Senate Higher Education Committee Chairman Seth Harp, R-Midland, told University System of Georgia officials during a budget hearing that the move would help close the "ugly chapter" of segregation in Georgia.
He suggested combining historically black Savannah State University with nearby Armstrong Atlantic University, and historically black Albany State University with Darton College, a two-year community college.
“The proposal by Seth Harp is interesting, but not surprising," Darton President Peter Sireno said in a statement. "I have not been informed that the University System of Georgia is considering this option."
Any decision would have to be made by the Board of Regents. The university system receives about $2.3 billion in state funding annually, but like most state agencies and departments, its institutions are facing budget cuts of up to 10 percent this year.
In a called meeting today, the Regents are expected to approve several actions to meet 8 percent budget cuts, including reducing employer contributions to health insurance plans from 75 to 70 percent, waiving a policy on system-wide student fees and instituting a temporary, mandatory fee for students of $100 per semester at research institutions, $75 at comprehensive institutions and $50 at access institutions. A decision to merge institutions is not on the agenda.
University system Chancellor Erroll Davis said a decision to merge the schools would likely face strong opposition.
Cliff Porter, interim vice president for institutional advancement at Albany State, said the university had not been notified by the Board of Regents about making any change to its strategic plan.
"From our standpoint, the idea right now is that Albany and Southwest Georgia are very well served by both Albany State and Darton," Porter said. "To merge, I don’t know if it would really meet our workforce development and economic development needs."
A developmental studies program at Darton readies many students who are ineligible to attend ASU for the university setting, and Albany’s third institution, Albany Technical College, also is a vital component of the region’s economy, he said
But concerned phone calls and e-mails haven’t stopped since news of the proposal broke Monday, Porter said.
Maintaining historically black Albany State "is a very strong sentiment among our alumni, and even people in the community. At 105 years old, Albany State is one of the oldest institutions in Albany," Porter said.
"I really think that over the next few months, and probably the next year or so, we’ll see the budget turn around, and shift the focus from merging our institutions to improving our institutions, not just in Albany but all over the state of Georgia," he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
