Board of Regents recommends moving beleaguered University of New Orleans back to LSU System
The sun shines brightly on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022, above the University of New Orleans entrance sign on Lakeshore Drive. (Matthew Perschall for Louisiana Illuminator)
The state's higher education oversight board unanimously voted Wednesday to recommend moving the University of New Orleans, which has struggled with enrollment and finances, back into the LSU System.
Legislation is required to finalize the move, which would reverse action taken 14 years ago to place UNO into the University of Louisiana System.
The Louisiana Board of Regents' recommendation comes after Louisiana's top two state lawmakers asked members in February to study the feasibility of the move.
'I look forward to reviewing the findings and having further discussions with my colleagues on the board on how the LSU enterprise can welcome UNO back into the family,' LSU Board Chairman Scott Ballard said in a statement to the Illuminator.
The Board of Regents recommended forming a transition team to steer the move and hiring a third-party firm for an in-depth audit. In addition to legislative approval, the move would require approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), the accrediting body for both UNO and LSU.
The university's possible return to LSU's control is in response to UNO's acute budget crisis. The school faces a $10 million budget shortfall and has implemented a spending freeze, layoffs and staff furloughs in an attempt to make ends meet.
UNO administrators have kept open the possibility of further layoffs and furloughs. The university's budget crisis is largely tied to enrollment. The school had an enrollment of around 17,000 before Katrina, with an immediate drop to around 6,000. For the fall 2024 semester, its total student body was 6,488.
At the time of the system switch in 2011, UNO alumni and boosters applauded the plan, as many felt the university was overshadowed in the LSU System.
This is a developing story. Check back for more details.
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