Mississippi Sen. John Polk, R-Hattiesburg, listens to a discussion about education at the state Capitol, Feb. 8, 2024, in Jackson, Miss. Polk filed a bill to close three of Mississippis eight public universities by 2028, but other legislators say the bill is unlikely to become law. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
In 2009, then-Gov. Haley Barbour said Mississippi could not afford to keep all eight. Barbour, a Republican, proposed reducing the number to five by merging Mississippi University for Women into Mississippi State University and consolidating the three historically Black universities — Alcorn State, Jackson State and Mississippi Valley State — into one school with Jackson State in charge. His proposal never gained traction because of widespread opposition from legislators and alumni groups.
Democratic Sen. Hillman Frazier of Jackson said Barbour’s failure showed there has never been a strong appetite for closing institutions in Mississippi. He also said the universities could reverse their enrollment declines with more state support.
"If you give the institutions the tools they need to attract students, that will address that," Frazier said. "It sounds good politically, trying to be a fiscal conservative, but we need to give our universities the tools they need to be successful."
Mississippi University for Women has attempted to recruit more students by switching to a name that doesn’t include the word "Women." But the university said last week that it was pausing that rebranding effort.
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Republican Sen. Nicole Boyd of Oxford, who chairs the Senate Universities and Colleges Committee, said she was still reviewing Polk's legislation with no immediate plan to bring it up for a vote.
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