Norman Francis
Norman Francis | |
|---|---|
 Francis receives Presidential Medal of Freedom, 2006, from George W. Bush | |
| Born | Norman Christopher Francis March 20, 1931 Lafayette, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died | February 18, 2026 (aged 94) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Education | Xavier University of Louisiana (BS) Loyola University New Orleans (JD) |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Employer | Xavier University of Louisiana |
| Known for | First Black student at Loyola University New Orleans; first lay president of Xavier. |
| Board member of | UNCF, ETS |
| Awards | Presidential Medal of Freedom |
Norman Christopher Francis (March 20, 1931 – February 18, 2026) was an American academic. He was the president of Xavier University of Louisiana from 1968 to 2015. He was the first Black and first lay president of the school, and the second African American to ever be president of a Catholic university in the United States.[1][2] Francis was born in Lafayette, Louisiana.
Francis also was the Louisiana Recovery Authority, the state agency in charge of planning the recovery of Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita.[3]
He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from George W. Bush in 2006.
Francis died on February 18, 2026 at a hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana at the age of 94.[4]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ "Xavier University of Louisiana". Archived from the original on 2015-04-18. Retrieved 2013-03-10.
- ↑ "America's Longest-Presiding University President: An Interview with Dr. Norman C. Francis of Xavier University of Louisiana". The Black Collegian. Archived from the original on 17 August 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
- ↑ Katherine Mangan "America's Longest-Serving College President Has More to Do" The Chronicle of Higher Education January 14, 2013 paid content
- ↑ "Norman C. Francis, who shaped Xavier and New Orleans, dies at 94". Verite News. February 18, 2026. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
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