Norman Francis

Norman Christopher Francis (March 20, 1931 – February 18, 2026) was an American academic who served as 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 serve as president of a Catholic university in the United States.

Francis also served as the chairman of the Louisiana Recovery Authority, the state agency in charge of planning the recovery and rebuilding of Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. For his various avenues of service, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from George W. Bush in 2006, and the Laetare Medal from the University of Notre Dame in 2019. He received 35 honorary degrees from colleges and universities around the country.

Early life Francis was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, the son of poor parents, neither of whom had finished high school. His father was a barber who rode to work each day on a bicycle because the family did not own a car. He earned pocket money by shining shoes on Lafayette's main street.

His parents felt that Francis, his three sisters and his brother needed an education. Norman and his brother and sisters attended Catholic schools and his parents saw to it that the children rarely missed school. "I had to have a fever, and really be ill before I dared to try to miss school," he said. His parents also made certain that the children attended Mass on Sunday and were punctual in their religious duties. His brother, Joseph Abel Francis, would later become an auxiliary bishop who retired from active ministry in 1995 and died in 1997.

He said that one reason that he was accepted was because he had been active in the National Federation of Catholic Colleges, where he became acquainted with several of the Jesuit fathers on the Loyola University faculty. Francis graduated from Loyola with honors with a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree in 1955 and he began to practice law. He soon decided that the law was not for him. "I could have made a great deal of money," he said later, "but I could help only a few people. The future belongs to those who are educated, so I turned to education."

Career Francis served in the United States Army from 1956 to 1957 and became a specialist 4. He then rejoined the U.S. Attorney's Office to help integrate federal agencies. About that same time, Francis acted as counsel for the Xavier student body president, Rudolph Lombard, who had been arrested for attempting to integrate the lunch counter at McCrory's on Canal Street in New Orleans. It was those experiences that led him to choose the path of education over that of a law career.

During the turbulent times early on in the Civil Rights Movement, he returned to Xavier.

Francis died at Ochsner Hospital in Jefferson, Louisiana, on February 18, 2026, at the age of 94.

Affiliations Francis served as president of the United Negro College Fund and chairman of the board of directors of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and Educational Testing System and of the Southern Education Foundation. He was a member of the National Commission on Excellence in Education, the National Advisory Research Council of the US Department of Health and Human Resources, and the National Assessment of Higher Education Program.

He was a member of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, the advisory board of the Josephites, the executive committee of the college and University Department of the National Catholic Educational Association, the Board of Trustees of the Catholic University of America, the Board of Regents of Loyola University, and the board of directors of the National Catholic Council for Interracial Justice.

Honors and awards Francis was chairman of the board of Educational Testing Service, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Southern Education Foundation, and president of the American Association of Higher Education and the United Negro College Fund.

He was also a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, received 35 honorary degrees, and was named among the 100 most effective college presidents in a poll published in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

In December 2006, Francis was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

On November 21, 2008, in New Orleans at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Francis celebrated his 40th year as President of Xavier University at the 40th Anniversary Gala, themed "Legacy for a Legend". The event was hosted by Bill Cosby, and featured a performance by Grammy winner Gladys Knight.

On May 19, 2019, Francis received the University of Notre Dame's 2019 Laetare Medal at Notre Dame's 174th University Commencement Ceremony.

After the George Floyd protests of 2020, the city of New Orleans renamed a street in Francis's honor. The thoroughfare, named for Jefferson Davis (the president of the Confederacy), was renamed to Norman C. Francis Parkway, effective January 1, 2021. The road runs by the southern end of Xavier.

Selected Community Honors & Awards Received by Dr. Norman C. Francis

Knight Commanders of the Order of St. Gregory – conferral of Papal Honor by His Holiness Pope John Paul II – January 29, 2000 "From Whence We Came" Award – All State Insurance – February 25, 1999 Whitney M. Young Jr. Award – Boy Scouts of America, New Orleans Area Council – December 2, 1998 St. Martin de Porres Social Justice Award – given by the Southern Dominican Friars Province – November 17, 1998 Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame, 1998 Laureate – May 8, 1998 Pioneer in Education Award (1994) – Institute for Independent Education, Washington, D.C. – October 1, 1994 The Times Picayune Loving Cup of 1991 – Awarded annually to New Orleans citizens who have worked unselfishly for the community without expectation of public recognition or material award. Adjutor Hominum Award – Loyola University New Orleans, President's Council – October 1991 Benjamin Smith Award – American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Louisiana – 1990 Hornblower of the Year – New Orleans Chapter of Public Relations Society of America – June 1990 National Alumni Council of UNCF's Distinguished Service Award – February 17, 1989 Weiss Brotherhood Award – New Orleans Chapter of the National Association of Christians and Jews – November 10, 1988 Friends of Public Education Award – United Teachers of New Orleans – April 25, 1987 10th Annual Integritas Vitae Award – Loyola University – 1986 Jefferson Parish School Board Award - February 25, 1986 Whitney M. Young Jr. Award – Urban League of Greater New Orleans – 1982 Monte M. Lemann Award – Louisiana Civil Service League – July 12, 1974 Torch of Liberty Award – Anti-Defamation League – December 11, 1971

Honorary Degrees from Colleges and Universities

Villanova University (Pennsylvania) – Doctor of Education, 1969 College of the Holy Cross (Massachusetts) – Doctor of Laws, 1969 Seton Hall University (New Jersey) – Doctor of Humane Letters, 1969 St. Michaels College (Vermont) – Doctor of Laws, 1972 Marquette University (Wisconsin) – Doctor of Laws, 1977 St. Peter's College (New Jersey) – Doctor of Humane Letters, 1977 Tulane University (New Orleans) – Doctor of Laws, 1980 Loyola University (New Orleans) – Doctor of Laws, 1982 Hamline University (Minnesota) – Doctor of Laws, 1983 University of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania) – Doctor of Laws, 1983 Miami University (Ohio) – Doctor of Laws, 1985 The Catholic University of America (District of Columbia) – Doctor of Laws, 1986 Hunter College (New York) – Doctor of Humane Letters, 1988 St. Vincent College (Pennsylvania) – Doctor of Humane Letters, 1988 University of Notre Dame (Indiana) – Doctor of Laws, 1988 Johns Hopkins University (Maryland) – Doctor of Humane Letters, 1988 Drexel University (Pennsylvania) – Doctor of Humane Letters, 1990 New York Medical College (New York) – Doctor of Humane Letters, 1992 Rutgers University (New Jersey) – Doctor of Humane Letters, 1993 University of Portland (Oregon) – Doctor of Laws, 1994 Wheelock College (Massachusetts) – Doctor of Education, 1995 Notre Dame Seminary (New Orleans) – Doctor of Letters, 1995 Xavier University (Ohio) – Doctor of Humanities, 1998 Our Lady of the Holy Cross College (New Orleans) – Doctor of Humane Letters, 1998 Felician College (New Jersey) – Doctor of Humane Letters, 1998