Xavier University of Louisiana is not just a university, but a real reference point for the city of New Orleans. A private Catholic institute, over time it has become a place of protest and fight against all forms of discrimination, especially for the African-American community. A fundamental role in the foundation of the University was played by the nun Katharine Drexel who, thanks also to the concrete support of the banker father Francis Drexel, in the early twentieth century created and managed several institutes in the area in an attempt to help and educate the natives and African Americans, at the time excluded from all that was education, culture and training.
ORIGINS AND ROLE IN THE COMMUNITY
Everything comes from her, everything comes from here. Xavier University was officially recognized by the Louisiana State Department of Education as a four-year college in March 1928, with the first degrees awarded just two years later. Over time, XULA has hosted several personalities of absolute importance, starting with Pope John Paul II in 1987 and Barack Obama twice, first in 2006 and then in 2010, precisely because it is a “place of worship” and a symbol of the civil rights movement in the United States. Another date to remember is certainly the year 2005, when Hurricane Katrina swept away part of the structures of the university campus.
From then on, we can say that a second life began for Xavier University supported by numerous donations that have made it possible to rebuild, renovate and expand the buildings and all the services of the campus.
XULA’S PRESENT
Today, it is one of the state’s leading universities, with the student population made up of roughly 50% of students from Louisiana and the other half from across the United States and 16 different countries around the world. It is a dynamic, obviously multicultural environment with an important history and a bright present. The campus, which has developed exponentially over the past twenty years, is nicknamed the “Emerald City” for some buildings characterized by the color of the roofs of a specific shade of green.
Speaking of Academic schools, Xula’s teaching proposal consists of the College of Arts and Sciences (Biological and Public Health Sciences, Business, Education and Counseling, Fine Arts and Humanities, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences); College of Pharmacy (Division of Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences, Division of Clinical and Administrative Sciences); Dual engineering program and finally the Pre-Med and biological science programs. According to the niche.com Xavier University website, it is the fifth-best HBCU – Historically Black Colleges and Universities out of 77 and is ranked 71 out of 651 in the ranking of the best graduate programs in the United States in Chemistry. Currently, there are 2,424 full-time students enrolled, with 5% representing student-athletes engaged in the various sports disciplines. The men’s and women’s track and field teams are the flagship of the athletics department along with the basketball and volleyball teams that compete in the NAIA league. The latter teams play inside the Convocation Center, a $25 million facility capable of accommodating over 4,000 spectators.
To come to us, XULA currently hosts Linda Mungai, Emanuela Riglioni, Angela Egonu and Giulia Follador, all four volleyball players at the disposal of Coach Pat Kendrick, Head Coach with indisputable experience and curriculum in American volleyball and part of our technical staff of the American College Volleyball Showcase, present in all editions. In the past, Elena Chika Duru, Beatrice Formilan and Anna Dalla Vecchia have also been student-athletes at XULA. Xavier University of Louisiana, represents a stimulating environment, rich in history and meaning that still remains faithful to its initial mission: to promote a liberal, just society that knows how to welcome everyone without any form of discrimination.
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