The announcement came as Texas Wesleyan University made a decision to retain the TWU law school.

Informal negotiations between the two schools came to an end with Wesleyan's decision, but hope for a public law school in the region did not.

"For 20 years, the university has wanted [a law school] and had as an ideal," Dr. Norval Pohl, NT president, said.

Pohl said with the state budget crisis in mind, NT will wait until the Legislature reconvenes in 2005 to solicit the research approval needed from the Legislature.

Roddy Wolper, NT's director of news and information, said that in 2005, NT will most likely approach the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board with a plan.

"We did a similar process with the College of Engineering last year," Wolper said.

NT System Chancellor Lee Jackson said in the press release that NT respects Wesleyan's decision considering the attractiveness of a law school program for any university.

"NT still believes that the Dallas-Fort Worth region needs a public law school that can deliver affordable, high-quality legal education," Jackson said.

"Many qualified students in this region are required to relocate if they want to pursue a law degree, either because of the cost or the limited availability of entry into the region's two private law school programs."

According to the press release, NT began implementing long-term plans in the early 1980s for a public law school by acquiring law-related library materials