New Orleans’ HBCUs Find Hope - Xavier University

By Black College Wire and THE BLACK COLLEGIAN

Dr. Norman C. Francis, President, Xavier University of Louisiana

TBC: Xavier University has been embroiled in a bitter court battle with its insurance company over the policy the university had. What is the status of that court case?

Dr. Francis: The case is still in the courts. We sued on the basis of the difference between flood damage and wind. The definitions were, at best, ambiguous. The judge ruled that their definition of flood damage did not match what happened in New Orleans. The federal appeals judge in Texas overruled the judges in New Orleans. We are still in federal and district court. The matter has not been fully adjudicated.

TBC: What changes have students had to make in coming back to Xavier?

Dr. Francis: Every effort was made, from the beginning of the Xavier campus recovery effort, to make sure that stu- dents returned to as “normal” a situation as possible. All of our buildings have been repaired, and classes have been held on our campus since we reopened in January 2006.

TBC: How have parents responded to the changes?

Dr. Francis: Our parents have demonstrated their faith in our recovery, and in our ability to deliver the same excellent education as we always have, by allowing their sons and daughters to return to our campus and complete their Xavier education. Despite any reservations about New Orleans’ overall recovery, they obviously believe in us.

TBC: What is your administration doing to support students?

Dr. Francis: We have been blessed to have returned to our campus soon after Katrina hit, and we have had two full academic years between January and July. We are very much back on schedule and alive. But the challenges that we had pre-Katrina are challenges that have exacerbated. Eighty-five percent of our students need financial aid and we are working on that. Our time has been spent trying to find student loans. A great deal of our effort has been spent on finding financial aid to support students whose families have had losses, whose parents have lost jobs, and so on.

TBC: What changes have been made to accommodate Xavier students in terms of dorms and classrooms?

Dr. Francis: There have been no changes made necessary to accommodate students at Xavier. Our classrooms and laboratories have been restored since January 2006 and we actually have a surplus of dormitory suites available for Xavier students as our enrollment continues to grow back to pre-Katrina levels.

TBC: Have any programs been altered, cut or eliminated?

Dr. Francis: No, no academic programs have been altered, reduced or eliminated. Meanwhile, our intercollegiate athletics programs returned last year after a one-year hiatus.

TBC: Has Katrina adversely affected your enrollment?

Dr. Francis: Enrollment is roughly 75 percent of where it was before Katrina, but the increase in our freshman class this year — 650 students versus last year, which was 450 students, is reason for encouragement and optimism.

TBC: What is planned for the campus in the future?

Dr. Francis: Prior to Katrina we started a strategic master plan with two architects, which has now been completed. The strategic plan has been brought to the community and will be brought to our Board of Directors. We planned a new chapel, as well as the expansion of our College of Pharmacy — we have the only College of Pharmacy in New Orleans. The enrollment has been steady and growing. We get 10 applications for every 1 seat in the College of Pharmacy out of 150 spots. Because of that demand, we are expanding. There is a canal that runs in front of the university that breached. We are working to get a government grant to build a bridge over the canal because we own property on either side.

TBC: What are your views on how the university has been impacted overall?

Dr. Francis: We have struggled to tell the story that New Orleans is back and Xavier University is back. We are back and we are better than ever.

TBC: What do you want the world to know about Xavier University?

Dr. Francis: That is a very good question and one that is very timely. One, we are back. I look at it as a hurdles race. Prior to Katrina, we were at our lowest enrollment. Now, we have been named by Kaplan as one of the hottest colleges. We are still the number one producer of African Americans going to medical school. I don’t want to make the picture so rosy that it masks the fact that it took a tremendous effort to get back to where we are and to get financial assistance to students for the losses of their families, but we have been fortunate. We reached the 8th hurdle and got clipped and fell, but we are back up now. We’re back in stride.

Article Continues

Interview: Dr. Marvalene Hughes, President, Dillard University

Interview: Dr. Victor Ukpolo, Chancellor, Southern University at New Orleans

This feature is the third in a series of collaborative projects between THE BLACK COLLEGIAN and Black College Wire featuring student journalists’ coverage of Hurricane Katrina and its after-effects. For additional articles and photos, see the extended feature and archived editions online at http://www.black-collegian. com. Photos of Xavier campus by Irving Johnson III, courtesy of Xavier University News Bureau.