MISSION

As the nation's only Historically Black and Catholic institution of higher learning, Xavier University's purpose from its founding has included the creation of a more just and humane society. Reaffirming its African American heritage and its Catholic tradition for more than eight decades, Xavier continues to offer a variety of opportunities in education and leadership development to the descendants of those historically denied the liberation of learning.

NATIONAL RANKINGS

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 both the biological/life sciences and the physical sciences. The American Institute of Physics (AIP) reports that Xavier is first nationally in awarding  physics BS degrees to African-Americans.

Xavier has been especially successful in educating health professionals. In pre-medical education, Xavier is first in the nation in placing African American students into medical schools, where it has been ranked for the past 13 years. The acceptance rate of Xavier graduates by medical schools is almost twice the national average, and 92% of those who enter medical schools go on to 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.

Xavier was one of only six schools chosen to participate in the National Science Foundation’s Model Institutions for Excellence in Science, Engineering and Mathematics program.

COURSES AND ACCREDITATION

Undergraduate students who major in the Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, Business, Education, Languages or Communications as well as those in the sciences are required to complete fifty-seven hours of liberal arts core curriculum courses in English, literature, fine arts, foreign languages, history, African-American Studies, mathematics, natural sciences, philosophy, religion, and social sciences in addition to courses for their major fields. Xavier offers preparation in 40 major areas on the undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree levels. The University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools*, the American Council of Pharmaceutical Education, the National Association of Schools of Music, the American Chemical Society, the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs, the Louisiana Department of Education, and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). Xavier is the only private school in Louisiana accredited by NCATE.

HISTORY

St. Katharine Drexel of Philadelphia, canonized a Saint in the Roman Catholic Church in October 2000, and her Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, a religious community dedicated to the education of African Americans and Native Americans, established Xavier as a high school in 1915. A normal school was added in 1917, the four-year college program in 1925, the College of Pharmacy in 1927 and the Graduate School in 1933. In 1970, the Sisters transferred control to a joint lay/religious Board of Trustees. With improved opportunities for students after the passage of anti-discrimination laws in the 1960's, enrollment in Xavier's arts and sciences and professional curricula began to grow, and has accelerated during the last decade. Today, Xavier produces graduates well educated to serve the community, state and nation.

ENROLLMENT

The current enrollment is 3,094 – close to 75% of its record pre-Hurricane Katrina (2005) enrollment of 4,121. The University's major academic units are the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Pharmacy (which awards the Doctor of Pharmacy degree), and the Graduate School (which awards the M.A.T., the M.A. in education, and the M.Th. in theology). Prior to Hurricane Katrina, total enrollment had more than doubled since 1987. The freshman class checked in this fall at 667 – up nearly 50% from last year.

STUDENTS

Slightly more than half of Xavier students are from Louisiana, primarily from the New Orleans area. The balance come from 41 other states coast to coast, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands and eight countries. Catholic students constitute 26.6% of the enrollment, Baptists 31.4% and others, 42%. Xavier's student body is predominantly African American (80%), but the university is open to all. Asian/Asian American (6.3%) comprise the second largest ethnicity. Non-black students enroll primarily in the Graduate School or College of Pharmacy. 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. Xavier also has a variety of academic, service, and professional organizations, special-interest clubs, and historically Black social fraternities or sororities.

ADMISSIONS AND RETENTION

Admissions policy aims to provide opportunities for students with high school backgrounds that span the spectrum of preparation. The average ACT and SAT scores for entering freshman are 21.1 and 979, respectively, both just slightly below the national average. In maintaining its historic commitment to academic excellence, the University attracts many students with high achievement, while it also admits some under-prepared students and provides workable ways for them to succeed. Developmental courses and related support systems in the essential academic areas of mathematics, writing, and speech have helped an increasingly large proportion of freshmen to move into sophomore year, at an actual retention rate of 77.5% this past year.

FACULTY

More than 90% of Xavier’s 186 full-time faculty have earned doctorates or equivalent terminal degrees. The A&S FTE student-faculty ratio is 15:2 to 1. Xavier faculty have achieved national distinction. George Baker received the Distinguished Service Award from the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering for his leadership in preparing students for that profession; Sister Grace Mary Flickinger, Professor of Biology, has received a Sears Roebuck Foundation Teaching Excellence and Campus Leadership Award; Pre-Med Advisor Dr. JW Carmichael, who was named National Professor of the Year by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, has also received the Charles A. Dana Foundation Award for his innovations in teaching science as well as the Harold W. McGraw Jr. Prize in Education. Dr. Michael White, Professor of Spanish, an eminent jazz historian and performer, was awarded the Royal Norwegian National Music Medal of Honor by the King of Norway, and named a Chevalier of Arts and Letters, France's highest award for artistic achievement. Dr. Joe Melcher, Professor of Communications, was named a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association in honor of his contributions to the field of speech pathology and as director of Xavier's program.

LEADERSHIP

Xavier's progress has been directed by its President, Norman C. Francis, a 1952 Xavier graduate and the University's chief executive for more than three decades. A nationally recognized leader in higher education, President Francis, selected as one of the nation's most effective college presidents in a survey of his peers, has developed an outstanding team of faculty and administrative officers. A pillar of civic progress, President Francis has made Xavier a force to improve New Orleans and southeastern Louisiana. In the Xavier neighborhood, the President has championed a partnership among community residents, businesses, and the University through a community development corporation to revitalize living conditions, housing, and economic opportunity. He was awarded the nation's top civilian award - the President's Medal of Freedom - in 2006.

BUDGET AND ENDOWMENT

The total operating budget is more than $90 million, and the endowment market value is approximately $80 million. Unlike some denominations, the Catholic Church does not provide funds for Xavier or other Catholic colleges and universities in the United States (Catholic University in Washington, D.C., being the lone exception). While Xavier's endowment is small it has nearly quadrupled in the past several years. This recent growth reflects the University's decision to give high priority to building the endowment, especially for faculty chairs, salaries and scholarships.

Some 89% of Xavier undergraduates qualify for need-based as well as other forms of financial aid. Because many students have limited financial resources, the University maintains a policy of low tuition (currently at $13,700 per year for Arts & Sciences and $19,400 per year for the College of Pharmacy).

FACILITIES

The new University Center – providing much needed space for dining, meeting rooms, a bookstore, a post office, and other student services – was recently completed, as was a new 514-bed Residence Hall. An Art Village, designed to enhance teaching facilities and to interact with the neighboring community, is also being developed. Other recently completed new facilities include an addition doubling the size of Xavier’s Science Complex, a new library, and an addition to the College of Pharmacy. New laboratories support Xavier's growing research capability, especially in bioenvironmental toxicology. Information technology has been upgraded to assure top rank academic computing services and expanded Internet access. A renovated office building houses some of Xavier’s administrative and academic departments, and a once ugly warehouse has been reconstructed into a handsome Living Learning Center providing apartment style suites and rooms for over 400 students. Other student housing has also been expanded.

ACADEMIC TRENDS

In 2007, some 521 degrees were awarded. Alumni ranks have grown to over 15,000. The number of science majors has increased most, as many students prepare for advanced degrees and careers in health and other scientific professions. There have also been modest increases in the social sciences, humanities, business, and education departments. The core curriculum continues to stress analytical reasoning and the development of speaking and writing skills. Many disciplines also emphasize faculty student research and teach students to report their research results or interpretations in articles and scholarly presentations.

ADVANCED DEGREE EMPHASIS

Countering a national trend of declining African American enrollment in advanced degree programs, the number of Xavier graduates going on from the College of Arts and Sciences to professional and graduate schools has more than doubled in six years to nearly 50% per class. Xavier is addressing the national under representation of Blacks with the Ph.D. and other graduate and professional degrees as a strategic goal through its advanced degree placement programs. One program links faculty and students in mentor/teaching/research activities aimed at preparing students for advanced programs leading to graduate and law degrees, with a special emphasis on the Ph.D. degree. The Pre-Medical program is a national model of quality.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Xavier is implementing a plan to: increase endowments for scholarships and faculty salaries; expand science facilities; construct new student housing; renovate older structures; upgrade information systems, network capability, and instructional technology. Curricular developments are taking place in environmental programs and at the Centers for the Advancement of Teaching and for Intercultural Studies. Xavier plans to build on its success in responding to the nations need for scientists, health professionals, engineers, computing specialists, school teachers, and leaders in the arts, government, business, and religion.

NATIONAL RECOGNITION

Xavier is not a wealthy institution. It has learned to do much with limited means. Its historic mission to serve capable minority students strains all resources, especially because Xavier seeks to include those whose potential achievements have been hindered by financial problems or poor schools. But in Xavier's supportive environment, students can and do excel. Their accomplishments have been featured in various national media, including The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, U.S. News and World Report, Money Magazine, Changing Times, The Chronicle of Higher Education, USA Today, Black Issues in Higher Education, CBS, NBC, Cable News Network, and Newsweek.Recognizing the school's many strengths, The New York Times Selective Guide to Colleges has observed that "Xavier is a school where achievement has been the rule, and beating the odds against success a routine occurrence." As Newsweek recently said, "Without question, the little known Roman Catholic college is doing something special."

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rev. 02/07/08

* Xavier University of Louisiana is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097; Telephone number 404-679-4501) to award bachelors and masters degrees and the Doctor of Pharmacy.