana System. The schools are only blocks apart and might be able to better serve students with shared resources, Jindal says. He cited low graduation rates at both schools and declines in student enrollment at the campuses since Hurricane Katrina struck five years ago. Many buildings at SUNO remain in disrepair since the storm damaged them.
Poll: Do you like the idea of merging the University of New Orleans and Southern University at New Orleans?
