On August 10, 2012, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia approved the merger of the school by fall 2013 with nearby Georgia Health Sciences University. Ricardo Azziz took the helm of ASU in summer of 2012 in preparation for the oncoming consolidation. The board named the new university "Georgia Regents University", which caused considerable local controversy. It also triggered a lawsuit for alleged trademark infringement by Regent University in Virginia, which was settled out of court in June 2013.