BATON ROUGE, La. — Merging historically Black Southern University at New Orleans with the largely White University of New Orleans would give students better educational opportunities at schools that aren’t fully using their facilities and that have low graduation rates, Gov. Bobby Jindal told a House committee.
Jindal took his case for the merger directly to state lawmakers, appearing before the House Education Committee.
“Clearly what we’re doing now is not working. We’ve got to do a better job,” Jindal said. “The status quo is not acceptable. This is your chance to improve education for our students. This is your chance to make history.”
House Speaker Jim Tucker, R-Terrytown, has introduced legislation to merge the institutions. The bill would create the University of Louisiana-New Orleans in the University of Louisiana System. It would be a single university with shared accreditation and leadership, but with two colleges under its umbrella, with different admissions standards, missions and program offerings.
A branch campus of the nearby Delgado Community College would offer remedial courses and college transfer degree programs at the site.
Opponents say a consolidation would diminish educational opportunities for minority students, jeopardize federal funding that is slated for historically Black colleges and take away choices for students in the New Orleans area.
Tucker disagreed, saying, “We’re not letting anybody fall through the cracks. We’re not, and damn it that’s what we’re doing now.”
