The Board of Regents said Monday the study to analyze the feasibility of merging the University of New Orleans and Southern University-New Orleans has been postponed from its original March 1 deadline.
The study deadline has been extended until March 15, according to Regents spokeswoman Meg Casper.
The Regents are currently discussing a date to schedule a special board meeting, Casper said.
The study, which was called for by Gov. Bobby Jindal on Jan. 18, is being conducted by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, a Colorado-based company that has previously worked with the Board.
The study is an extension of the Regents’ ongoing initiative passed by the Legislature last year to examine the quality of higher education in the New Orleans area.
Casper said the Regents contacted Sen. Conrad Appel, who co-authored the resolution, and Jindal, and all parties agreed to extend the date because of the study’s temporary suspension.
A restraining order was placed on the study Feb. 14 after seven Southern University students, with the help of former state Sen. Cleo Fields, filed a suit against Jindal and the Regents. The suit stated the Regents’ makeup was unconstitutional, as it was not reflective of the state’s population.
Of the Board’s 15 appointed members, there are no racial minorities and only four women, according to the suit.
A long-winded court hearing regarding the suit was held Thursday at the 19th Judicial Court in Baton Rouge.
Judge Timothy Kelley denied the injunction against the Regents. Kelley rendered his decision with a 29-page explanation that highlighted the students’ failure to prove the necessary elements for the injunction and their inability to provide arguments “rooted in fact.”
Following the verdict, Fields announced he would file an appeal.
 
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Contact Sydni Dunn at [email protected]