Albany State University and Darton State College will be consolidating after a Tuesday morning meeting of the University System’s Board of Regents.

This will be the first time a historically black college (HBCU) in Georgia will be consolidated with a predominantly white institution (PWI). Hank Huckaby, the  University System of Georgia Chancellor, has vowed to maintain Albany State’s HBCU (historically black college or university) mission.

According to a report on AJC.com, “Both schools have faced enrollment declines in recent years. Albany State’s enrollment has dropped 25 percent in five years; Darton has seen a 14 percent enrollment decline since its peak in 2012.”

The two universities combined will form a new institution that will be the largest college in southwest Georgia with have around 9,000 students.

“Albany State’s current interim president, Arthur Dunning, will become the president of the merged institution, which will retain the Albany State University name. Darton State’s interim president, Paul Jones, will become president of Fort Valley State University, another of the system’s HBCUs.” AJC.com states.

This is not university consolidation in Georgia, there have been seven in the past couple of years. It will however be the first time a historically black college (HBCU) in Georgia will be consolidated with a predominantly white institution (PWI).

The merger of a HBCU with a PWI has happened in the past. The present-day Tennessee State University exists as a result of the merger on July 1, 1979 of Tennessee State University and the former University of Tennessee at Nashville.

This merger will make the new university one of the largest HBCUs in the country.

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