World News
University's Drexel scholarships open to best in class from across US
Published: November 8, 2010
PHILADELPHIA (CNS) -- The Katharine Drexel Scholarships established earlier this year at Xavier University of Louisiana allow valedictorians and salutatorians from any Catholic high school in the United States to apply for full scholarships to attend the Catholic university in New Orleans. The scholarships honor the vision of St. Katharine Drexel, a native of Philadelphia who founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. In 1925, she and the sisters founded Xavier, which is the nation's only historically black Catholic university. At the same time, the university also has established Norman C. Francis Scholarships, named for its current president. These are scholarships for valedictorians or salutatorians from public schools in Louisiana's Orleans and Jefferson parishes, which are civil entities. According to university officials, the two new scholarship programs reinforce Xavier University's Catholic foundation and values and increases access to higher education for some of the nation's and the region's underrepresented and disadvantaged students. The school welcomes students of all races and religions. "High school valedictorians and salutatorians have many choices when it comes to attending college," said Loren Blanchard, Xavier's senior vice president for academic affairs. "Although Xavier is already a popular choice for many, we want all of them to be aware that there are no financial barriers to attend Xavier because of their outstanding academic performance. "And as far as we know, Xavier is the first university to offer such a far-reaching scholarship opportunity to Catholic high school graduates," she said.
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