MAYVILLE, N.D. - The University of North Dakota's Fighting Sioux are no more.

A state Supreme Court ruling and a Board of Higher Education decision retired the nickname for good Thursday after a four-year legal battle.

The court ruled that the board had the authority to dump the nickname at any time, rejecting an appeal that sought to delay action.

A motion later Thursday at the education board's regularly scheduled meeting in Mayville to reconsider its vote in May to retire the nickname died after nobody seconded it.

University President Robert Kelley, who was hired in part to help the school move from Division II to Division I athletics, said he's looking forward to managing the nickname transition.

"It's hard sitting on your hands waiting for a deliberate process to run its course, not knowing what the outcome would be," Kelley said. "Now that we have a decision from the state board, we can move ahead."

Claus Lembke, the board member who made the failed motion, said the board was "giving in to a minority of people on the issue."

Board member and university alumnus Grant Shaft said he believes that most people are tired of the controversy. "I think people have moved to the point, for a number of reasons, that they wanted this to move along," Shaft said.

In their ruling, the justices said the board had the authority to change the nickname before a Nov. 30 deadline set in a settlement with the NCAA. A group of eight Spirit Lake Sioux tribal members who want the school to keep the nickname was seeking to have the court bar any decision before the deadline.

Supporters contend that the nickname shows pride and tradition, but the NCAA considers the nickname "hostile and offensive" and said the university could not be the host of postseason events without approval from the state's two Sioux tribes. Under the settlement, the board and university agreed to begin retiring the nickname by Nov. 30 if they couldn't obtain permission from the Spirit Lake and Standing Rock Sioux tribes.

Spirit Lake tribal members have voted to support the nickname, but the Standing Rock tribal council has resisted calls for it to change its bylaws to allow a vote.

The Spirit Lake members' attorney, Patrick Morley, didn't return a call Thursday seeking a comment.

Shaft said he doesn't think it'll make a difference if Standing Rock decides to support the logo. "With the makeup of the board right now, I don't think we have the opportunity to bring it back for reconsideration," Shaft said.

Associated Press writers Dale Wetzel and Blake Nicholson in Bismarck contributed to this article.