Xavier University, the first and only historically Black Catholic college in the U.S., is set to open a medical school and graduate school of health sciences in Louisiana.
“Xavier was founded with the mission of promoting the creation of a just and humane society through education,” said the New Orleans-based university’s president, Dr. C. Reynold Verret. “The establishment of graduate education programs dedicated to the preparation of more Black healthcare professionals is a natural extension of our foundress’ legacy as we approach our second century of service. It is also where we are called to answer a critical need of our nation.”
Verret also said that administrators had discussed the possibility of opening a new school for over five years and that the planning process should take at least three years.
They have been researching what the institution might teach and what professors they could hire. In addition, they’ve spoken to local hospitals that may admit students for clinical rotations.
“We’re not in a hurry because we want to do this well,” Xavier’s president noted.
Xavier University has produced more Black medical school graduates each year than any other college in the U.S. despite its small population of 3,300 students. It was founded by Philadelphia heiress, philanthropist, and educator, Mother Katharine Drexel, who was canonized as a Roman Catholic Saint in 2000 by Pope John Paul II. After opening a high school for Black students in 1915, she had a campus built for Xavier, completed in 1933.
The institution’s college of pharmacy was reportedly the oldest in Louisiana, but its officials have been “examining the option to change that narrative,” they said on Xavier’s website.
XULA’s medical school would join four others in Louisana, including Louisiana State University Health New Orleans and Health Shreveport and Tulane University School of Medicine.
The university recently made history again, as its cheerleading squad became the first HBCU team to win a national cheerleading championship.
