Editorial 12/11/06

An Honor Richly Deserved

It is the rare person who is wise, visionary, principled and dedicated to service. Xavier University President Norman Francis is that person. Not only does he possess those qualities, he is a man of great personal warmth. Louisiana is blessed to have him as our own.

Now that he is being presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, perhaps the rest of the nation will get some sense of Dr. Francis' immense contributions to his community, his state and his country.

The Medal of Freedom is the highest honor a civilian can receive, and there is no better recipient for it. As Donald Powell, the president's Gulf Coast recovery coordinator, put it: "I think it's what this award was set up for -- to recognize selfless people who contribute to the betterment of their communities. Nobody has done as much for mankind in that area as Norman Francis."

Mr. Powell has gotten to know Dr. Francis in the 16 months since Hurricane Katrina. Despite having suffered the personal loss of his home and many possessions, Dr. Francis agreed to take on the difficult and time-consuming task of leading the governor's recovery authority. His appointment gave the Louisiana Recovery Authority instant credibility, which was crucial given the state's reputation for political skullduggery.

With Dr. Francis on the job, Louisiana was able to start building trust with the federal government. His sacrifices since Katrina are only the latest evidence of his commitment to the public good. During Dr. Francis' early years as a Xavier administrator, he let Freedom Riders live in a university dorm after their bus was attacked in Alabama. His involvement in the civil rights movement led him to set aside a career in the law and turn his energy to education.

He began his work at Xavier while he was in law school and became president 39 years ago. He is the longest-serving university leader in the nation. During that time, he has built a university with a strong academic record. The university awards more doctor of pharmacy degrees to African-American students than any other institution. It is also first nationally in placing African-American students into medical schools. In addition, Xavier is tops in the number of African-American undergraduates receiving degrees in biology and life sciences. Nearly 25 percent of the more than 6,000 African-American pharmacists practicing in the United States were educated at Xavier. That is a remarkable statistic.

Dr. Francis has served on a long list of education panels and has been president of the American Association of Higher Education and the United Negro College Fund. Over his career, he has received 35 honorary degrees.

The Medal of Freedom is a special addition to those honors. As is typical of him, Dr. Francis went out of his way to recognize "all the people who made this possible, whose shoulders I'm standing on."

The award, he said, is "not for me alone." Oh, but it is. And it is an honor that is richly deserved.