Merger Talk Arises in Md. and Resurfaces in Nevada

Budget and other pressures are prompting legislators in several states to consider the normally unthinkable: merging or closing public campuses. Ten days after regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education voted to table a plan to close or merge four of its eight campuses, saying doing so would be too disruptive to students and communities, members of a Nevada legislative subcommittee directed the system to study the idea anew, the Associated Press reported. The lawmakers acted after higher education officials presented a list of possible budget cuts that did not approach the $162 million in reductions to the system's operating budget that Governor Brian Sandoval's fiscal plan would require, the wire service reported. In Maryland, meanwhile, a legislative panel directed the University System of Maryland to consider combining the system's flagship campus, the University of Maryland at College Park, with the University of Maryland at Baltimore, which houses several professional schools. System officials said they would study the idea, which they said might be a smart strategic decision but is not expected to save the system money.