Courtesy of Xavier University of Louisiana
U.S. Representative and Xavier University of Louisiana Alum Troy Carter (LA-02) secured $2.5 million for Xavier University of Louisiana for the development of a pre-health advising and STEM education center.
As part of a $17.5 million government funding package advocated by Congressman Troy Carter, Xavier’s funding is one of seven projects included in the Community Funding Project. The Community Funding Project will provide mental health services, student services, public health research, local parks upgrades, and contribute to building a new public athletic venue. The community project will directly benefit the people of Louisiana’s Second Congressional District, including funding student services at Xavier University.
“This gift means so much for Xavier University, our current students, and our graduates,” said Xavier University of Louisiana President, Reynold Verret. “This year, we were recognized as the highest performing Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in terms of return on investment for graduates and we ranked number three in the state. Last year, Xavier was recognized for ranking highly in terms of graduates’ social mobility. We have been quietly working and pushing forward but this is Xavier’s time. We are changing lives, and this is the kind of support we need to continue providing quality education to our students and assisting them in securing opportunities for their futures.”
The funding will be used to renovate St. Michael’s, an on-campus residence hall for first-year students. The historic hall, having been a place of refuge for the Freedom Riders in 1963, will become a center for pre-health advising and STEM education for Xavier students.
“This is a historic day for southeast Louisiana,” said Congressman Carter, a Xavier University graduate (1986). “These seven projects have the potential to do an enormous amount of good in Louisiana’s Second Congressional District, and I am so proud to have fought for their inclusion and funding in this Congressional appropriations package. This $17.5 million in funding announced today will go directly to our community, funding critical projects that will help boost our local economy as well as improve the health, well-being, environment, and public safety for the people of southeast Louisiana.”
The full twelve-bill government funding package was approved on Wednesday, March 9, 2022. The funding will help middle-class families with the cost of living, create jobs, support the vulnerable, and aid small businesses and restaurants that are key to the nation’s economic future. In his speech to the House of Representatives, Congressman Carter stated, “HBCUs are built to educate and celebrate the Black community when very few would. At Xavier University in New Orleans, my mother was able to bring six children to class while she finished her college degree. Little did she know that her children and grandchildren would later attend and graduate from the very same university.”
