The State Board of Regents Executive Committee voted Monday to proceed with the merger of the College of Eastern Utah and the Southeast Applied Technology College, a campus of the Utah College of Applied Technology.

Earlier this fall, the board initially approved the merger. However, an alternate proposal to the merger was developed and presented to Commissioner of Higher Education Richard Kendell last week — something that was allowed under the original motion.

After reviewing the original collaboration study, the alternate proposal and a line-by-line comparison detailed by the commissioner's staff, Kendell recommended to the board that it should proceed with the merger.

"After careful study and detailed analysis of both plans, it is apparent that the regents acted correctly in October," said Kendell. "The comparisons confirm that the optimal and prudent action for students, the institutions and the state is to merge the two institutions."

Officials said the board's October action will stand, unless a majority of the regents request the issue be raised for further discussion.