This case study focused on the resolution of the first lawsuit resulting in a negotiated settlement of higher education desegregation issues between a state and the U.S. Department of Justice. The study gave primary attention to the statewide higher education planning process in Louisiana as influenced by court-ordered negotiations and simultaneous preparation for trial. Easton's political systems theory was used as a conceptual framework for viewing Louisiana's public higher education system as a political system coping with both internal and external stress as the system made authoritative allocations. The historical method was used for verification of data. The findings reviewed and analyzed the case chronologically, with emphasis on the central role of the Louisiana Board of Regents and the difficulties it faced in shaping a settlement while simultaneously preparing for trial and engaging in court-ordered negotiations. Particular attention was given to the role of the three-judge court, of the expert witnesses, and of the negotiators themselves. Findings pointed up distinct weaknesses in the federal government's favored desegregation strategy, the movement of academic programs from one campus to another. Once the State of Louisiana was assured to avoiding that remedy, the pieces of a settlement began to take shape. After fifteen months of negotiations, the United States and the State of Louisiana entered into a consent decree in U.S. v. Louisiana that, although it failed to address some central questions, suggests that states similarly situated may resolve the complex issues emerging in the desegregation arena without embracing the radical remedies embodied in federal desegregation guidelines. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 45-11, Section: A, page: 3291. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1984.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_75445 |
| Contributors | THORN, J. DALE., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 190 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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