This week we celebrate a centennial for Xavier University of Louisiana, marking the month when its College of Liberal Arts and Sciences was established and opened the doors for its first graduates, who would earn their diplomas three years later.
Xavier’s roots date to 1915, when the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament opened a high school on Magazine Street known as Xavier Prep, now St. Katharine Drexel Preparatory School. Mother Drexel was the founder of the religious order whose mission was to serve Black people and Native Americans. Xavier remains America’s only both historically Black and Catholic university.
In September 1925, the college was established. In 1929, Xavier purchased a tract of undeveloped land near Palmetto and Pine streets to expand its campus…