HR349 - Commemorating the 150th anniversary of Huston-Tillotson University.

      H.R. No. 349       R E S O L U T I O N          WHEREAS, The oldest higher education institution in Austin,   Huston-Tillotson University, is marking its 150th anniversary on   February 28, 2025; and          WHEREAS, The historically Black university traces its roots   back to 1875 when it was originally founded as Tillotson Collegiate   and Normal Institute in honor of the Reverend George Jeffrey   Tillotson; early on, the college benefited from the support of the   Freedmen's Aid Society of the American Missionary Association, and   in 1909, it became known as Tillotson College; the school went on to   serve as a junior college and a women's college before becoming a   senior, coeducational institution in 1931; and          WHEREAS, Samuel Huston College was first organized by the   Reverend George Warren Richardson in 1876, when he leased St. Paul   Methodist Episcopal Church in Dallas; the school relocated to   Austin in 1878 and was housed in what is now Wesley United Methodist   Church; renamed in 1887 in honor of benefactor Samuel Huston of   Iowa, it was approved as a senior college by the Texas Department of   Education in 1926; and          WHEREAS, Located less than one mile apart in East Austin, the   two schools merged in 1952 to become the sole provider of higher   education for African Americans in Central Texas until Brown   v.   Board of Education was decided two years later; the institution   officially changed its name to Huston-Tillotson University in 2005,   and today, it boasts an enrollment of more than 1,000 students on   its 23-acre campus and offers a wide range of undergraduate   degrees, as well as graduate degrees in business administration and   educational leadership; the university is a member of the Red River   Athletic Conference and is ably guided by president and CEO   Dr. Melva K. Wallace; and          WHEREAS, Since its inception, Huston-Tillotson University   has provided its students with an education that has enriched them   both academically and personally, and in so doing, it has made   important contributions to the Lone Star State and beyond; now,   therefore, be it          RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas   Legislature hereby commemorate the 150th anniversary of   Huston-Tillotson University and extend to the school's faculty,   students, staff, and alumni sincere best wishes for the future;   and, be it further          RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be   prepared for the university as an expression of high regard by the   Texas House of Representatives.     Cole     ______________________________   Speaker of the House                 I certify that H.R. No. 349 was adopted by the House on March   6, 2025, by a non-record vote.     ______________________________   Chief Clerk of the House