PRESIDENT’S
MESSAGE
Spring 2010 Dear Xavier Alumni & Friends: What a great time to be in New Orleans, and to be here at Xavier! In early February 2010, the future of New Orleans forever changed as a result of the New Orleans Saints victory in Super Bowl XLIV. The level of excitement generated by this accomplishment has been contagious. Simultaneously, both locally and nationally, we have experienced an equally high level of excitement as evidenced by such major events as the hopeful end of what has been described as the nation’s worst economic downturn in a generation, the recent passage of the health care reform law, the anticipation in New Orleans of a new mayoral administration, and the beginning of Xavier’s eighty-fifth year of existence. In this issue, we are pleased to be able to share with the Xavier family our featured story which provides a glimpse of the major construction and renovation projects occurring on campus. Five years post-Katrina, the University continues to strategically acquire and develop properties that have been deemed critical in support of the types of programs and facilities that are important to both student and faculty recruitment and retention. Two projects in particular, the Qatar Pharmacy Pavilion and the St. Katharine Drexel Chapel, are generating a great deal of interest and excitement. On the academic front, interest from prospective students remains strong, an encouraging sign that continues to support our long-term goals. The University recently embarked on a new academic initiative aptly titled Read Today, Lead Tomorrow, which is designed to ensure that the entire campus community appreciates the correlation between reading and lifelong learning. I encourage all alumni to journey with us on this life altering process, which was developed in support of our Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) – an initiative in support of our ongoing ten year accreditation review. None of these accomplishments would be possible without the continued support of thousands of generous alumni and friends who choose to financially support the University. This issue includes our annual Honor Roll of Donors, which lists those donors who made a financial contribution during the period January 1st - December 31st, 2009. The continued support and generosity of each and every donor is a vital component of our mission to educate deserving students, and we remain eternally grateful to each and every one of you. We are most pleased to include in this issue photos of the more than 400 alumni who returned to celebrate a class reunion during Homecoming 2009. We are always grateful whenever alumni choose to visit us due in part to the impact these visits have on current students. In closing, I am confident that even though the Super Bowl was won, the New Orleans Saints will not rest on their laurels. The same can be said for Xavier University of Louisiana. Much work remains to be done and with your unwavering support, commitment, and prayers, together we will continue to make Xavier University a great institution. XG Spring 2010
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Sincerely, Norman C. Francis President