Xavier University of Louisiana

Xavier University of Louisiana

Motto	Deo Adjuvante Non Timendum (Latin)
Motto in English	With God's help there is nothing to fear
Type	Private historically black university
Established	October 6, 1925 (1925-10-06)
Founder	St. Katharine Drexel
Religious affiliation	Catholic (Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament)
Academic affiliations	ACCU, UNCF, Space-grant
Endowment	$171 million (2018)[1]
Chairman	Sonia Perez
President	Dr. C. Reynold Verret
Provost	Dr. Anne McCall
Students	3,231 (Fall 2018)[2]
Location	New Orleans , Louisiana , United States 29°57′55″N 90°06′25″W / 29.965219°N 90.106994°W / 29.965219; -90.106994Coordinates: 29°57′55″N 90°06′25″W / 29.965219°N 90.106994°W / 29.965219; -90.106994
Campus	Urban
Colors	Gold   and   White
Nickname	Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets
Sporting affiliations	NAIA – GCAC
Sports	9 varsity teams (4 men's & 5 women's)
Website	www.xula.edu

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Xavier University of Louisiana (also known as XULA) is a private, historically black, Catholic university in New Orleans, Louisiana, US. It is the only Catholic HBCU and, upon the canonization of Katharine Drexel in 2000, became the first Catholic university founded by a saint.

History[]

Background[]

Katharine Drexel, supported by the interest of a substantial inheritance from her father, banker-financier Francis Drexel, founded and staffed many institutions throughout the United States in an effort to help educate Native Americans and African Americans. Many of her chosen staff included sisters of the religious order she founded and served in as Superior General, the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament.

Aware of the lack of Catholic education available to young black people in the South, Drexel came to New Orleans and hoped to establish a high school. The chosen site was previously occupied by Southern University, which had moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana after an influx of white neighbors petitioned for its relocation.

On April 13, 1915, Harry McEnerny, serving as an agent to Drexel, purchased the property for US$18,000.^[3] Due to Drexel's plan to build a school for black students, she knew that the city and community would never approve the sale. By going through an agent, the sale was allowed, but even so, vandals smashed all the building's windows after learning of Drexel's intent.^[4]

High school era[]

The high school, now known as Xavier University Preparatory School, opened on 27 September 1915^[5] and was originally named after Francis Xavier.^[6] In May 1916, Xavier was incorporated under the title, "Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People, of Louisiana," according to the laws of the state, and the name, "Xavier" University, was cut into the stone slab above the main entrance thus replacing the name, "Southern University."^[7] Also known as Xavier Prep, it remained in operation until 2013; today, St. Katharine Drexel Preparatory School operates from the same location on Magazine Street in New Orleans.

In 1917 the school was expanded to include a normal school both to provide training for black teachers and because Archbishop James H. Blenk was eager for graduates to teach six new black parishes that were planned.^[6] On September 9, 1921, the Louisiana Department of Education officially recognized "Xavier University" as a State Approved High School.^[8] By 1922, the school was described as the only Catholic institution in the United States that offered "a full four years' high school course to colored boys."^[9] While this may not be true, Xavier University was certainly by far the most prominent Catholic institution offering such educational opportunities at the time.^[10]

University founding[]

In 1925, Xavier University of Louisiana came into being when the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences was established. The State of Louisiana Department of Education officially recognized Xavier University as a four-year college on March 19, 1928, with the first degrees awarded two years later.^[11] The College of Pharmacy was next to be opened in 1927.

Recognizing the university's need for a separate identity and room to expand, Drexel bought a tract of undeveloped land for a campus on the corner of Palmetto and Pine Streets in 1929. To avoid blockage of the deal, Drexel again purchased the property through an agent.

Construction of the U-shaped, Gothic Revival-style Main Building, Convent and Library, made from Indiana limestone and now on the National Register of Historic Places, were completed between 1932 and 1937.^[12] The Main Administration Building was dedicated by the Archbishop of Philadelphia, Cardinal Dennis Joseph Dougherty, on October 12, 1932, a date since kept as "Foundation Day," or "Founders Day," by Xavier University.^[7] The Administration building is a City of New Orleans landmark.^[13]

United States civil rights movement[]

In May 1961, a group of Freedom Riders, anti-racial segregation civil rights activists, arrived in New Orleans by plane after bus drivers in Alabama refused to take them to Montgomery, Alabama. Locals, aware of the fire bombings and other attacks against other Freedom Riders, refused to accommodate them with lodging out of fear of retaliatory violence. Norman C. Francis, then the university's Dean of Men, secretly arranged for the group to stay several days in a dormitory on campus. Francis received permission from University President Sister Mary Josephina to allow the group to occupy space on the third floor of St. Michael's Hall under the condition that the press would not be alerted as to the move.

Pope John Paul II visit[]

In 1987, Pope John Paul II addressed the presidents of all U.S. Catholic colleges from the courtyard of the Xavier administration building.

Hurricane Katrina and beyond[]

Hurricane Katrina made landfall in August 2005, striking the New Orleans area. Xavier, located in the lower-lying Gert Town section and adjacent to the Washington-Palmetto Canal,^[14] suffered damage to almost every structure on campus. Many buildings sat partially submerged for extended periods of time following the hurricane. University president Norman Francis organized boats and buses to transport stranded faculty, staff, and students from the campus to safe areas.^[15] Students began returning to the university in January 2006.^[16]

• 

  Limestone facade

• 

  Katrina, 2005

• 

  Xavier, across canal

• 

  Library

• 

  Qatar Pharmacy Pavilion

In April 2006, the nation of Qatar donated $17.5 million to assist the university in hurricane recovery and in expanding the school's College of Pharmacy.^[17] The groundbreaking ceremony in 2008 was attended by Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, leader of Qatar, and on 15 October 2010 the school's Qatar Pharmacy Pavilion opened, adding 60,000 square feet (5,600 m²) adjacent to the existing College of Pharmacy building.

Obama[]

Senator Barack Obama gave the XULA commencement speech in August 2006.^[18] New Orleans' archbishop, Alfred C. Hughes, declined to attend, citing that Obama was not opposed to abortion, and that he was not consulted prior to the event.^[19]

Obama returned to XULA after becoming president, visiting New Orleans in August 2010 to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. He gave an address at Xavier complimenting the work of the leaders of the community and affirming the commitment to continue to aid in the rebuilding of the area.^[20]

Xavier University received the "Katrina Compassion Award" from the United States government Corporation for National and Community Service in 2006, for the combined efforts of an estimated 60% of its students in rebuilding the neighborhoods damaged by the hurricane.^[21]

2010s[]

In 2018, Xavier had an endowment of approximately $171 million, which was the fourth highest among Louisiana's colleges and universities.^[22]

Center for Equity, Justice, and the Human Spirit[]

In 2018, David Robinson-Morris founded the university's Center for Equity, Justice, and the Human Spirit (CEJHS), a social justice hub and a space for scholarly research and community-driven systems change.

The first of its kind at an HBCU, the Center's focus is to shift oppressive policies and practices in education, criminal justice, and environmental sustainability. The Center aims to honor the faith and principles of XULA's foundress, St. Katharine, and benefits from a planning grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.

Out of the CEJHS came the Xavier Story Project, which promotes the history of the university from its founding to the present. This was headed by Emmy Award-winning journalist Helen Malmgren, who thereafter teamed with Robinson-Morris to create an investigative journalism program for students.

In July 2020, Xavier received $20 million from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, the largest single gift in the university's history.^[23] The initial contact with Scott was made about a year beforehand by Robinson-Morris, who also served in a development position.

Robinson-Morris departed the university in December 2020, saying that he was overworked, undervalued, and that his concerns about the university's administrative issues were not being fully heard and addressed.^[24]

Demographics[]

Students[]

Though Xavier is the nation's only historically Black and Catholic university, its doors have always been open to qualified students of any race or creed.

In Fall 2020, the vast majority of the student body was Black or African American (approx. 75.1%), and 12% identified as Catholic. Xavier was also the first Catholic college to educate both men and women. Almost half of Xavier’s students (43.8%) in the fall of 2020 were from Louisiana. Non-local enrollment continues to increase, with students coming in from at least 40 other states and sixteen foreign countries.

Student life is enriched by the social and cultural setting of New Orleans and by campus activities designed to enhance personal growth, interpersonal skills, and leadership in such areas as community service, the environment, cultural concerns, and social justice.

Faculty[]

As of fall 2020, Xavier had a full-time faculty of 236 educators, both religious and lay, of diverse ethnic and racial origins—95 percent of whom have terminal degrees—providing a comfortable student/faculty ratio of 12.5/1.

Forty-four faculty members serve as endowed chairs or professors, which provides additional financial support for their research and teaching.

Unique among HBCUs, Xavier has a higher percentage of non-Black faculty than Black.^[25]

Administration[]

Presidents[]

• Reverend Edward J. Brunner SSJ (1915-1932)
• Mother M. Agatha Ryan, SBS (1932-1955)
• Sister Josephina Kenney, SBS (1955-1965)
• Sister M. Maris Stella Ross, SBS (1965-1968)
• Dr. Norman C. Francis (1968-2015)
• (2015-)

Dr. Norman C. Francis

Norman C. Francis[]

At the time of his retirement, President Emeritus Norman C. Francis was the longest serving president of a university in the United States. Himself a Xavier graduate, he led the university for 47 years (1968-2015) and became a nationally recognized leader in higher education. Among other honors and roles entrusted to him, he served as the head of several national educational groups and in 2006 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.^[26][27] The city of New Orleans renamed the former Jeff Davis Parkway (which parallels the southeastern end of the campus) as the Norman C. Francis Parkway in Francis's honor in 2020.^[28][29]

President Verret

C. Reynold Verret[]

C. Reynold Verret became Xavier University of Louisiana's sixth president during the summer of 2015, and was officially inaugurated in the university's Academic Convocation Center on 26 February 2016.

Academics[]

College of Arts and Sciences[]

Academic divisions[]

• Biological and Public Health Sciences
• Business
• Education and Counseling
• Fine Arts and Humanities
• Mathematical and Physical Sciences
• Social and Behavioral Sciences

College of Pharmacy[]

Academic divisions[]

• Division of Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Division of Clinical and Administrative Sciences

Pre-Med and biological science programs[]

More African-American alumni of Xavier consistently place into medical school and graduate with baccalaureate degrees in the physical sciences and biological sciences than African-American alumni of any other college or university in the United States.^[32][33] Xavier's College of Pharmacy is one of just two pharmacy schools in Louisiana.^[34] Xavier consistently ranks among the top three colleges in the nation in graduating African Americans with Pharm.D. degrees.^[35]

Dual degree engineering program[]

Xavier does not offer engineering degrees but belongs to partnerships with several engineering institutions that automatically admit qualified Xavier science students interested in pursuing a bachelor's in an engineering discipline. Students who successfully complete the program will receive a bachelor's degree from Xavier and the chosen engineering institution in approximately five years. Engineering institutions in partnership with Xavier are Tulane University, University of New Orleans, Southern University at Baton Rouge, Louisiana State University, University of Notre Dame, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, University of Detroit Mercy, Georgia Institute of Technology, and University of Wisconsin at Madison.^[36]

Campus life[]

SBS Sisters[]

The Blessed Sacrament Sisters remain a vital presence on campus, providing much-needed staffing and some financial assistance, but today Xavier is governed by a multicultural Board of Trustees.

Athletics[]

Xavier's athletics teams are nicknamed Gold Rush for men's teams and Gold Nuggets for women's teams. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), competing in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC). Men's sports include basketball, cross country, tennis, and track & field; women's sports include basketball, cross country, tennis, track & field, and volleyball.

Xavier's basketball and volleyball teams compete on campus in their new facility, the Xavier University Academic Convocation Center. The Convocation Center is a $25 million facility with a seating capacity of 4,500.

Student organizations[]

Media[]

Xavier Herald[]

The Xavier Herald, the university's student newspaper, has functioned since 1929 as an outlet of the student voice, especially during the Civil Rights Movement and thereafter. It was instrumental in the fight for more Black faculty—the university remains one of the few HBCUs with more White faculty than Black—and for the hiring of Dr. Francis as the university's first lay president, as most of the previous presidents were from the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, who—despite serving minority communities—are largely White.

Other media[]

The university currently houses a student radio station, YouTube channel, and a podcast.

Campus[]

Construction[]

Through the years, as needs dictated, the campus gradually expanded:

• Administration Building (1933)
• Old Library, now Music Department (1937)
• Gymnasium (1937)
• Saint Michael's Hall men's dorm (1955)
• Old Student Center (1962)
• Saint Joseph's Hall women's dorm (1965)
• House of Studies (1967)
• Saint Katharine Drexel Hall women's dorm (1969)
• College of Pharmacy (1970)
• Norman C. Francis Academic/Science Complex (1988)
• Xavier South office building purchased (1990)
• Library/Resource Center and College of Pharmacy Addition (1993)
• Peter Claver women's dorm (1994)
• Norman C. Francis Science Complex addition (1998)
• The Living Learning Center upperclassmen coed residence (1998)
• University Student Center (2003)
• St. Martin de Porres upperclassmen residence (2003)
• Qatar Pharmacy Pavilion (2010)
• Convocation Academic Center (2012)
• Saint Katharine Drexel Chapel (2012)
• Fitness Center (2015)

The campus of Xavier University of Louisiana is often referred to as "Emerald City" due to the various buildings on campus that have green roofs. These include the Library/Resource center, the Norman C. Francis science addition, the University Center, the Living Learning Center, the Saint Martin De Porres hall and the Katharine Drexel hall.

Notable alumni[]

In addition to former president, Norman C. Francis, distinguished alumni include:

Notable faculty and staff[]

• Arthur P. Bedou - Visiting Photographer; African-American photographer noted for being the personal photographer of Booker T. Washington.
• Regina Benjamin - MD, MBA, 18th Surgeon General of the United States.
• - Xavier Adjunct Professor of Pharmacy; New Orleans lawyer, and state representative from 1977 to 1984^[38]
• Dr. Joyce Hooper Corrington - Xavier Director of Research in Science and Associate Professor of Chemistry; American television and film writer including Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973), General Hospital, and One Life to Live.
• Dr. Norman C. Francis - Xavier President from 1968 to 2015. Also served as Dean of Men, and Vice-President of XULA prior to presidential appointment.
• Dr. Antoine Garibaldi - Xavier Professor and Chair of the Education Department, Dean of Arts and Sciences, and Vice President for Academic Affairs; first lay and first African-American President at University of Detroit Mercy’s, and sixth and first African-American President of Gannon University.^[39]
• Frank Hercules - Xavier Visiting Professor and Writer-in-Residence, English Dept.; author of "Where the Hummingbird Flies" (1961), "I Want a Black Doll" (1967), and "American Society and the Black Revolution" (1972).^[40]
• Bob Hopkins - Xavier Basketball Coach (1969–74); NBA Player for the Syracuse Nationals and Philadelphia Tapers; NBA Coach for the Seattle SuperSonics (1974–77) and New York Knicks (1978-79).
• Harold Hunter - Xavier Basketball Coach (1974–77); first African American to sign a contract with any National Basketball Association (NBA) team.^[41]
• Father Jerome LeDoux, S.V.D. - Xavier University Chaplin, Professor of Philosophy and Theology; African-American priest and author noted for his Afrocentric Catholic Masses, his ebullient style, and his writings.
• Ralph Metcalfe - Xavier Professor of Political Science and Track Coach; African-American track and field sprinter, 4-time Olympic medal recipient, and was regarded as the world's fastest human in 1934 and 1935
• Sister Mary Elise Sisson - Chairwoman of Xavier Music Department; founded Opera-South in Jackson, MS (encompassing Jackson State University, Utica State College, and Tougaloo College), and founded the National Opera Ebony in New York and Philadelphia.
• Pearl L. Stewart - Xavier Journalist-in-Residence; editor of the Oakland Tribune in 1992, the first African-American woman editor of a major metropolitan daily newspaper.^[42]
• Dr. Michael White - Xavier Professor of Spanish and African-American Music; world-famous Jazz clarinetist, bandleader, composer, jazz historian and musical educator.
• James Yestadt - Xavier Professor of Music; world-famous symphony conductor, previous resident conductor of the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra, Baton Rouge Orchestra, Louisiana Youth Orchestra, Mobile Symphony Orchestra, West Valley Symphony, and Zurich Radio Orchestra.^[43]

See also[]

• Gert Town
• St. Katharine Drexel

References[]

Further reading[]

• "Mother Katharine Drexel and the birth of Xavier University". The Times Picayune. 2017-12-20. - By a contributing writer

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Xavier University of Louisiana.

• Official website
• Official athletics website
• Official student media website