New Orleans HBCUs: A Legacy of Education and Empowerment
New Orleans stands as a vibrant hub of culture, history, and higher education, particularly for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). These institutions have played a pivotal role in shaping the city's landscape and empowering generations of African American students. New Orleans is home to three Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs): Dillard University, Xavier University of Louisiana, and Southern University at New Orleans.
Dillard University: Fostering Growth and Leadership
Dillard University, Louisiana’s oldest HBCU, is a private, liberal arts college known for creating an environment that encourages personal growth alongside academic development. Dillard University offers degrees in the Arts, Business, Humanities, Nursing, STEM, and more. Founded with a commitment to academic excellence and social responsibility, Dillard offers a variety of majors including public health, business, physics, film, and more. The school prides itself on its strong emphasis on community service and leadership development. Dillard University provides students with a well-rounded college experience, preparing them for success in their chosen fields and for lives of purpose and service.
A History of Transformation and Progress
Dillard University was established to serve as an educational center of excellence in the South. The campus, which remains in its original location, had the unique attribute of being the first HBCU with a sound architectural plan. The new liberal arts university subscribed to the DuBoisian notion of disciplining the mind and stimulating both “the creation of ideas and the development of the higher qualities of the individual.”
Opening its doors in 1935, Dillard University was formed through the consolidation of Straight College and New Orleans University. Straight University was founded with support from the American Missionary Association of the Congregational Church (now the United Church of Christ). The University was named for businessman and philanthropist Seymour Straight who partnered with the American Missionary Association to provide higher education opportunities for African Americans, post-emancipation. New Orleans University was established to train African-American teachers.
The University’s seal, which was designed by Dillard, includes the motto “Ex Fide Fortis,” an anchor to represent steadiness, and scales to represent justice. The motto was originally translated by Dillard as “From Confidence Courage.”
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Dillard came to play a role as one of New Orleans’ critical civic anchors. Behind the scenes, Dent played a part in negotiating race relations throughout the city. He worked with Mayor deLesseps S. Morrison on desegregating New Orleans’ public services while promoting University events that spoke to Black identity and pride. Most notable of those events was Dillard’s 1968 Festival of Afro-American Arts.
During his administration, the University added: Henson Hall, named for Matthew Henson; Stern Hall, named after Edgar B. Stern; Lawless Memorial Chapel, dedicated to its benefactor Alfred Lawless Jr. and his father Theodore K. Lawless; and the Will W. Alexander Library. Under his leadership, Dillard gained membership to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1958.
A Nursing Program Pioneer
Dent declared that “a nursing program in Dillard University should develop better persons as well as better nurses; persons who will provide leadership in an increasingly important profession.” Through Flint-Goodridge, African Americans had received much-needed care at affordable costs which included Dent’s nationally acclaimed “Penny-a-Day” insurance plan at $3.65 per year. Therefore, establishing a nursing program was a logical next step. Dent’s vision became a reality in 1942 when Dillard became the first institution of higher learning in Louisiana to establish an accredited baccalaureate program in nursing. A key figure in developing Dillard’s nursing program was Rita E. Miller, a Black nurse who understood and championed professional nursing education. Miller devised a rigorous five-year academic program with high admission standards which led to the program receiving full accreditation from the National League for Nursing in 1952.
Embracing the Liberal Arts
Dr. Broadus N. Butler’s appointment as Dillard’s third president marked, for the University, a renewed commitment to the liberal arts. The series was designed to “bring to the presence of Dillard University students and the New Orleans community a series of men and women who have made distinctive achievements in their own lives and who are themselves living models of the kind of excellence to which our students aspire and which our community should always respect.” The lecture series brought to campus key figures such as Benjamin Elijah Mays, Etta Moten Barnett, Aaron Douglas, Arna Bontemps and A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr.
Recognizing that students required preparation for an increasingly competitive international and multicultural marketplace, Cook set out to expand Dillard’s offerings. In 1989, Cook created the Dillard University National Conference on Black-Jewish Relations from which sprang the Dillard University National Center for Black-Jewish Relations. He added the Japanese studies program in 1990 to prepare students for business and international relations opportunities. The Japanese studies would be the first of its kind at an HBCU and Dillard University National Conference on Black-Jewish Relations was the only one of its kind.
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Cook also raised the requirements for admission, increased student enrollment by 50 percent, raised significant funds to improve the campus and facilities and expanded student services. In the process, alumni engagement grew and he increased the endowment from $5 million to more than $40 million.
Modernization and Growth into the Present
Lomax led an aggressive campaign to renovate and modernize campus facilities and to also improve the University’s profile. He led a $60 million campus renovation program to focus on students’ living and learning environments, and Lomax added the Dillard University International Center for Economic Freedom (DUICEF, now known as Michael and Shaun Jones Hall or Jones Hall) to the campus landscape in 2004.
Barely allowed to settle in at Dillard, Hughes was faced with the threat of Hurricane Katrina only one month after beginning her tenure. As the storm approached the area and a mandatory evacuation had been ordered by the City of New Orleans, Hughes acted quickly to get the students to safety by having them transported to Shreveport. In a savvy move, Hughes later negotiated a deal with the Hilton New Orleans Riverside to continue operations and instruction there as the recovery process began on campus.
With unwavering determination, Hughes facilitated the rebuilding of Dillard’s historic, 55-acre campus which had lost more than $400 million to physical damage and business interruption. In the first year of Hughes’ tenure, and again in 2006, the University raised more than $34 million in public and private gifts and grants, far exceeding any previous annual total in Dillard’s history.
Following the Class of 2010’s commencement exercises, Hughes cut the ribbons for two exciting new facilities, the Professional Schools and Sciences Building and the Student Union and Health and Wellness Center. Both buildings are LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) registered, exemplifying Dillard’s burgeoning commitment to sustainability and environmental initiatives.
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During the summer of 2010, Hughes announced an academic restructuring of the University under a new four-college system with 22 majors that will position Dillard to capitalize on future growth opportunities. The College of General Studies - designed as a two-year gateway program for all incoming freshmen to improve graduation rates, would enhance preparation for majors, and foster kinship among students - now stands alongside the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Professional Studies, and the College of Business.
One of Kimbrough’s strengths has been his ability to keep up with and utilize social media, which had grown too rapidly for traditional higher education leaders. Living up to his moniker, Kimbrough has leveraged hip hop culture to teach his students ethics and leadership.
Dillard’s fundraising has flourished during Kimbrough’s administration. One of his most significant accomplishments was having a $160 million Hurricane Katrina loan from the federal government forgiven in 2018. That paved the way for the University’s endowment to grow from $48 million to $105 million. Also impressive was the alumni giving rate reaching 23 percent. In an almost poetic move, the University found a way to leverage social media to increase its fundraising efforts. Dillard turned its attention to GivingTuesday, a day of online giving which brought in over $64,000 in 24 hours on the University’s first try.
Xavier University of Louisiana: A Beacon of Academic Excellence
Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) is a private historically black Catholic university in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the only Catholic HBCU. Xavier University of Louisiana, on the other hand, is the only Catholic HBCU in the U.S and is famous for its strong pre-medical and pharmacy programs. In fact, Xavier consistently ranks first nationally in placing African American students into medical school and has the second highest number of African American graduates who complete medical school-only behind Howard University. Furthermore, Xavier's College of Pharmacy is one of just two pharmacy schools in Louisiana. Xavier University is preparing the next generation of physicians, lawyers, engineers, and politicians to lead in their fields.
Rooted in Faith and Service
Katharine Drexel, a Catholic nun possessing a substantial inheritance from her father, banker-financier Francis Drexel, founded and staffed many institutions throughout the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries, in an effort to help educate and evangelize Native Americans and African Americans. Aware of the lack of Catholic education for young black people in the South during Jim Crow, she planned to establish a high school in New Orleans.
The high school opened on 27 September 1915 as Southern University of New Orleans,[8] later re-named after Francis Xavier (the namesake of Katharine's father). In May 1916, it was incorporated under the title, "Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People, of Louisiana," according to the laws of the state, and the new name, "Xavier University", was cut into the stone slab above the main entrance. The high school, Xavier Prep, remained in operation until 2013; today, St.
In September 1917, Xavier expanded to include a normal school to provide training for black teachers, as Archbishop James H. Blenk was eager for graduates to teach at six planned new black parishes.
In September 1925, Xavier University of Louisiana came into being when the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences was established, with the Josephite priest Edward Brunner as the first president. This expansion included a Teachers' College and a Pre-Medical Course added to the curriculum for the, "higher education of young men and women of the colored race who aim to equip themselves for leadership in literary and scientific careers, or who wish to prepare for admission into recognized medical schools. The Louisiana Department of Education officially recognized Xavier University as a four-year college on March 19, 1928, with the first degrees awarded that spring. The College of Pharmacy was next to be opened, in 1927. Recognizing the university's need for a separate identity and room to expand, Drexel bought a tract of undeveloped land for a campus on the corner of Palmetto and Pine Streets in 1929.
A Champion of Civil Rights
In May 1961, a group of Freedom Riders, arrived in New Orleans by plane after bus drivers in Alabama refused to take them to Montgomery, Alabama. Locals, aware of the fire bombings and other attacks against other Freedom Riders, refused to accommodate them with lodging out of fear of retaliatory violence. Norman C. Francis, the university's Dean of Men, secretly arranged for the group to stay several days in a dormitory on campus. He had received permission from University President Sister Mary Josephina to allow the group to occupy space on the third floor of St.
Political figures like Ernest N. Morial, the first African American Mayor of New Orleans, and Moon Landrieu, former New Orleans Mayor and Judge, are Xavier University alumni. Another alumna, Dr. Regina Benjamin, served as the 18th Surgeon General of the United States after graduating from Xavier University in 1979.
President Emeritus Dr. Norman C. Francis, the university’s most prominent alumnus, broke barriers as the first African American admitted to Loyola University’s Law School in 1952. He went from student to university staffer and later served a 47-year tenure as the first African American President of Xavier, accepting the role the same day as the assasination of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Francis widely supported civil rights activists during the movement, housing Freedom Riders at Xavier.
Academic Excellence and Innovation
More African-American alumni of Xavier consistently place into medical school and graduate with baccalaureate degrees in the physical sciences and biological sciences than African-American alumni of any other college or university in the United States. Xavier's College of Pharmacy is one of just two pharmacy schools in Louisiana. Xavier consistently ranks among the top three colleges in the nation in graduating African Americans with Pharm.D.
Xavier does not offer engineering degrees but belongs to partnerships with several engineering institutions that automatically admit qualified Xavier science students interested in pursuing a bachelor's in an engineering discipline. Students who successfully complete the program will receive a bachelor's degree from Xavier and the chosen engineering institution in approximately five years.
Established in 2018, Xavier Exponential is the university's holistically selective honors program for high-achieving undergraduate students.
In 2024, Xavier announced its partnership with Ochsner Health to expand medical education and address long-standing health disparities through a new medical school, Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine. The college would become the only medical school in the Gulf South and join the existing four historically Black medical schools: Howard University College of Medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, and the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science.
A Thriving Campus Community
The Xavier athletics teams are called the Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets. XULA competes in 12 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, tennis, track & field and rowing; women's sports include basketball, cross country, softball, tennis, track & field, volleyball, and rowing; and co-ed sports include competitive cheer. Xavier's basketball and volleyball teams compete on campus in the Xavier University Academic Convocation Center.
The Xavier Herald, the university's student newspaper, has served as an outlet of the student voice, especially during the Civil Rights Movement and thereafter. Beginning in November of 1926, Xavier's first 'all-college publication' was Collumni. The Xavier Herald was first published in 1925, coinciding with the first year that Xavier University of Louisiana began offering college-level courses. In 1928, both the Collumni and La Cigale were merged into a single student newspaper, and renamed to The Xavier Herald, to identify the paper more with the university.
The campus of Xavier University of Louisiana is often referred to as "Emerald City" due to the various buildings on campus that have green roofs.
Southern University at New Orleans: Empowering Students Through Education and Engagement
Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) is a vibrant HBCU dedicated to empowering students through quality education and community engagement. Nestled in the heart of New Orleans, SUNO offers a diverse range of undergraduate and graduate programs, emphasizing academic excellence, cultural heritage, and social responsibility. With a commitment to fostering a supportive learning environment, SUNO prepares students to become leaders and changemakers in their fields. Its rich traditions, dedicated faculty, and dynamic campus life make it a unique place for personal and academic growth, reflecting the spirit and resilience of the Crescent City.
A Vision Realized
The idea for SUNO began to take shape in the 1940s, when local black leaders began advocating for a public college for African American students in New Orleans. Despite these obstacles, a group of community activists, led by attorney A.P. Tureaud, continued to push for the establishment of a black college in New Orleans.
SUNO opened its doors in 1959 with just over 160 students.
A Shared Commitment to Excellence
All three universities offer a rich blend of academic programs and extracurricular activities designed to provide a well-rounded college experience. Additionally, being in New Orleans presents a unique cultural backdrop for students, offering a blend of history, arts, music, and world-renowned cuisine. HBCUs in Louisiana help students from all backgrounds advance their education.
Resources for Louisiana HBCU Students
- Common Black College Application: The Common Black College Application lets you apply to many HBCUs by filling out one form. More than 300,000 applicants have used this convenient and affordable service since 2003.
- HBCU First: HBCU First can help you turn your college education into a successful career. Resources include internship and volunteer opportunities.
- HBCU Lifestyle: HBCU Lifestyle’s extensive resources can help you find the best HBCU, prepare for college admissions, and adjust to campus life. Blog posts discuss the HBCU student experience.
- The Hundred-Seven: Visit The Hundred-Seven to research and compare HBCUs’ academic programs. You can narrow your search by state, major, and degree type.
- United Negro College Fund: UNCF does much more than award college scholarships to African Americans. The organization provides in-depth information about HBCUs in Louisiana and other states.
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