LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Architects from Lincoln and Omaha are opposing a plan to merge the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Architecture into the university’s Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts.

Several architects spoke against the plan during Friday’s university Board of Regents meeting. They said the move would negatively affect the quality of education provided at the college and UNL’s ability to produce graduates capable of getting jobs with top firms.

Patrick McDermott, a 1968 graduate of the college, said UNL College of Architecture graduates currently rank ninth among architecture graduates nationwide on licensing exam scores.

The merger was proposed last year by Chancellor Harvey Perlman. The new merged school would be named the Hixson-Lied College of the Arts and Architecture.