NEW ORLEANS – Dr. Norman C. Francis, President Emeritus of Xavier University of Louisiana and one of the nation’s most influential leaders in American higher education and civil rights, died Feb. 18 at age 94.
Francis led Xavier University of Louisiana for 47 years, guiding the historically Black Catholic institution through a period of profound national change while expanding its academic profile and civic reach. His presidency began April 4, 1968 — the day of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination — and continued until his retirement in 2015, making him one of the longest-serving college presidents in the United States.
Transforming Xavier University
In a statement, Dr. Reynold Verret, president of Xavier University of Louisiana, said the university “mourns the passing of Dr. Norman C. Francis ’52, President Emeritus, beloved son of Xavier, and one of the most consequential leaders in the history of American higher education.”
“Dr. Francis assumed the presidency of Xavier on April 4, 1968, the very day of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, at a moment of national grief and profound social change,” Verret said. “As Xavier’s first lay president, he led with unwavering love, intellectual rigor, and moral clarity. Over the course of his remarkable 47-year presidency, he nurtured Xavier’s Catholic and historically Black identity and expanded its national reputation in the sciences, health and other professions. His leadership reshaped not only this University, but the city of New Orleans and beyond.”
Verret added that Francis “dedicated his every effort to the flourishing of the human community, to full freedom of the oppressed, especially the descendants of the enslaved. It is the love to which we are called as disciples of Christ, and the nation is better and richer for his having lived among us.”
He said Francis’ legacy is inseparable from the university itself.
“Dr. Norman C. Francis leaves a legacy inseparable from Xavier University of Louisiana,” Verret said. “Every Xavier graduate who carries forth our mission of service, leadership, and academic excellence honors him.”
Civic Leadership and Philanthropic Impact
Francis’ influence extended well beyond campus. Over decades, he became a central figure in Louisiana civic life, advocating for civil rights, economic access and educational opportunity. He chaired the Louisiana Recovery Authority following Hurricane Katrina and served on numerous local and national boards.
The Greater New Orleans Foundation also issued a statement recognizing Francis as a “legendary civil rights and higher education leader” and a former trustee of the organization.
The foundation highlighted Francis’ role in 1956, when, as attorney for the Urban League, he challenged its predecessor organization, the Community Chest, after it removed the Urban League from its fundraising campaign amid pressure from the White Citizens Council. According to the foundation, Francis called on the board to uphold its stated mission and the Urban League’s status as a participating organization was restored the following year. The Urban League remains a partner of the foundation today.
In the 1990s, Francis joined the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s board and became a fundholder in 2017. In 2024, the foundation established the Dr. Norman C. Francis Endowment for Racial Equity, committing to grant $100,000 annually to organizations working to dismantle unjust systems and build wealth in the Black community. Francis and his family were honored at the foundation’s fifth annual Celebration of Black Philanthropy that same year.
“Dr. Francis was one of our city’s and nation’s greatest Saints,” said Andy Kopplin, president and CEO of the Greater New Orleans Foundation and former executive director of the Louisiana Recovery Authority. “I’m so fortunate to have been a witness to his kindness and principled, moral leadership at the Louisiana Recovery Authority where he served as our chair and here at the Greater New Orleans Foundation where his belief that organizations can overcome past shortcomings and use that knowledge to inspire them to reach higher heights still drives us today. We join all New Orleanians in mourning Dr. Francis’s passing.”
