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ENROLLED
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 24
BY REPRESENTATIVE TERRY LANDRY
A RESOLUTION
To designate Tuesday, March 17, 2026, as Historically Black Colleges and Universities
(HBCU) Day at the state capitol.
WHEREAS, HBCUs play a vital role in expanding educational opportunities,
strengthening communities, and preparing generations of leaders who contribute to the
economic, cultural, and civic vitality of the state; and
WHEREAS, for nearly two centuries, HBCUs have stood as enduring symbols of
resilience, opportunity, and excellence; opened doors to higher education; and cultivated
generations of scholars, leaders, innovators, and public servants whose contributions
continue to enrich Louisiana, the nation, and the world; and
WHEREAS, HBCUs have not only transformed lives but also strengthened the
economy and workforce by aligning academic programs with the evolving needs of society
and preparing graduates who excel as scientists, doctors, educators, artists, lawyers, judges,
engineers, entrepreneurs, public servants, and community leaders whose impact resonates
across every sector of society; and
WHEREAS, the HBCU tradition of excellence, leadership, and service is powerfully
embodied in the life of Dr. Norman C. Francis, a Xavier University of Louisiana graduate
who went on to integrate Loyola University New Orleans College of Law; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Francis provided more than fifty-eight years of service to Xavier,
including forty-seven as its president; he had the distinction of becoming one of the longest
serving university presidents in the nation; through his visionary leadership, unwavering
dedication, and commitment to opportunity, he transformed Xavier into a national model of
higher education that has shaped generations of scholars, health professionals, and civic
leaders and expanded access, fostered growth, and advanced academic excellence for
students across Louisiana and the United States; and
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HR NO. 24 ENROLLED
WHEREAS, Louisiana's HBCUs have distinguished themselves, both nationally and
in the state, in numerous ways; and
WHEREAS, Dillard University continues its longstanding tradition of academic
excellence and national competitiveness; the university's nationally recognized Honda
Campus All-Star Challenge team advanced to the 2025 National Championship Tournament
in Los Angeles for the third consecutive year, and the university participated in a premier
academic quiz competition that celebrates scholarship and teamwork; the university recently
received a historic $19 million gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, which is the largest
private donation in the university's history, to support student success, scholarships, and
institutional advancement; and
WHEREAS, Grambling State University remains a pillar of opportunity and
leadership in Louisiana and has advanced academic innovation through the establishment
of the state's first Ph.D. program in criminology and justice administration; the university
also celebrates a proud legacy of achievement marked by one hundred years of Tiger
Athletics and one hundred years of the World Famed Tiger Marching Band; and
WHEREAS, Southern University and A&M College, the flagship institution of the
Southern University System and a Carnegie Research 2 institution, continues more than one
hundred forty-six years of leadership in higher education while opening a
forty-eight-million-dollar state-of-the-art STEM complex and Global Innovation and
Welcome Center and celebrating the internationally recognized "Human Jukebox" Marching
Band being named ESPN's Band of the Year for 2025; and
WHEREAS, Southern University Law Center continues to expand access to justice
and experiential legal education through the construction of a new Clinical Legal Education
Building, which strengthens opportunities for students while enhancing legal services for the
Baton Rouge community; and
WHEREAS, Southern University at New Orleans, which celebrates seventy years
of excellence and service to the Greater New Orleans community, recently hosted the
first-ever Egyptian-commissioned replica King Tutankhamun exhibition at a historically
black college or university and celebrated the SUNO Men's Basketball Team capturing the
2026 HBCU Athletic Conference Tournament Championship, its first conference title since
2012; and
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HR NO. 24 ENROLLED
WHEREAS, Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center
continues to advance agricultural innovation and workforce development as the only
historically black college or university selected as a site for the United States Department
of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service Laboratory; the university also provides
hands-on learning through programs such as its viticulture and enology research vineyard
and the VET Explore program preparing future veterinarians; and
WHEREAS, Southern University at Shreveport continues to strengthen workforce
development and community impact in North Louisiana through the Aerospace Technology
Center, which serves as the region's premier training hub for aviation technicians; the
university also expands community partnerships, including a re-entry workforce training
initiative with the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office, and advances entrepreneurship through the
Roy Griggs School of Business; and
WHEREAS, Xavier University of Louisiana continues its legacy of academic
excellence established under the leadership of Dr. Norman C. Francis and remains a national
leader in preparing students for careers in health professions; the university ranks among the
nation's leading producers of African American undergraduates who go on to complete
medical school and is one of the top producers of African American Doctor of Pharmacy
graduates, which contributes significantly to the educational, cultural, and economic vitality
of the State of Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, it is most fitting to commend Louisiana's Historically Black Colleges
and Universities and their numerous alumni for their outstanding achievements and
contributions to their local communities, the state of Louisiana, the United States, and the
world.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby designate Tuesday, March 17, 2026, as Historically
Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Day at the state capitol and does hereby
acknowledge Louisiana's HBCUs for their invaluable contributions to our residents and state.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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