Dr. Norman C. Francis: an award-winning fixture at Xavier University

For nearly 40 years, Dr. Norman C. Francis has been the best and most effective prescription for New Orleans's Xavier University, and in the process, he has become the nation's longest-sitting university president. In a White House ceremony in December 2006, President Bush presented Francis with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civil honor in recognition of his remarkable career. "The United States honors Norman C. Francis for his leadership, compassion and commitment to education," the award reads.

That compassion, leadership and commitment were demonstrated in the early years of his education career when, during the Civil Rights Movement, he allowed Freedom Riders to live in a university dorm after their bus was attacked in Alabama. That level of concern is still evident. Lauded for his vital role in helping the Gulf Coast victims of Hurricane Katrina rebuild their lives, he chairs the Louisiana Recovery Authority, a job he accepted despite the loss of his okwn home and many possessions in Katrina. He is immediate past chair of the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation and has received 35 honorary degrees.

Beyond those responsibilities, Dr. Francis' prestigious national reputation includes serving in an advisory role to five presidential administrations--in addition to serving on 54 boards and commissions. He has also served as president of the American Association of Higher Education and the United Negro College Fund.

During his tenure as president of Xavier, the nation's only historically Black, Catholic university, the university has more than doubled its enrollment, broadened its curriculum, expanded its campus and strengthened its financial base. He is credited with being the catalyst for nearly every building constructed on the campus during the past 39 years.

Among the president's other major accomplishments have been the successful completion of Xavier's first two capital campaigns and the tripling of the university endowment to more than $54 million. Contributions from alumni have also increased dramatically, recently surpassing the $1 million mark.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, Xavier continues to rank first nationally in the number of African-American students earning undergraduate degrees in the biology and life sciences, chemistry, physics and pharmacy. In pre-medical education, the university is first in the nation in placing Black students into medical schools, where it has ranked for the past 1B years. The 77 percent acceptance rate of Xavier graduates by medical schools is almost twice the national average, and 92 percent of those who enter medical schools complete their degree programs.

The College of Pharmacy, one of only two pharmacy schools in Louisiana, is among the nation's top three producers of African-American Doctor of Pharmacy degree recipients. Nearly 25 percent of the more than 6,000 African-American pharmacists practicing in the United States were educated at Xavier. The New Orleans Times-Picayune lauded Francis in a recent editorial, saying, "It is the rare person who is wise, visionary, principled and dedicated to service. Xavier University President Norman Francis is that person ... Louisiana is blessed to have him as our own."

COPYRIGHT 2007 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning