NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Dr. Norman C. Francis shaped Xavier University of Louisiana into a national leader in sciences and health professions during his record 47-year presidency, officials said. He took the helm on April 4, 1968 — the day Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated — and stepped down in 2015.

Enrollment tripled under Francis. The campus expanded with new buildings and adjacent properties. Capital campaigns bolstered finances. Xavier now ranks first nationally in Black students earning degrees in biology, life sciences, chemistry, physics and pharmacy, according to the U.S. Department of Education. It has topped placements of Black students into medical schools since 1993.

“Dr. Francis was one of the most consequential leaders in the history of American higher education,” current Xavier President Dr. Reynold Verret said. Verret credited Francis with nurturing the school’s Catholic and historically Black identity while building its reputation in STEM fields.

Francis earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush in 2006. He chaired the Louisiana Recovery Authority after Hurricane Katrina, securing nearly $30 billion for rebuilding, including $13.4 billion in Road Home housing funds and over $7 billion for levees, state records show. Former Gov. Kathleen Blanco appointed him to the post.

New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno called Francis a giant whose commitment to civil rights and education transformed the city. During her time on the City Council, she helped rename a parkway after him. “His life’s work will continue to inspire generations,” she said.

Former New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial, now president of the National Urban League, praised Francis’ foresight in STEM. “He built world-class science and pre-medical programs,” Morial said. “His impact on HBCUs will resonate for generations.”

Francis held chairs at Liberty Bank and Trust, the New Orleans Aviation Board and the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation. Nationally, he led the Educational Testing Service, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, College Board, Southern Education Foundation and American Association of Higher Education. He headed the UNCF and SACSCOC, the accrediting body for over 11,000 institutions in 11 states.

Xavier revealed a statue of Francis in February 2024. At the event, he recalled boarding a segregated train at 17 from Lafayette, Louisiana, to attend the school. There he met his wife, Blanche MacDonald; they raised six children. “Xavier is the place we will always love and support,” he said.

“He led with unwavering love, intellectual rigor and moral clarity,” Verret said. The university named him president emeritus in 2015. Xavier, the nation’s only historically Black Catholic college, has produced pharmacists, doctors, judges, lawyers, university presidents, members of Congress and a U.S. Surgeon General.

Francis’ family remembered him as “Daddy.” “His legacy lives on through the countless lives he inspired,” they said in a statement. He is survived by children, grandchildren and extended family.