Sustaining Catholic Education in and for the Black Community
By Lois J. Carson, Sr. Roberta Fulton, S.S.M.N., Dorothy Gupton, Veronica Morgan-Lee, Freida D. McCray, Mary Crowley McDonald, Kathleen A. Merritt, Sr. Jamie T. Phelps, O.P., Ph.D., Brother Gary Sawyer, ECSA, Deacon Marvin Threatt, PhD.
(Article: Page 13 of 35)
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Sustaining Catholic Education in and for the Black Community Resource List for Youth Ministers In the African American Catholic Community

Xavier University

Xavier University of Louisiana is America's only historically Black Catholic university, as well as the only university founded by a Saint, Katharine Drexel. Xavier prepares its students to assume roles of leadership and service in society through a pluralistic learning environment that incorporates all relevant educational means, including research and community service.

Xavier University was founded on the belief that a liberal and professional education, grounded in the principles and virtues of Christianity, will prepare Blacks, Native Americans, and other students to lead fulfilling lives and to guide society toward building a just and humane world.

Xavier University's achievements in the sciences and in pharmacy have earned impressive national rankings that belie its relatively small enrollment. Graduates excel, carrying Xavier's name into nearly every field of endeavor. By any measure, a Xavier University degree represents one of the best values in education.

Xavier University is indeed a “pearl of great price” for Black Catholics, the Catholic Church, the Black community, and the nation.

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, Xavier ranks first in the nation in placing African American students into medical schools, outpacing such prestigious national competitors as Harvard, Yale, Michigan, and North Carolina, and such prominent historically black colleges and universities as Morehouse, Spelman, and Howard. Black Issues in Higher Education's “Top 100 Degree Producers” issue (June 2004) once again shows Xavier ranking first in the nation in the number of African American students earning baccalaureate degrees in two areas: the biological and biomedical sciences, and the physical sciences.

An American Chemical Society study ranks Xavier 14th in the nation in awarding undergraduate degrees in chemistry. Xavier is ranked 81st on Washington Post columnist Jay Matthews' list of 100 “outstanding but underappreciated” colleges, and Matthews writes that Xavier has “one of the strongest health sciences programs anywhere.” The New York Times Selective Guide to Colleges observes, “Xavier is a school where achievement has been the rule, and beating the odds against success a routine occurrence.” The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy ranks Xavier first in the nation in enrolling and graduating African Americans in pharmacy.

In fact, the University has educated nearly 25 percent of the over 6,000 African American pharmacists practicing in the United States. The American Institute of Physics ranks Xavier first in the nation in producing African American graduates in physics. Truly, Xavier is like no other.

For more information, visit http://www.xula.edu/IBCS/, call 504-520-
7691, or e-mail IBCS@xula.edu.

The Commission on Catholic Education is encouraged by the commitment of higher education institutions – such as Xavier University, the Institute for Black Catholic Studies, and the University of Notre Dame Alliance for Catholic Education – to preparing educators to teach and administer in Catholic schools in urban communities. It is imperative that lay leaders, schools, pastors, families, and communities recognize and advocate for the future of Catholic schools so that youth of today and tomorrow will have opportunities to experience the success that Catholic schools foster in Black communities. Catholic schools are indeed a Pearl of Great Price.

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