The president of St. Thomas University wants the provincial government to quell rumours that New Brunswick's public universities could be merged.

STU president Dr. Michael Higgins isn't convinced the government wants to turn his Fredericton school and Sackville's Mount Allison University into satellite campuses of another university, but the uncertainty is worrisome to students and faculty.

"What is the intention of the government in this matter? What are its goals? How can they be framed to respect the institutions that currently exist and by all estimations appear to be doing a good job?" he said.

On Wednesday, post-secondary education critic Margaret-Ann Blaney told the legislature she's worried about the future of Mount Allison and STU.

A commission is currently holding public meetings around the province on post-secondary education. Blaney accused the Liberals of having a secret plan to merge publicly-funded universities.

Higgins and Blaney are concerned about a proposal the University of New Brunswick made to the commission. UNB suggested the university — which shares a campus with STU — should become the anchor of a new post-secondary education system.

Higgins said there's no way he'll let his liberal arts school become a satellite campus of another university. The school has a long and proud history, he said, and he'd like to see it continue as a separate university for a long time.

"We're convinced that we've made a significant contribution to the province, in the workforce, the professional leadership class," Higgins said Wednesday.

The government says it's waiting to hear what the commission recommends.

Post-secondary Education Minister Ed Doherty said all universities and colleges will have a chance to make submissions to the panel before any decision is made.