Xavier First HBCU in U.S., First Louisiana University to Establish Confucius Institute

Xavier University of Louisiana have signed a historic agreement that will make Xavier the first HBCU in the nation and the first university in Louisiana to establish a Confucius Institute (CI).

Dr. Loren J. Blanchard, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs led a four-member delegation that consisted of Dr. Monique Guillory, Special Assistant to the Administration, Dr. Rosalind Hale, Chair of Xavier’s Division of Education, and Ms. Julia Wilson, an international consultant. The official document was endorsed by Ms. Lin Xu, Director General of Hanban, the Confucius Institute headquarters in Beijing.

In the process of developing the focus for the Institute, Xavier has partnered with Hebei University in Baoding, China. The two universities recently formalized their collaborative agreement upon the opening of the 6th Annual Confucius Institute Conference in Beijing. Xavier’s CI application was the only one approved in conjunction with this meeting. Joint programming for Xavier’s CI will specifically target language instruction (Mandarin and English), Education, Pharmacy and Art.

Xavier's journey to the Confucius Institute began nearly two years ago through a cultural and economic delegation sent to China through the National Urban League. Urban League President and CEO, Marc Morial, was present at the inception of Xavier's Confucius Institute and is pleased to see the idea come to fruition.

"The Confucius Institute at Xavier will be an essential step towards showcasing the richness of New Orleans and Xavier University to the world. Hopefully this will be the first of many similar initiatives at historically black colleges and universities to promote intellectual and cultural exchange with China," Morial said.

Click here to read the full press release.