Xavier University President Reynold Verret. (Greg LaRose/Louisiana Illuminator)
NEW ORLEANS –As the only university in the United States founded by a Catholic saint, Xavier University of Louisiana might be, in a literal sense, sacred. But to those who walk the grounds of the campus one century after its founding, its sanctity comes less from its founder and more from the service that its students and alumni do for one another and for their community.
“That other-centeredness, I think, is what is part of that sacredness,” President Reynold Verret said in an interview with the Illuminator. “Our students understand that none of what they learn in their major fields in classes … is of any ultimate significance because significance doesn’t come to fruition until we put it in service of someone else.”
The sacredness of the small private historically Black university in New Orleans — the nation’s only Catholic HBCU — came up repeatedly Friday in a ceremony kicking off its year-long centennial celebration.
“Nowhere else in the world do you get the level of love, respect and academic progress that you will get at Xavier University,” U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, D-New Orleans, a 1986 Xavier graduate, said during remarks at the ceremony.
The school was founded in 1925 as a university for Black New Orleanians by Sister Katharine Drexel, a nun who dedicated her life to founding and funding schools for Black and Native American students. In 2000, she was canonized by Pope John Paul II.
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One hundred years after Drexel established Xavier, her priority of service is motivating the university’s leaders to reach new heights.
The university has long been the top undergraduate program for Black male medical school students. Now Xavier is poised to launch the next HBCU medical school. It will enroll its first class of medical students in 2028, Verret said.
Among Verret’s other big plans for the university is a $500 million fundraising campaign, The university has already raised about one-third of its goal, a noteworthy accomplishment on its own when compared with the university’s modest $170 million endowment.
Those new funds could help more of the university’s students, who are primarily low-income and first generation, afford tuition, Verret said.
Xavier’s orientation toward social justice is increasingly unique among other universities in Louisiana and across the nation. The trend in higher education has been to turn away from diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) after a few years of interludes toward social justice goals in education.
Louisiana’s flagship university, LSU, made the decision to dismantle its DEI programs, getting ahead of a possible ban that state lawmakers are likely to consider this spring.
In light of this trend, Verret sees Xavier as an example for other universities.
“To use an old African proverb: ‘The caravan has moved on, but the dogs keep barking,’” he said.
The proverb refers to a scenario in which progress continues despite the criticism it attracts.
While Xavier is not a primarily research-focused university, the prospect of a medical school presents the school with an opportunity for progress in the field of medical research.
In the past few years, there has been a push for more equity in research from higher education leaders and racial justice advocates, and multiple HBCUs are competing to be the first to be recognized as a top research institution.
Howard University was the first HBCU designated as an Carnegie Classifications R1 institution, meaning it has very high levels of research activity, but lost the status in 2005. It is likely to regain that status this year.
Southern University in Baton Rouge is also aiming to up its research chops.
Verret said having researchers who are truly representative of the American population is important in setting a research agenda that serves the people.
“Having people in the room asking those questions is important,” Verret said. “The questions are as important as the answers.”
Xavier’s centennial celebrations will continue with lectures, exhibits and Catholic services planned throughout the year.
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