DEBATE: Which class has bragging rights as XU’s big cen-tenn?
November 6, 2025
of 1928. This is the first graduating class of students after the official
designation of Xavier University of Louisiana as a “College.”
(Photo courtesy of Xavier University Digital Archives and Collections)
Living their ancestors’ wildest dreams, seniors eagerly await the moment they will cross the stage in the new, customized centennial cap and gowns. As Xavier continues its centennial campaign, surrounding the celebration of 100 years of excellence and service through leadership, there have been whispers – and even some beef – surrounding a passionate debate among the students: Who is the real centennial class? While the fact remains that the upcoming year of 2025 will mark Xavier’s 100th year anniversary of the university’s founding in 1925 as a four-year institution, the class of 2025 has had to defend their claim of the prestigious title, sparking discussions about history, tradition, and what it means to be the face of Xavier’s legacy.
While Class of ‘26 and ‘27 attempt to “claim” this golden title, they remain committed to the mission, embodying the spirit of advocacy that has long been a form of resilience in university history.
(Photo courtesy of Kennedy Shanks)
“The debate stems from one question, who are we recognizing as the class that’s graduating in the 100th year – which actual graduating class? The 100th year doesn’t come until October of 2025, which is after the class of 2025 graduates, which would be my senior class technically…but as a member of ‘26 we’re still going to turn up for our centennial homecoming, I think we’re the centennial class,” said, Kennedy Shanks, the president of the class of 2026.
While opinions vary, both classes share a deep connection to Xavier’s rich history and its future. Despite the debate, what remains clear is that the centennial year carries significance far beyond titles. The centennial title isn’t the only thing that comes with the responsibility of continuing Xavier’s legacy. It’s also about representing the university’s core values and embracing the opportunity to lead by example, which was nothing new to John Turner, a senior business and marketing major, and a Chicago native, who is a prominent staple in the class of 2025 in his role as Mr. Senior.
(Photo by TaShia Hogue)
“It’s a privilege to be the face of the centennial campaign. I could tell during freshman orientation that we were an exceptional group of students who would learn to embody Xavier’s mission and turn it into a lifestyle,” Turner said.
It was during the 2021 commencement ceremony that the class of 2025 was first introduced to owning the title of the centennial class. Students may even question your status depending on when exactly your Xavier experience began – If you weren’t forced to evacuate New Orleans a week into fall semester of 2021 due to Hurricane Ida, should you even be able to claim class of ‘25?
This ongoing debate has caught the attention of administrators, some of whom offer historical context to support both sides. Xavier’s centennial celebration is not just about the institution’s founding, but about reflecting on the community it has built over the last 100 years.
“The Louisiana Department of Education officially recognized Xavier University as a four-year college on March 19, 1928. As identified in the 1927 Xavier Yearbook, ‘The year 1928 will witness the graduation of Xavier’s first College class,’ also substantiated by the 1929 XULA Graduation Program, which identifies the ceremony as the “Second Annual Commencement,” said Xavier’s historian and head of archives, Vinny Barraza, as we looked through Xavier’s history like Watson and Sherlock Holmes, looking for clues, trying to make sense of all of this.
“Since Xavier University of Louisiana was officially founded in 1925, does that make the 2025 graduating class the “Centennial Class?” Maybe it begins with the “first class to graduate after our official college designation” which would mean the 1926/2026 class? Or, since the college wasn’t recognized until 1928, does that mean the 2028 graduating class has the official designation of “Centennial?” – Let the discourse endure!” Barraza added.
I’ll leave it like this. If one plus one is two, and two plus two is four, what’s a century from the year we went live in: 1925?
