The Board of Regents has contracted the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems to assist in a study to analyze the feasibility of merging the University of New Orleans and Southern University-New Orleans.
Senate Resolution 123 by Sens. Conrad Appel, R-Houma, and Ann Duplessis, D-New Orleans, has extended a study of higher education in New Orleans.
“There will be a significant increase in the efforts … to answer these questions,” Regents Chairman Robert Levy said Jan. 18.
Additional analysis will be conducted by NCHEMS. The state will pay up to $99,000 to complete the study by its March 1 deadline.
“NCHEMS is a private nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve strategic decision making in higher education for states and institutions in the United States and abroad,” the organization’s website says.
The consultant’s initiatives have been divided into three steps, according to the contract agreement.
NCHEMS will assist the Regents by:
Step 1: Conducting a study focused on how the state can best meet the needs of students and the economy through community college services on the North Shore.
Step 2: Conducting further study and making recommendations to the Board regarding various program modifications.
Step 3: Assessing the effectiveness of the Formula Funding Model for Louisiana’s postsecondary education institutions.
According to a tentative deadline, Step 1 will be completed by Feb. 8. Introductory information will also be discussed Feb. 8 at 9 a.m. in the Louisiana Purchase Room of the Claiborne Building.
 
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Contact Sydni Dunn at [email protected]