Editor's note: WWNO is licensed to the University of New Orleans but is funded independently and reports on the university like any other school.
The University of New Orleans will join the LSU system on July 1, school officials said Wednesday, pending approval from its accreditor.
Lawmakers passed legislation in the spring to move UNO from the Louisiana University System back to the LSU system, where it had been from its founding until 2013.
“This marks a pivotal inflection point,” LSU officials said in a statement. “A unique opportunity to revitalize enrollment, recalibrate academic offerings for present-and-future workforce demands and fully leverage the campus’s exceptional lakefront footprint.”
UNO has struggled financially in recent years, which officials have largely attributed to low enrollment. The school currently enrolls fewer than 6,000 students, down from more than 17,000 at its peak before Hurricane Katrina.
Last year, the administration furloughed and laid off staff, and hiring and spending freezes are still in place.
UNO’s transition committee met for the first time on Wednesday morning on the school’s campus. LSU failed to provide 24 hours' notice of the meeting, as required by law, according to the Louisiana Illuminator.
The meeting notice wasn’t posted until nearly 4 p.m. on Tuesday, the Illuminator reported, after the outlet asked LSU about the lack of notice.
The committee’s 19 members include more than a half dozen local business leaders, representatives from LSU’s board of supervisors, state government officials and two alumni.
Recording artist Master P, who is also UNO’s president of basketball operations, is also on the committee along with the school’s former basketball coach and a former athletics director.
The statement from LSU officials said the school’s athletics programs will “remain a hallmark of the campus identity,” and specifically mentioned the Division I basketball and baseball teams.
At Wednesday’s meeting, officials shared a draft logo for UNO under the LSU system: it’s the same Privateer pirate with his fleur-de-lis hat, but in purple and gold instead of blue and grey. The mockups refer to UNO as LSU New Orleans, like other schools under LSU’s umbrella across the state.
Officials said changes to academics will focus on high-demand industries and build on some of UNO’s existing strengths, including health care, engineering, national defense, arts administration, hospitality, tourism, and culinary.
To improve facilities, officials suggested they’ll partner with private developers and pursue new mixed-use development to draw businesses and the broader community onto campus.
Many UNO buildings need significant repairs, including Milneburg Hall, which officials closed last year.
