The Xavier Herald Salutes Norman C. Francis

By The Xavier Herald staff, alumni and faculty

Xavier University of Louisiana mourns the passing of Dr. Norman C. Francis ’52, President Emeritus, beloved son of Xavier, and one of the most influential leaders in the history of American higher education.

Dr. Francis became president of Xavier on April 4, 1968, the day of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, during a time of national grief and transformation. As Xavier’s first lay president, he led the university with clarity, faith, and deep commitment to its Catholic and historically Black mission. Over his 47-year presidency, he strengthened Xavier’s national reputation, particularly in the sciences and health professions, while shaping the institution’s enduring impact on New Orleans and beyond.

Beyond campus, Dr. Francis was a respected civic and national leader who championed civil rights, educational opportunity, and community development. His leadership helped guide New Orleans through moments of challenge and recovery, including the rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina.

Those who knew him best remember his steady leadership, deep faith, and unwavering belief in Xavier students.

As the Xavier community reflects on his life and legacy, former students, alumni, and faculty share memories of the man whose leadership shaped generations.

NCF Reflection from: Anthony Thompson, Class of 2024 

I had the honor of interviewing Dr. Norman C. Francis just a few years ago during my senior year at Xavier. Even at 92 years old, Dr. Francis’ love for his community, his people, and his mission was unmistakable.  

What rang even truer was Dr. Francis’ gift to balance power and grace so admirably – a trait that was instrumental in his ability to help make Xavier University of Louisiana all that it is today. It’s because of Dr. Francis that so many thousands of students experienced a Xavier University that not only provided an education, but also taught steadfastness and servant leadership.  

Dr. Francis’ dedication to and love for his people perfectly depict Dr. Martin Luther King’s words: “Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice.” This is the graceful power Dr. Francis taught us to have, and the power we continue to carry out as his legacy. 

Anthony Thompson is a medical student at the University of Pennsylvania. He graduated from Xavier as a Chemistry/Pre-Medicine major with minors in Biology, French and Health Communication.   

NCF Reflection from: Dr. Michael White, retired Xavier professor of African American music and renowned jazz clarinetist, class of 1976. 

“Dr. Norman Francis was always a hero in my family. My mother and aunt went to school with his wife, Blanche and they knew the family. I remember a lot of talk about him. A lot of pride people had when he became president of Xavier. In fact, my mother and aunt were active in the Alumni for many years. We went to the inauguration and I remember that. 

I was a student under Dr. Francis, and I was a professor for 43 years under his leadership. And I always remember him as a very wise and balanced leader and I thought he was on of the most important people in New Orleans—not only just for Xavier but in terms of helping to fix some of the things that were wrong with the city, and helped to balance things like race relations, and the great efforts that he made with Katrina coming back. 

I think he was a one-of-a-kind, special, blessed individual, and we were blessed to have him. And, I am just very happy to have served under his leadership and have been one of the many thousands of people that graduated from Xavier under his watch. 

I worked with him on numerous occasions with many programs, and different things, and he was always a model and a mentor to me. So, seeing his passing – that transition – is a very difficult time, but again I feel blessed to have had him in my life.” 

Dr. Michael White 

Clarinetist, composer, band leader 

Xavier Undergrad: 1972-1976 

Xavier faculty 1980-2023 

Retired: 2023 

NCF reflection from: Dr. Sharlene Sinegal-DeCuir, Class of 1999 

Professor of History 

Keller Family Endowed Professor 

Chair, African American and Diaspora Studies 

Rest in eternal peace Dr. Francis!  

Last year I had the honor of serving as the first African American chair of the Louisiana Endowment of Humanities Bright Lights Award Dinner. We honored Dr. Francis as the 2025 Humanist of the Year. It was one of the highlights of my career.  

Over the years, I have interviewed Dr. Francis a few times and I have written a journal article about him published in Journal of African American History. His stories of growing up in Lafayette, and attending St. Paul Catholic Church resonated with me in so many ways as a Lafayette native whose family attended and still attends St. Paul Church.  

This man was more than a legend. For those of us who went to Xavier, we understand what he truly means to the African-American community and to our Xavier family.

NCF Reflection from: Eric Craig  

During the week that I arrived at Xavier in 2012, I remember standing in the line at the cafeteria where Dr. Norman C. Francis was greeting the freshmen. We spoke for a minute, but what I remember most was the warm encounter he shared with me and all of the other students. 

Three years later, I served as the editor-in-chief of the Xavier Herald when Dr. Francis announced his intent to retire at the end of the 2015 school year. Our newsroom planned a commemorative edition of the Herald to celebrate Francis’ 40-plus years of service. During one particular interview with Francis, we learned about his from his favorite color and hobby to the hardest decisions he made as the first layman president of Xavier University of Louisiana. 

Dr. Francis was a pioneer, leader, and a friend to New Orleans. While his passing is a loss of a light for the Xavier University of Louisiana community, Dr. Francis’ legacy should encourage us all to live up of a standard of service, leadership, and love as we march forward in our own lives.  

Eric M. Craig  

NCF Reflection from: Jimmie Johnson 

Some leaders shape an institution. Dr. Francis shaped generations. In 2015, when he retired, I was asked to reflect on his leadership as a budding journalist. More than a decade later, I never imagined I would be asked to do so again, now serving on staff at the university. 

To the world, NCF was larger than life, yet he never outgrew his humble beginnings. 

Rooted in faith, humility, integrity, and community, he did not just lead us—he walked with us. On the yard, in the café, in the barn on game day, or on stage at graduation, his steady presence made you feel seen and valued. 

He fully embraced Mother Katharine’s belief that every student deserves opportunity and carried out that charge until his final days. With a century behind us and a century before us, the baton is in our hands. Xavierites, let’s carry the torch forward.  

Best, 

Jimmie