XU Names Loren Blanchard Senior VP for Academic Affairs
New Orleans, LA - Dr. Loren Blanchard has been named the new Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Xavier University of Louisiana, effective July 1st. The announcement was made during the University's 81st Commencement exercises
held on Saturday, May 10 at the Kiefer/UNO Lakefront Arena.
Blanchard currently serves as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic & Multicultural Affairs at the LSU Health Science Center in New Orleans, where he was responsible for serving as an advocate for the academic and research development
and success of students and faculty, developing strategic diversity initiatives and providing leadership in the development of programs that enhance and illuminate intercultural understanding.
He has also served as Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Louisiana System (ULS) in Baton Rouge, where he provided coordination among eight regional universities in achieving their academic
and research goals. Blanchard also served as Vice President for Accreditation, Leadership and Accountability for ULS; and Accreditation Specialist with the Louisiana Department of Education.
Blanchard previously served as Chair and Associate Professor in Xavier’s Division of Education and as Xavier’s Coordinator for National Accreditation through the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
“Dr. Blanchard brings a wealth of experience in academic administration to the University,” said Xavier University President, Dr. Norman C. Francis. “He will be a major addition to Xavier’s academic services at this crucial time in higher education.”
Meanwhile, the incoming head of the University of Louisiana System -- Dr. Sally Clausen -- says of her former ULS colleague: "Xavier has made an excellent choice in selecting Loren Blanchard for this position. He is an energetic, visionary hard working professional, and the students will reap the benefits for a long time."
A sought after national expert in accreditation planning and implementation, he led the effort to seal the state of Louisiana’s partnership with NCATE. Blanchard’s specialty is assessment where he has been recognized for co-developing a comprehensive web-based assessment tool known as PASS-PORT (Professional
Accountability Support System using a Portal Approach) that has been successfully used by nearly every college and university in Louisiana. PASS-PORT is now a nationally marketed software. Blanchard is also a Millennium Leadership Fellow with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.
Dr. Blanchard’s research includes minority male populations, national accreditation preparation for HBCU teacher education programs, as well as competence studies in children and families of gifted and talented minority students. Most recently, Blanchard co-edited a book entitled, Paper-Thin/Soul-Deep: A Collection
of Personal Letters and Journal Entries of African American Men. This book has received positive reviews as a rarity of its kind that showcases the personal writings of Black men.
Blanchard holds a B.S. degree in Speech Pathology Education from Xavier University, a M.Ed. degree in Educational Administration & Supervision from McNeese State University, and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Georgia. Dr. Blanchard’s teaching focus includes Educational and Adolescent Psychology as well as Research and Statistics at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
He replaces Dr. Elizabeth Anne Barron who will retire in June 2008.
Three Xavier Students Selected for American Pavilion Program
New Orleans, LA - Three Xavier students – Jacqueline Brogdon, Christian Mitchell and Darren Wallace – will be traveling to the world-renowned Cannes Film Festival in southern France this May 10-26 as participants in The American Pavilion’s Worldwide Student and International Business Programs.
Brogdon, a freshman mass communications major from Los Angeles CA (Hollywood High), Mitchell, a junior English major from Indianapolis IN (Bishop Chatard) and Wallace, a junior business/marketing major from Baton Rouge LA (Baton Rouge High), were among 140 college students nationwide selected to participate in the unique and highly competitive worldwide student work-study program which provides an exciting educational experience, offering insight about the entertainment industry to aspiring actors, filmmakers, journalists and individuals studying the overall business of film.
The International Business Program is open to business students with a serious interest in entertainment, offering an opportunity to experience the inner workings of the film business as an intern with an entertainment company at the festival.
For the past twenty years, The American Pavilion has offered film students the chance to participate in its programs that take place at the Cannes Film Festival. Brogdon and Wallace will stay in Cannes for the duration of the Festival (May 14- 25, the Program itself runs from May 10- 26), completing a work placement and participating in educational workshops, seminars, pitch sessions, roundtable discussions and screenings.
Prior to the start of the Festival, they will participate in a four-day Festival orientation and tour of Cannes. Once the Festival begins, students start their six-hour-per-day work placements with The American Pavilion (which can include the restaurant, bar, coffee bar, conference center and business center), one of their sponsors, or with other companies doing business at the Festival. All students have the opportunity to meet and interact with industry professionals, observing firsthand the fast-paced nature of the Festival and Market.
Tavis Smiley to Address XU graduates at Commencement May 10
New Orleans, LA - Broadcaster, author, advocate and philanthropist Tavis Smiley
will be the keynote speaker when Xavier University of Louisiana holds its 81st annual commencement Saturday May 10, at 10:00 a.m. at the Lakefront Arena.
Xavier’s Baccalaureate ceremony will be held on the campus on Friday May 9 at 7:00 pm. in the Gym.
Smiley, one of America’s most celebrated and respected media personalities, is expected to address close to 600 graduates and their families at the graduation ceremony.
Smiley, who Newsweek magazine profiled as one of the “20 people Changing How Americans Get Their News,” hosts a late night television talk show on PBS that reaches 92 percent of U.S. households and is seen in 187 countries through American Forces Network. The Tavis Smiley Show for Public Radio International reaches 800,000 listeners each weekend. He is the first American ever to simultaneously host signature talk shows on both public television and radio.
Smiley has had two of his books, Covenant with Black America and the Covenant In Action, make the New York Times Best Sellers List. The stated mission of his nonprofit organization Tavis Smiley Foundation is to enlighten, encourage and
empower Black youth.
Smiley recently hosted his annual symposium, State of the Black Union in New Orleans. The event features America’s premier thought leaders and engages thousands of attendees and over 100 million viewers worldwide.
His website, Tavistalks.com generates more than 246,000 hits daily.
This will be the second Xavier University commencement that Smiley has
participated in. He received an honorary degree from the University in 2004.
Rovaris Selected as ACE Fellow
New Orleans, LA - Dr. Dereck J. Rovaris, director of graduate placement at
Xavier University of Louisiana, has been named an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow.
Thirty-six Fellows, nominated by the presidents or chancellors of their institutions, were selected this year in a national competition. The ACE Fellows Program, established in 1965, is designed to strengthen institutions and leadership in
American higher education by identifying and preparing promising senior faculty and administrators for responsible positioning in college and university administration.
Sharon A. McDade, Ed. D., director of the ACE Fellows Program, noted that most previous Fellows have advanced into major positions in academic administration. Of the more than 1,500 participants in the first 43 years of the program, more than 300 have become chief executive offices and more than 1,100 have become provosts, vice presidents, or deans.
“We’re extremely pleased with the incoming class,” McDade said. “The individuals selected have demonstrated strong leadership. The Fellows Program will sharpen and enhance their leadership skills and their network, and prepare them to address issues of concern to the higher education community.”
Dr. Rovaris, who also directs two nationally recognized student enrichment programs, Xavier’s McNair Post baccalaureate achievement program and is
SuperScholars/EXCEL program. He received a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Kansas, a master of arts from Xavier University of Louisiana and a doctorate from University of Illinois, at Urbana-Champaign.
He has authored several articles on graduate school placement as well as chapters in several publications about Benjamin Mays. He has served as an educational
consultant, conducted workshops, given presentations, and been a featured speaker on the local, national, and international level. In 2005, his first book Mays and Morehouse was re-released.
He has received several awards including the Data News Weekly Trailblazer Award (1998) and the Order of St. Louis Medal - the highest service award from the
Archdiocese of Greater New Orleans. In 1995 New Orleans Magazine selected him as one of "Fifty People to Watch
“I consider this a tremendous opportunity and I’m looking forward to the experience,” said Rovaris.
Each ACE Fellow will focus on an issue of concern to the nominating institution while spending the next academic year working with a college of university president and
other senior officers at a host institution. The ACE Fellows Program combines seminars, interactive learning opportunities, campus visits and placement at another higher education institution to condense years of on-the-job experience and
skills development into a single semester or year. The Fellows are included in the highest level of decision making while participating in administrative activities and learning about an issue to benefit their home schools.
Fellows attend three week-long seminars on higher education issues organized by ACE, read extensively in the field and engage in other activities to enhance their knowledge about the challenge and opportunities confronting higher education today.
Founded in 1918 ACE is the major coordinating body for all the nation’s higher education institutions, representing more than 1,600 college and university presidents, and more than 200 related associations, nationwide. It seeks to provide
leadership and a unifying voice on key higher education issues and influence public policy through advocacy, research and program initiatives.
Two XU Students Named Kemper Scholars
New Orleans, LA. - Two Xavier University of Louisiana freshmen – Andrea Hodge, an art/biology major from Leslie MI (Okemos High), and David Salmon, a history major from Shorewood WI (Shorewood High) – have been selected for the prestigious Kemper Scholars Program’s Class of 2011.
The scholarship-mentorship program, designed to prepare students for leadership and service, promotes education in the liberal arts while providing opportunities for career exploration and practical experience through internships. The program has sponsored by the James S. Kemper Foundation of Chicago IL since 1948.
Kemper Scholars receive annual scholarships of $3,000 to $8,000 – based on need – for three years, as well as $6,500 stipends while serving internships at major nonprofit organizations in Chicago and at for-profit organizations of their choice anywhere in the world in the summer following their sophomore and junior years, respectively.
During the Chicago summer, scholars live in the same apartment residence hall and are placed in full-time administrative positions where they can learn about financial management, organizational strategy, fund-raising, and organizational administration.
“Kemper Scholars represent academically superior, community spirited, committed, and well-rounded undergraduates from a pre-selected group of fifteen superior liberal arts colleges around the country,” said Dr. Ryan LaHurd, president and executive director of the James S. Kemper Foundation.
XU Jazz Ensemble Performs Works by Thad Jones April 17
New Orleans, LA - The Xavier University of Louisiana Jazz Ensemble will perform
in concert, Thursday, April 17 at 7:00 p.m. in the Music Building Recital Hall. The concert is free and open to the public.
The ensemble will feature compositions written by noted jazz composer/musician Thad Jones exclusively for the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra.
The concert performance is free and open to the public. For further information, please contact the Department of Music at (504)520-7597 or Dr. Timothy R. Turner at (504) 520-6738.
Power, Passion, Purity, & Pain is XU Opera Workshop Theme
New Orleans, LA - Power, Passion, Purity, and Pain is the theme for the Xavier University of Louisiana Opera Workshop under the direction of Dr. Valerie Anne Jones Francis.
Xavier music students will perform scenes from works including Don Giovanni, Showboat, The Mikado, Le Nozze di Figaro, Treemonisha, Die Zauberflöte, Cosi Fan Tutte, The Consul, Porgy and Bess. Xavier artist-in-residence Dr. Wilfred Delphin will accompany on piano, Lula Elzy is the choreographer.
The free performances are Tuesday-Wednesday (April 22-23) at 7:00 p.m. in the Xavier Music Recital Hall. For more information contact the Xavier Music Department 504-520-7597.
XU to Welcome National Center for Black Music Research Conference
New Orleans, LA - Xavier University of Louisiana will host the National Center for Black Music Research’s (CBMR) serial conference on “Black Music Diaspora” April 18-19 on the Xavier campus.
XU professor and jazz musician and historian, Dr. Michael White ‘76 will give the keynote address, while other XU music faculty and students will perform at “A Celebration of New Orleans Classical and Jazz Traditions in Music.”
Other local presenters include Gwendolyn Midlo Hall of Southern University, Felipe Smith of Tulane University, Bruce Raeburn and Jason Berry of Tulane University who will serve as moderators, while Nick Spitzer, folklorist at the University of New Orleans, and Helen Regis of LSU are among the panelists.
The conference will feature commissioned papers on aspects of the importance of New Orleans as a diasporal center for black music in the U.S., the Caribbean, and Europe.
The CBMR is located at Columbia College in Chicago. The conference is the New Orleans component of a series of conferences that will address the black music diaspora. Additional conferences will be held in Italy and Puerto Rico.
Registration is required. For more info on the conference visit the website at http://colum.edu/cbmr.
College of Pharmacy Hosts 2nd Annual Health Disparities Conference
New Orleans, LA – According to the US Bureau of Census, by 2050, one in two Americans will be a member of a racial or ethnic minority group and at high-risk for missing the benefits of health care. Solutions for eliminating barriers to treatment, new research, and diagnostic methods in primary care are needed to address the needs of these high-risk populations.
Xavier University of Louisiana College of Pharmacy’s Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education announces the convening of its Second Annual Health Disparities Conference to address health disparities, healthcare outcomes measurement, and showcase the significance of mid-level providers.
Titled Improving Medical Effectiveness to Eliminate Health Disparities through Multidisciplinary Collaborations, the conference will take place April 10-12, 2008. It has been designed to attract the nation’s leading pharmacists, nurses, physicians, dieticians, public health officials, public health professionals and patient advocates representing academic institutions, corporate and community pharmacies and health
centers, and federal, state, and local governments. Dr. Norman C. Francis, President of Xavier University, believes that “this conference will help to identify some concerns about health disparities and provide measures that may be incorporated in
other private and public health related programs and communities.”
The conference will open with greetings from Dr. M. Rony Francois, the newly appointed Assistant Secretary for Public Health, Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, followed by a keynote and a special lecture addressing “Health Disparities:
Reducing the Inequity in the Burden of Disease through Health Policy and Leadership – Two Perspectives”. Lectures for this session will be given by Jonh O. Agwunobi, MD, MBA, MPH – Senior Vice President and President of Professional Services Division, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., and Rodney C. Armstead, MD – Chief Executive Officer Arizona Physicians IPA, United Health Group. Of the keynotes, Kathleen B. Kennedy, PharmD – Associate Dean, College of Pharmacy and Director, Center for
Minority Health and Health Disparities, Research and Education at Xavier – states they “will address a broad range of topics including both socioeconomic and political factors that impact our ability to reduce disparities in health care.”
As the highlight of the event, the XU College of Pharmacy will host a community forum on the evening of April 11th. This forum titled “Here’s to Your Health: A Town Hall Meeting to Provide Information on Improving Your Health,”
is open to the public and interested healthcare consumers. Sybil M. Richard, Deputy Secretary for the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, and a 1991 Xavier
pharmacy graduate, will share information on “Making Health a Priority to Improve Life and Save Lives.”
To compliment this forum, there will also be several general sessions covering such topics as “Health Disparities: Strategies to Measure Outcomes,” “Health Disparities in Disease Outcomes: Models of Public/Private Partnerships,” and “The Complexities
of Health Disparities: Networks as Agents of Change.” Break Out Sessions will address “Health Disparities: Strategies to Measure Outcomes,” “Cultural Competency and Health Literacy to Improve Outcomes,” “Population-Based Intervention Strategies in Ethnic Minority Populations: Multidisciplinary Approaches,” and
“Community- and Evidence-Based Models to Eliminate Health Disparities,” “Population-Based Intervention Strategies in Ethnic Minority Populations: Multidisciplinary Approaches.”
This program also includes, Dexter W. Shurney, MD, MBA, MPH – Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Healthways, Inc. who will provide a luncheon keynote address on the topic “Utilizing Case Management to Improve Outcomes.” The Luncheon will also include a Call to Action from John Ruffin, PhD – Director, National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities.
Pre-conference activities will begin on April 10th with a poster session and reception. This session will allow presenters from across the country, representing various health, governmental, and academic organizations, the opportunity to share their work and findings with colleagues, while fostering an atmosphere for potential collaboration development.
Even though the US Department of Health and Human Services in 2001 reported that Americans are healthier today than 25 years ago – with longer life expectancy, better infant survival, fewer smokers, less hypertension, and lower cholesterol levels – improving the nation’s health remains a priority for healthcare professionals seeking equitable health care for all populations.
For more information regarding the conference, please visit the website
at http://xula08.the1joshuagroup.com or call (404) 559-6191.
Local Businesses Partner with XU to Recognize Area Teachers
New Orleans LA - The 2008-09 school year is being recognized as the “Year of the Teacher” in the Greater New Orleans Area. Xavier University of Louisiana and three local businesses have partnered to dedicate the next school year in honor of teachers.
“We’re recognizing the extraordinary effort and dedication put forth by teachers of the Greater New Orleans Area,” said Dr. Norman Francis, president of Xavier University, adding that "This is only a first step, and we will be announcing other initiatives in coming months."
“It’s great to have an opportunity to publicly recognize our teachers for all the good work they’re doing,” said Dr. Judith Miranti, director of the Division of Education at Xavier.
The campaign is designed to show appreciation for K–12 educators and to highlight the critical role they play in the development of a community.
“Being a teacher is the toughest job in America. Today, teachers are challenged, not only with providing education in the traditional sense, but also with building character and instilling values. It is time we show our appreciation”, says Fred Parker, General Manager of New South Parking – one of three collaborating businesses behind the campaign. He is joined by Ronnie Slone, President of The Slone Group and Cliff Robinson, President of GNO Communications.
The awareness campaign kicks off this month with the installation of three new billboards around the metropolitan area, conveying a simple message: "Thank You, Teachers ... The Wind Beneath Our Wings." The billboards are already installed along Interstate-10 eastbound near the French Quarter in New Orleans, also the Airport Service Road in Kenner, plus Airline Drive two blocks East of Causeway Boulevard.
Teachers, businesses and organizations are encouraged to log on to the website for information on how to join in this year’s celebration. Teachers who log in will be entered in a drawing to win prizes.
Additional activities are planned and details will be available throughout the summer and fall and will be announced via the web site.
One of the first events scheduled is the Year of the Teacher Kick-off Dinner Reception at the Pontchartrain Center on April 23, 2008, from 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. Teachers of the Greater New Orleans area (inclusive of surrounding parishes) are invited to this free event. For more information log on to the website or call 504-471-0555.
This is the second time these three companies have come together to recognize education and educational institutions as key building blocks of a community.
In November of 2006, New South Parking/EZ Parker, The Slone Group and GNO Communications united to provide a forum on the impact of higher education institutions on the recovery and growth of a community. Presidents and representatives of all of the local universities participated in a three-hour ‘Higher Education as a Catalyst in Recovery’ (post-Katrina) dialogue. At that event, held at the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner, LA, the universities were presented with the first “Building Blocks of a Community” award.
Dumas, Cleaves Earn Honorable Mention on NAIA All-America BB Team
New Orleans, LA – Xavier University of Louisiana Gold Rush point guard Shaun Dumas and Gold Nugget guard Jarryn Cleaves have earned honorable mentions on the NAIA Division I Men's and Women’s Basketball All-America teams, respectively.
Dumas, a 5-foot-11 junior from New Orleans, averaged 10.5 points, three rebounds, and 4.6 assists this season. He helped the Gold Rush go 24-10 and qualify for the NAIA national tournament for a school-record fourth consecutive time.
Cleaves, a 5-foot-8 senior from Memphis TN, averaged 14.3 points and 4.6 rebounds this season. She lead the Gold Nuggets to a 27-7 record, the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament title and a school-record seventh consecutive bid to the NAIA national tournament.
Cleaves, a pharmacy major, is Xavier's career leader in games played (136), 3-point field goals (283), 3-point field-goal percentage (.357) and 3-point field-goal attempts (793).
Reese Named Alumni Director at XU
New Orleans, LA - Kimberly Reese has joined Xavier University of Louisiana’s Institutional Advancement Division as the Director of Alumni Relations.
“Xavier University is fortunate to have Kim Reese as its new Director of Alumni Relations,” said Dr. Kenneth St. Charles, vice-president for Institutional Advancement. “Ms. Reese’s student leadership background combined with her passion and devotion to the Xavier family will greatly support the efforts of our dedicated alumni both locally and across the nation. Her appointment is coming at a critical time in the University’s history and I am sure our alumni will be pleased with both her leadership and her new ideas.”
Before joining IA Reese, a 1995 Xavier graduate, was the Assistant Dean for Student Programs in Xavier’s Student Affairs Division. She was responsible for the Center for
Student Leadership and Service, which coordinates the American Humanics/Nonprofit Management Certification Program, New Student Orientation, Service-Learning, and the Volunteer Services and Leadership Programs.
In her student affairs position, Reese co-authored the HBCU Service-Learning Consortium of Louisiana Learn and Serve Proposal that was funded for $1.2 million.
She has also served as the point person of Campus Compact’s indicators of Engagement Project in which Xavier was named as a national model of Civic and
Community Engagement.
Reese is currently a member of Women of the Storm, the Gert Town Revival Board and the Historic 7th Ward Neighborhood Improvement Association, and is a volunteer with a local high school football booster club.
In addition to a bachelor of arts from Xavier, she holds a masters degree from the University of New Orleans and is currently enrolled in the Ph.D. program there.
Gold Rush to Meet California Baptist at NAIA National Tourney
New Orleans, LA - After two outstanding showings against top-four seeds in its most recent opening rounds of the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship, Xavier University of Louisiana drew a lower-seeded team when the pairings were announced Wednesday.
The Gold Rush (24-9) will play 10th-seeded California Baptist (23-8) at 9:45 p.m. next Thursday (March 20) at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. It will be the last of 16 first-round games played over two days.
Xavier will appear in the national tourney for a fourth consecutive time, which extends a school record. The streak does not include 2006, when Xavier suspended athletics in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
The Rush lost 81-79 to fourth-seeded Robert Morris (Chicago), an eventual semifinalist, in the 2005 first round and upset third-seeded Georgetown (Ky.) 82-79 in 2007 -- Xavier's first victory at nationals since 1973.
Xavier, the preseason pick to win the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, finished third in the regular season and lost 80-76 Monday at fourth-ranked LSU-Shreveport in the GCAC Tournament final. But by joining LSUS in the final, the Rush clinched the GCAC's second automatic bid to the tournament. LSUS earned the first berth by winning the regular-season title, and a third GCAC team -- No. 16 Mobile -- received an at-large bid.
LSUS (30-2), seeded fourth in Kansas City, will play Science and Arts (17-15) at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday. Mobile (22-9) will play 16th-seeded Trevecca Nazarene (24-8) at 6:15 p.m. Wednesday.
California Baptist, No. 13 in the final coaches poll, won 15 of its first 16 games this season before tying for third in the Golden State Athletic Conference and finishing second in its conference tournament. The Lancers will make their fourth consecutive appearance in the national tournament, and they're one of four GSAC teams to qualify this season.
The championship game will tip off at 8:30 p.m. on March 25. Oklahoma City beat Concordia (Calif.) 79-71 in the 2007 final, and both schools qualified for this year's tourney.
Gold Nuggets to Meet Defending National Champion
New Orleans, LA - The Xavier University of Louisiana women's basketball team won a pair of notable one-point road decisions this season. One was Nov. 16 at NCAA Division I member Northwestern State, and the other was Tuesday at Loyola in the championship game of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament.
The Gold Nuggets' first-round pairing against Lambuth in the NAIA Division I National Championship at Jackson, Tenn., figures to be a challenging road game, too.
Although Oman Arena, the tournament site since 1990, isn't Lambuth's home court, it's less than a mile from the campus. And Lambuth's Lady Eagles were the 2007 NAIA champion.
Xavier (27-6) will play Lambuth (23-9) in the opening round next Thursday (March 20) at 5:45 p.m. All the pairings for the 32-team event were announced Wednesday.
The Nuggets will enter the Lambuth game with confidence, having won five in row and 10 of their past 11 games. They ended a three-game losing streak at Loyola and snapped the Wolfpack's 27-game home winning streak against GCAC opponents with a 65-64 Tuesday decision which denied Loyola a second consecutive championship.
Freshman Shayla Boyd rallied the Nuggets from a five-point deficit against Loyola in the final 75 seconds. She scored the final six points on 3-of-3 shooting, and her basket with seven-tenths of a second remaining gave Xavier the victory and its first lead in more than 17 minutes.
Lambuth survived a 1-4 start this season and closed by winning 14 of its final 16 games.
Xavier was three Tennesseeans on its roster, most notably Memphis resident Jarryn Cleaves. The four-time All-GCAC guard averaged 23.5 points in the final two rounds of the GCAC Tournament, and her 22 points against Loyola moved her into fifth place on the Nuggets' career scoring list with 1,731. In fourth place is Antasha Jones (1993-97) with 1,799 points.
Xavier tied for 24th in the final coaches poll, and Lambuth was 11th. Each quadrant of the 32-team event is seeded 1-8, and the Nuggets are No. 6 for the second consecutive year. Lambuth is a No. 3 seed.
Xavier will set a school record with its seventh consecutive appearance at nationals, and 13 of Xavier's past 14 teams have qualified. The streaks do not include 2006, when Xavier suspended athletics in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
The Nuggets seek their first victory at nationals since 2003, when they eliminated another Tennessee school, Trevecca Nazarene, 64-55.. Xavier leads its series with Lambuth 3-2, but the most recent meeting was a 90-63 Lady Eagles victory in the first round of nationals in 2001.
The GCAC's other qualifier for nationals, Loyola, will play Westminster (Utah) in the first round at 12:30 p.m. next Thursday.
Mid West Music Tour 2008 March 26-April 1
New Orleans, LA - The Xavier University of Louisiana Department of Music ensembles will perform in concert for the Spring 2008 Mid-West Tour March 26 through April 1.
Xavier’s concert choirs and instrumental ensembles will Give performances in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Tennessee.
Scheduled concerts include Thursday, March 27, at St. Monica/St. Luke Catholic Church, in Gary IN at 7:00 p.m.; Friday, March 28, at Church of Faith International in Kansas City, MO; Saturday, March 29, at St. Peter Claver Catholic Church in Minneapolis MN at 6:30 p.m.; Sunday, March 30, at St. Mark United Methodist Church, in Chicago IL. at 3:00 p.m.; Monday, March 31, at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Carbondale, IL at 7:00 p.m.; and on Tuesday, April 1, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Germantown TN.
The Xavier performance groups include the Xavier University Concert Choir, under the direction of Dr. John E. Ware, the University Chorus, under the direction of Dr. Malcolm Breda, and the Jazz Lab Band and Symphonic Band, under the direction of Dr. Tim Turner. Xavier’s artist-in-residence, Dr. Wilfred Delphin will also perform. Dr. Delphin is a former professor of music at Southern Illinois University, and performed throughout the world as part of the piano duo Delphin and Romain.
The Xavier music department is an integral part of university life on the New Orleans campus. The choirs and instrumental ensembles perform at University convocations and special events. Recitals, concerts and opera productions are held each semester.
Xavier’s Concert Choir has performed in Rome at the Canonization of Xavier’s founder, St. Katharine Drexel. The group has also performed with the Louisiana
Philharmonic, the New Orleans Black Chorale and other groups.
A CD recording of the University Chorus and Concert Choir commissioned by the Sister of the Blessed Sacrament to commemorate the canonization, contains
chorale performances of spirituals, classical choral literature, and contemporary gospel, as well as new compositions by Drs. Breda and Ware.
For more info on the Mid-West Tour or the Department of Music visit the XU website.
Nuggets Reach GCAC Tournament Championship Game Again
New Orleans, LA - Jarryn Cleaves hit her first five shots and scored a season-high 25 points Saturday to lead NAIA No. 24 Xavier University of Louisiana to a 74-72 women's basketball victory over Mobile in the semifinals of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament at The Barn.
The Gold Nuggets (26-6) advanced to the GCAC final for the 16th time, which extends their league record, and for the second straight year they'll travel to Loyola for the championship game. Tip-off will be 7 p.m. Tuesday at The Den. Regardless of Tuesday's outcome, Xavier clinched the GCAC's second automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament by beating Mobile. Loyola earned the first bid by winning the regular-season championship, and the Wolfpack's qualifying for Tuesday's final assures that the second bid goes to the other finalist.
Xavier extended its winning streak at The Barn to 19 games and set a school record by qualifying for the NAIA tourney a seventh consecutive time.
Cleaves, a four-time All-GCAC guard, surpassed 20 points for the fourth time in seven games and raised her career total to 1,709. She also led Xavier with three assists and four steals.
XU Summer Science Programs Accepting Applications
New Orleans, LA - Xavier University of Louisiana's Summer Science Academy is now accepting applications for its pre-college summer programs.
All programs will be held on the University's campus from 1:00 to 5:00 pm, Monday-Friday. The program cost is determined by the participant's grade point average. Partial scholarships are available for all programs.
MathStar (June 9-20) Deadline to apply: June 2
BioStar (June 11-July 1) Deadline to apply: June 4
ChemStar (July 7-July 25) Deadline to apply: June 30
SOAR1 (June 30-July 25) Deadline to apply: June 2
MathStar is designed for students who will be taking their first algebra course next fall; BioStar is for students who will be taking their first biology course next fall; ChemStar is for students who will be taking their first chemistry course next fall; and SOAR-1 is for students who will be seniors next fall.
Xavier University of Louisiana, the nation’s only historically Back and Catholic University, is known for its success in placing African American students in Medical and professional schools. Xavier ranks first annually in the number of African American students earning undergraduate degrees in the biological/life sciences and physical sciences; in awarding bachelor of science degrees in physics to African Americans; and is among the nation’s top three producers of African American Doctor of Pharmacy degree recipients each year. In addition Xavier has a strong
liberal arts curriculum.
For more information contact the Summer Science Academy at (504) 520-5418 or xusummerscience@yahoo.com or visit the Xavier website at http://www.xula.edu/premed.
Xavier Hosts AMHPS Symposium on Science Careers March 19-21
New Orleans, La. - Xavier University of Louisiana is the host for the Association of Minority Health Professions Schools, Inc. (www.minorityhealth.org) 22nd Annual Symposium on Career Opportunities in Biomedical Sciences and Health Professions.
An expected 600 high school and college students from across the country will converge in New Orleans, LA from March 19-21, 2008, to learn from and engage with national and international leading scientists, physicians, researchers, government representatives and distinguished professors.
The Symposium will also host a free Health Profession & Career Development Fair
for local New Orleans high school and undergraduate students. The Fair will be held at the Riverside Hilton in Ballrooms C&D on March 21, 9:00 a.m. to noon. Students are invited to come out and learn about exciting career opportunities, summer
internships, and options for college in biomedical science and health professions. Registration is requested.
“Eliminating Health Disparities Through Enhanced Career Opportunities is the theme for the Symposium. Scheduled speakers include author Stedman Graham, astronaut Bernard Harris, and inspirational speaker Walter Bond.
In addition to Xavier other institutions to be represented at the career fair include Morehouse School of Medicine, Meharry School of Medicine, Drew School of
Medicine, Howard Schools of Dentistry, Allied Health and Nursing, Xavier University College of Pharmacy, Tuskegee Veterinary Medicine and FAMU College of Pharmacy
To register for the Career Fair visit: http://newsite.xula.edu/cop or call Coti Sterling-Gayles at the Xavier University College of Pharmacy 504-520-5398.
Xavier Music Department Presents Guest Artists
New Orleans, LA - The Xavier University Department of Music is pleased to announce the performances of three distinguished guest artists.
On Monday, Monday 10 at 7:00, Dr. Michaels Buckles and his wife Boriana Buckles will present a recital of music for violin and piano. Dr. Buckles is a former member of the New Orleans Philharmonic. He taught at both Xavier and Dillard Universities before joining the faculty of McNeese State University where he holds the J.P. Morgan Chase endowed chair in music.
On Tuesday, March 11 at 7:00, David Dillard, baritone, will present a recital of art songs and operatic duets. He will be joined in the performance by Xavier faculty members, Dr. Valerie Jones Francis, soprano and artist-in-residence,Dr.Wilfred Delphin, piano. Dr. Dillard has sung with distinguished opera companies throughout the United States. He is also a passionate exponent of lieder and has studied this literature at the Franz Schubert Institut in Vienna with legendary soprano, Elly Ameling and reknowned professors, Helmut Deutsch and Wolfgang Holzmair. He is currently on the faculty of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois.
On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, March 10/11/12 Richard Best, former member of the Metropolitan Opera Company will present a series of masterclasses. Richard Best has sung with the leading opera houses here in the United States and Europe. He is widely known as a teacher and adjudicator. He is a regular member of the voice faculty of the American Institute of Music in Graz, Austria. He is frequently called on to judge the Metropolitan regional auditions and well as the annual NATS competition. The classes will take place 2:00 to 4:00 Monday afternoon; 10:00 to 12:00 Tuesday morning and 10:00 to 12:00 on Wednesday morning.
For more details on each of the above, please call the music department 520-7597.
Pharmacy Center to Host Regional Health Disparities Conference
New Orleans, LA - The Xavier University of Louisiana College of Pharmacy’s Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education (CMHDRE) will host the second annual regional conference on health disparities April 10-12 at the Westin New Orleans Canal Place.
The symposium, “Improving Medical Effectiveness and Health Outcomes to Eliminate Health Disparities through Multidisciplinary Collaborations,” is a comprehensive educational and informational forum of workshops and general sessions related to increasing scientific, clinical, and research knowledge about health disparities and healthy behaviors.
It is designed for health professionals who manage patients with chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases as well as health educators, health policy makers and researchers. It is supported in part by the National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The conference will examine and create replicable cross-disciplinary collaborative models, networks and strategies that integrate all levels of providers to improve health outcomes, increase medical effectiveness and eliminate health disparities.
“We hope that participants will actually use these models as they return to their respective communities to begin to make an impact on eliminating health disparities in this country,” said Dr. Kathleen Kennedy, Director of the Center.
One of the highlight of the conference will be a town hall meeting on Friday evening, April 11, featuring a panel of several national experts on health related topics.
The CMHDRE was created in 2002 with an endowment award from the NIH. This award initially established the Xavier Pharmacy Endowment for Minority Health. XU has since received additional funding for the center, whose mission of the Center is to support research and provide clinical training and community outreach aimed at eliminating health disparities.
XU Honored for Community Service
New Orleans, LA - Xavier University of Louisiana is among 10 Louisiana colleges and universities named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for exemplary service efforts and service to disadvantaged youth by the Corporation for National and Community Service.
Launched in 2006, the Community Service Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition a school can achieve for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement. Honorees for the award were chosen based on a series of selection factors including scope and innovativeness of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses.
The Honor Roll is jointly sponsored by the Corporation, through its Learn and Serve America program, and the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, USA Freedom Corps, and the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation.
Other colleges honored included Centenary, Delgado, LSU, LSU-Eunice, Loyola, Nichols State, Tulane, River Parishes Community and Southern.
Cleaves is All-GCAC for the Fourth Time
New Orleans, LA - Jarryn Cleaves made it 4-for-4 Monday, become the third player in the history of Xavier University of Louisiana women's basketball to be selected All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference four times.
Cleaves is joined on the 15-member All-GCAC team by teammate Erica Turnbull, who made the team for the second straight year. The league's 10 head coaches selected the team.
Cleaves led the Gold Nuggets during the regular season with 13.7 points per game. She is Xavier's career women's leader in 3-point field goals made with 272 and has helped Xavier compile a 103-29 record during her tenure. This season she is among the NAIA Division I leaders with 3.3 steals and 2.4 3-point field goals per game.
A 5-foot-8 senior guard and pharmacy major from Memphis, TN (East High), Cleaves joined Xavier alums Sherlett Hendy (1990-94) and Jackie Tucker (2000-04) as four-time all-conference selections.
Turnbull, a 6-foot forward/center and biology/premed major from Baltimore MD (Polytechnic High), averaged 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds during the regular season. She ranks among the national leaders with a .557 field-goal percentage.
She is the 16th Nugget to be named All-GCAC multiple times.
Regular-season champion Loyola and third-place Mobile each have three players on the All-GCAC team. Loyola's Trenese Smith is Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. Mobile's Crystal Hutchinson is named Freshman of the Year, William Carey's Shontae Kennedy is Newcomer of the Year and Loyola's DoBee Plaisance is Coach of the Year.
Xavier Presents Jazz in New Orleans: The 1950’s (Part II – Traditional Jazz)
New Orleans, LA - The second part of Xavier University of Louisiana’s series, Jazz in New Orleans: The 1950s, will be held Wednesday, March 12, at 7:00 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom. Admission is free and open to the public.
This unique discussion and concert will focus on traditional jazz from the perspective of the music and impact of clarinetist George Lewis (1900-68). Lewis’ passionate style, numerous recordings, and many tours from the 1950s until his death helped to launch an international following for authentic traditional jazz and New Orleans culture that is still in effect today.
The Xavier program will feature a discussion and performances by the only two New Orleans born clarinet disciples of George Lewis – Dr. Michael White '76 and Thomas Sancton. Both White and Sancton have received acclaim in traditional jazz and other areas.
White is among the current leading figures of traditional New Orleans jazz. In addition to performing and recording he is also a band leader, writer, historian, and composer. After many years as a Professor of Spanish and African American Music at Xavier, he currently holds the Keller Endowed Chair in the Humanities there.
Sancton, a long time senior editor for Time magazine’s Paris bureau, recently published Song for My Fathers, an autobiographical memoir which largely deals with his teenage years spent among several elder local black jazzmen. He is currently living and performing in New Orleans and is a visiting professor of creative writing at Tulane University.
Along with Sancton and White, the Original Liberty Jazz Band will perform several George Lewis classics.
This program is sponsored by the Charles and Rosa Keller Endowed Chair in the Humanities of Xavier University.
Katharine Drexel Shrine Designated as National Shrine
Bensalem, PA - The U.S. Episcopal Conference has named the shrine of St. Katherine Drexel as a national shrine, making it the 27th shrine with that title in the United States.
"It was with great pleasure that I received the news that the Shrine of St. Katharine Drexel has been elevated in status to a National Shrine,'' said Cardinal Justin Rigali, archbishop of Philadelphia. "This designation is especially gratifying because Mother Katharine's love of the Holy Eucharist and care for God's poor and oppressed was formed in the archdiocese of Philadelphia.”
"I pray that the honor bestowed upon the shrine will open opportunities for others to hear God's word and reflect upon St. Katharine's message of love and service to all,” he said.'
Katharine Drexel was born in Philadelphia in 1858. Her life was devoted to the Eucharist and to serving the poor and socially oppressed among Native and African Americans. Her presence was felt in urban New Orleans where she and her order, the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, opened a Catholic high school, several elementary schools, and Xavier University – which was to become the capstone of her educational system.
Mother Drexel built the shrine in 1893, two years after founding the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. She spent the final 20 years of her life in prayer and reflection at the mother house in Bensalem, located just outside Philadelphia. Her body is entombed under the main altar of St. Elizabeth Chapel.
Pope John Paul II beatified her in 1988, and almost 12 years later, aided by the 1994 healing of a deaf girl accepted as attributable to miraculous intercession, she was canonized in 2000.
St. Katharine Drexel’s Feast Day Celebrated at Xavier
New Orleans, LA - Xavier University of Louisiana will celebrate the March 3 feast day
of the University’s Founder, St. Katharine Drexel, with a pair of Masses on campus.
The New Orleans Alumni Club and Office of Campus Ministry will host a 12:30 p.m. Mass Sunday (March 2) in the University Chapel. Lunch will follow. Campus Ministry will also offer Mass on the actual feast day Monday (March 3) at 12 noon in the chapel, followed by a reception in the Katharine Drexel Residence Hall. In addition, Campus ministry is hosting an Essay contest for students with the topic: “How does St. Katharine Drexel influence My Life Today?”
Katharine Drexel Shrine Designated as National Shrine
Katharine Drexel was the 19th century equivalent of an American princess, born into the privileged family of a wealthy Philadelphia banker and philanthropist. She could have lived her life in the lap of luxury, oblivious to the suffering of others.
But instead, throughout the 1890’s and the first half of this century – long before taking up the cause of racial equality came into vogue – St. Katharine Drexel was at the forefront of efforts to improve the lives of others. During these decades shadowed by the segregation and degradation forced on Blacks – combined with the dispossession, relocation and betrayal of Native Americans – the name of St. Katharine Drexel shone out as a beacon of hope.
St. Katharine was at the forefront of efforts to educate African-Americans and Native Americans with an eye toward helping them to develop their own leadership and self-determination. Her schools were always open to all faiths; and the nuns who followed her lived among the poor they served.
Katharine Drexel was born in 1858 to wealthy Philadelphia banker and philanthropist Francis Drexel and his wife Hannah, who died a mere five weeks after giving birth. Her father remarried two years later. It was from her parents – revered for their own
generosity and charity to the less fortunate – that St. Katharine learned early the lesson of stewardship and responsibility to the poor.
Early on, St. Katharine indicated her intent to establish a bureau to distribute her wealth to Indians and Black missions, and to enter a cloistered religious order. But instead, during a trip to Rome with her family, she accepted the challenge of Pope Leo XIII and established a brand new order – the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament – which went on to found and staff schools and centers in the inner cities of the North and East, the Indian reservations of the west and across the Deep South.
Despite the many obstacles placed in their path, including strong opposition from whites, by 1942 the Sisters were operating black Catholic schools, convents and mission centers in some 13 states. So extensive was her influence in the Black, rural areas of New Iberia, St. Martinville and other Acadiana parishes that she is often referred to as the “Patron Saint of South Louisiana.”
St. Katharine’s presence was also felt in urban New Orleans, where the Sisters not only opened a Catholic high school and several elementary schools, but also established Xavier University of Louisiana – which was to become the capstone of her educational system.
Originally a coeducational secondary school, Xavier evolved into a teacher’s college and by 1925 had achieved full university status. A College of Pharmacy – now one of only two pharmaceutical schools in the state – was added two years later. That same College of Pharmacy is today is among the nation’s top three producers of African American Doctor of Pharmacy degree recipients.
The stresses and strains of building a nationwide network of schools for black and Indian children were hard on St. Katharine. The never-ending work and awesome responsibilities that she shouldered for more than a half-century finally took their toll in 1935 when she suffered a near-fatal heart attack. For 20 years she was confined to the infirmary at the Motherhouse in Bensalem, Pa., where she is said to have spent most of her waking hours in prayer and meditation. She died in 1955.
St. Katharine was officially canonized a saint of the Roman Catholic Church in October of 2000 by Pope John Paul II. She is only the fifth American to have been canonized and only the second American-born Saint. She is now in the select company of Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, Rose Philippine Duchesne, Bishop John
Neumann and Mother Elizabeth Seton.
“(Katharine) Drexel is an excellent example of that practical charity and generous solidarity with the less fortunate that has long been the distinguishing mark of American Catholics,” the Pontiff said during a rain-soaked canonization ceremony that drew tens of thousands to the Vatican, noting that her life brought about “a growing awareness of the need to combat all forms of racism through education and social services.”
It is estimated that St. Katharine – who during her lifetime shared the annual income from her father’s trust fund with her two sisters – gave away more than $20 million. “She and her family gave away substantial amounts of money to large numbers of less fortunate people,” points out Xavier University President Norman C. Francis, himself a 1952 alumnus. “All she ever asked in return was ‘Just pass it on. Don’t thank me, just pass it on’.”
Xavier University recently embarked on a fundraising campaign to build and endow the Saint Katharine Drexel Chapel and Religious Center, a campus educational and religious sanctuary, in honor of the University’s founder.
Xavier's Concert Choir Presents a Lenten Spring Concert March 13
New Orleans, LA - The Xavier University Concert Choir will present a Lenten Spring Concert on Thursday March 13 at 7:00 pm at Trinity Episcopal Church. Dr. John Ware is the director, and special guest Albinas Prizbintas is the organist.
The Xavier concert Choir will perform a program of early and contemporary sacred music for the Holy Season.
“This music is meant to be more inspiring than the usual “solemn” music heard during Lent. It is our goal to anticipate the joy of Easter while still giving deference to the actual liturgical calendar,” said Ware.
The performance will include works by Haydn, Antonio Lotti, Pablo Casels, as well as arrangements by Moses Hogan, William Dawson and Roland Carter.
For more information on the Concert Choir’s Lenten Spring Concert, contact the Xavier Department of Music at 504-520-7597.
Alums George, Nicholls honored by the UNCF
New Orleans, LA - Two Xavier Univerity of Louisiana alums – Maria Sly George ’58 and Elise Turead Nicholls ’63, have been honored by the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) for their service on the local and national level.
George, a retired educator with the Orleans Parish School System, was selected as the UNCF Outstanding Alumnus of the Year by the Xavier University National Alumni Association. George was selected for this honor due to her dedication and years of service to the New Orleans Alumni Chapter and National Alumni Association.
Nicholls, Program Director of the Washington Seniors Wellness Center, was awarded the UNCF’s Cecilia E. Washington Award. The late Cecilia E. Washington was a 1940 graduate of Xavier University and past president of the National Alumni Council. The CEW award is given to an alumnus who has made noteworthy contributions to the United Negro College Fund in the areas of fundraising, fund giving, facilitation of government contribution to UNCF, and for performance of extensive work with UNCF member groups. Nicholls has attended all UNCF conferences since 1977.
George and Nicholls were honored at the UNCF NAC/NPAC Conference held in Montgomery, AL in February. George is the immediate past president of the XU New Orleans alumni chapter and Nicholls is past president of the XU National Alumni Association and Washington, DC alumni chapter.
Chesnutt Stamp Celebration at XU's Black History Convocation Feb. 26
New Orleans, LA - Xavier University of Louisiana’s 2008 Black History Month Convocation will be the site of the United State Post Office’s unveiling and celebration of the local cancellation of the Charles W. Chesnutt stamp.
Chesnutt is the first African American fiction writer to earn a national reputation. He is best known for his depictions of Southern life before and after the Civil War.
The program will include a brief talk on Chesnutt presented by Xavier English professor, Dr. Ronald Dorris, brief readings from Chesnutt's writings by Xavier professors Drs. Thaddeo Babiiha, Violet Bryant and Wendy Gaudin, and a brief reflection on Chesnutt's novel “Paul Marchand” (set in New Orleans).
There will be a special envelope available printed with a design incorporating images related to Chesnutt and Xavier University. The stamps are currently available at the Xavier and other post offices. The envelopes will be available at the event and at the
XU post office for a limited time.
Chestnutt was bon in 1858 in Cleveland, OH, son of free blacks who had emigrated from Fayetteville, N.C. His first short story, "Uncle Peter's House," appeared in the Cleveland News and Herald in 1885. Chesnutt's other novels followed, and he became the first African American author to be published in the Atlantic Monthly, one of the major contemporary literary journals.
Chesnutt’s short stories included tales about black hoodoo practices and beliefs, and presented slave culture with African elements to white readers.
The success of his first book prompted Charles W. Chesnutt to publish the second collection of short stories. "The Wife of His Youth and Other Stories of the Color Line" includes nine stories, all of them united under common theme and based on same
fundamental social issue - miscegenation in America.
In 1906 Charles Chesnutt set his literary career aside and got absorbed in social and political activities, devoting his time to preparing speeches and writing articles in defense of his race. Together with other prominent black activists such as Booker T.
Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois, Chesnutt advocated the reform of the racial conditions in the South and better treatment of black population of that region.
In 1928 he was the winner of the NAACP’s Spingarn Award For “Highest Achievement by a Black American”
Chesnutt died November 1932, leaving behind him a rich artistic legacy for twentieth-century African-American literature.
The Xavier Black History Month Convocation will be held Tuesday, Feb. 26, at 12 noon in the Gym. For more information on Xavier’s Black History Month Convocation and the U.S. Post Office’s Charles Chestnutt Stamp, contact the Xavier English
Department at 520-5158.
Political Analyst Silas Lee Lectures on 2008 Presidential Election Feb. 28 at Xavier
New Orleans, La. - Will the 2008 presidential election establish a new paradigm for political campaigns? What does the presidential campaign suggest about racial dynamics in the future?
Those are some of the questions being addressed in a special lecture and presentation by Xavier University sociology professor and political analyst Dr. Silas Lee III.
"The 2008 presidential election is full of unprecedented issues, events and candidates, which challenge the conventional wisdom and provokes dialogue and social forecasting," says Lee. "These and other questions will be explored in my presentation."
The program begins at 6:00pm on Thursday, February 28, at the NCF Science Complex, room 105. For more information, contact the Sociology Department at Xavier University of Louisiana (504) 520-5423.
Clarinetist Kathy Joyner in Recital at Xavier Feb. 27
New Orleans, La. - The Xavier University Department of Music will present clarinetist Kathy Joyner in recital on Wednesday, Feb. 27, at 7:00 pm in the Music Building Recital Hall. She will be accompanied by Xavier artist-in-residence, Dr. Wilfred Delphin.
Joyner holds a master’s degree in performance from the University of Memphis. She has also studied at the University of North Texas and the University of Michigan. Her teachers include James Gholson, Sidney Forrest and Alan Balter.
Professionally, she has been a member of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Wind Symphony and principal clarinetist with the Texas Wind Symphony. Currently, she serves as principal of Oak Forest Elementary School in Memphis.
The concert will include pieces by Johannes Brahms, Paul JeanJean and Gioachino Rossini.
The concert is free and open to the public. For more information contact the Xavier Department of Music at 504-520-7597.
569
Scholars Make Fall '07 Dean's List
New Orleans, La. - A total of 569 student
scholars made the Dean's Honor Roll during the fall ’07 semester at Xavier University of Louisiana,
according to records released by Avis Stuard, interim registrar. Students merited
a spot on the honor roll by earning a semester grade point average of
3.3 or above while taking at least 12 semester hours.
The complete list of honor students is available online HERE.
"Explore Xavier” Admissions Open House Feb. 28
New Orleans, La. – Area high school students interested in attending college can learn all about Xavier University of Louisiana at the EXPLORE XAVIER open house on Thursday, Feb. 28 from 4:00-6:00pm at the University Center. They will also receive a pair of complimentary tickets to a Xavier basketball game
The event is open to all high school students, in particular juniors and seniors, along with their parents. “This is an opportunity for area students to see what types of programs Xavier has to offer, find out about the social life on campus, take a tour and imagine themselves at Xavier,” said Winston Brown, the Dean of Admissions.
Academic departments will have displays and representatives on hand to answer questions from prospective students. There will also be information on financial aid and student life.
In addition, prospective Xavier students who attend the Admissions open house on Thursday will receive complimentary tickets to either the Xavier vs. Loyola basketball game that same evening on campus; or, tickets to the Xavier-versus-Dillard “CrossTown Classic” basketball contest at the New Orleans Arena on Saturday, March 1.
The annual “CrossTown Classic” presented by Siemens pits the Xavier Gold Rush (men) and Gold Nuggets (women) against the Blue Devils and Devilettes of long-standing rival Dillard University. The free tickets for high school students were provided by game co-sponsors including Barnes & Noble, Liberty Bank & Trust Company, Sodexho and Xerox.
For more information on the third annual “Explore Xavier” open house, contact the Xavier Admissions office at (504) 520-7388.
New Play on Life of Sr. Thea Bowman Debuts at Xavier
New Orleans, La. - Xavier University of Louisiana will host a first-performance-reading of the play “Thea's Turn” by Mary Queen Donnelly, Saturday, February 23 at 7:00 pm in the University Chapel (first floor Administration Building).
The play is based on the life of the late Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA, who was associated with the Institute for Black Catholic Studies in the 1980’s. Her work extended across the South from her native Mississippi to Wisconsin and beyond.
Xavier English professor James Shade will direct the performance-reading, while the cast consists of XU students and the campus ministry choir. The performance is sponsored by Xavier’s Department of English, the African American Studies Program, and the Xavier Endowment for the Humanities.
For more information, contact Sr. Donna Gould, or Dr. Thomas Bonner, Jr. at 504-520-5158.
IBCS Outlines 2008 Summer Sessions at Xavier
New Orleans, La. - Catholic ministers and lay people will have the opportunity once again this summer to hone their skills and learn new ones at Xavier University of Louisiana's Institute for Black Catholic Studies 2008 Session, June 27 through July 19.
The IBCS offers degree courses as well as certificate and enrichment programs for catechists, youth and young adult ministers and religious and lay leaders in the Church.
“We have students who attend every year for the Theology master's degree program,” said Dr. Jamie Phelps, O.P., director of the Institute. “We also offer one week courses for catechists, youth ministers, deacons, and other parish ministers. The IBCS is not only open to the religious who minister to Black Catholics, it is for the people of those parishes as well.”
In addition, the Institute for Black Catholic studies offers participants seminars for liturgical musicians, and Black religious expression workshops in art, liturgical dance, liturgical music and drama. A complete schedule of this year's sessions follows.
The "Taste of the Institute" offers a week of experiences for men and women over 21 years old, while the "Eldership Retreat" is for men and women 60 years and older who wish to explore their vocations as elders in the church and the community.
Says its Director, "Whether you’re interested in a one-week session, or the entire month, the Xavier Institute for Black Catholic Studies is the place to seek in faith what it means to be Black and Catholic."
For more information on the Institute for Black Catholic Studies Summer Session 2008, visit the Xavier-IBCS web page at http://www.xula.edu/IBCS or call (504)520-7691.
IBCS Schedule of Courses:
Week of June 29-July 5
- Catechist Formation: Nature & Goals of Africentric Catechesis
- Youth & Young Adult Ministry: Psychological and Social Development of Youth
- Leadership in the Faith Community Program: Psychology of the Black Family
- Theological Core Courses: Black Theology/History of Spirituality/Canon Law
Week of July 6-11
- Catechist Formation: Teach it! Developing Meaningful Strategies
- Youth & Young Adult Ministry: Components of Comprehensive Youth Ministry
- Leadership in the Faith Community Program: Sociology of the Black Family
- Theological Core Courses- Scripture: Jesus/Principles of Liturgy/Social Justice Teachings
*Eldership Retreat
Week of July 13-19
- Catechist Formation: Naming and Claiming our Resources
- Youth & Young Adult Ministry: Black Perspectives on the Gospel on Campus
- Prayer, Worship and Justice Ministry w/Young Adults: An Exploration
- Leadership in the Faith Community Program: Marriage and the Black Family
- Theological Core Courses- Scripture: Revelation/Black Spirituality/Church History
* Seminar for Liturgical Musicians
* Taste of the Institute
“Remembering Richard Wright” at Xavier Feb 12-13
New Orleans, La. - Xavier University of Louisiana will host “Remembering Richard
Wright,” Feb. 12-13 on the campus.
The Xavier English and African American Studies departments and the Xavier Endowment for the Humanities are the co-sponsors of the program which will include a screening of Native Son, a panel discussion and exhibit. All events are free and open to the public. A complete calendar is below.
Feb. 12 (7:00 p.m.)
- Viewing of Cinematic Adaptation of Richard Wright’s Native Son, University Center, Room 205.
Feb. 13 (7:00 p.m.)
- Panel Discussion, Administration Building Auditorium
Moderator, Dr. Violet Bryan, Professor of English, Xavier University; panelists include:
"When the Wide Screen Becomes Bigger: Reflections on the
Cinematic Adaptation of Wright’s Native Son,” James
Shade, Assistant Professor of English, Xavier;
“America’s First Haiku Masters: Kerouac and Wright,” Dr. David
Lanoue, Professor of English, Xavier;
“Right Words, Wright Weapons,” Dr. Richard Collins, Chair,
Department of Arts, English, and Humanities, LSU-Alexandria; and
“Corruption, the Black Male, and Black/White Women in Wright's The Long Dream: Relevance to the 21st Century,” Dr. Violet
Bryan, Professor of English, Xavier.
Feb. 11-28
