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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
ARTICLE VIEW:
Huston-Tillotson University receives single largest donation to an HBCU
with $150 million gift, school says
By Jordan D. Brown, CNN
Updated:
10:10 AM EDT, Fri September 19, 2025
Source: CNN
Huston-Tillotson University, a private university in Austin, Texas,
will receive a $150 million donation over the next 10 years – the
single-largest gift ever given to a historically Black college or
university.
In honor of the university’s 150th anniversary, Ross Moody, trustee
and vice president of The Moody Foundation, announced the charitable
organization’s historic gift during the university’s Thursday to a
roar of applause and cheers.
The large donation comes as the Trump administration continues to crack
down on diversity, equity and inclusion programs at public
universities. President Donald Trump also recently redirected nearly
after cutting grants for Hispanic-serving colleges.
Huston-Tillotson’s president and CEO, Melva K. Wallace, said the
donation will be “transformational” for the historically Black
liberal arts university.
“I see this as an endorsement of what we’re doing and a rocket
booster to help us get to the next level,” Wallace told CNN. “The
difference maker is that this is truly going to help students.”
The donation will go toward supporting students through scholarships
and expanding university housing and campus buildings, Wallace said.
It is the largest gift the Texas-based Moody Foundation has donated in
its 83-year history.
In 2023, The Moody Foundation pledged to donate by 2035 towards
education in Texas. Ross Moody said this gift represents the
foundation’s belief in education and Huston-Tillotson.
The foundation originally intended to gift the university $130 million,
but its vice president said, “Our belief in (Huston-Tillotson’s)
vision and in this university’s future moved us to do more.”
The Moody Foundation has donated to Huston-Tillotson over the past five
decades, totaling over $1.3 million since 1968, said Elle Moody, the
foundation’s senior vice president of grants.
“This institution is special in more ways than most are aware and are
deserving of a grant of this magnitude,” Elle Moody said in a
statement to CNN.
She said the foundation hopes to send a clear message with its
donation. “We believe in Huston-Tillotson, and we’re committed to
supporting the next 150 years.”
What is now known as Huston-Tillotson was founded in 1875 by George J.
Tillotson. The Tillotson Collegiate and Normal Institute was chartered
in 1877 with a goal of providing teacher training and quality education
for African Americans.
The school was renamed Tillotson College in 1909 and officially
recognized as a four-year institution in 1931. Over 20 years later,
Tillotson College merged with Samuel Huston College to establish
Huston-Tillotson College in 1952.
The institution was renamed to Huston-Tillotson University in 2005. The
23-acre campus is home to 1,059 students this semester, Wallace said.
Linda Y. Jackson, vice president for institutional advancement, said
the university has overcome every obstacle thrown its way over the last
150 years. Through segregation, the Civil Rights Movement and the Black
Lives Matter movement, the lone HBCU in Austin, Texas, is still
standing, she said.
“We have been through every single thing, but there’s one component
that’s at the core of what we do here at Huston-Tillotson University,
and that is the fact that students are here to fulfill their dreams and
aspirations,” Jackson told CNN.
Foundation has history of supporting Texas universities
The Moody Foundation was founded in 1942 by W.L. Moody Jr. and Libbie
Shearn Moody. Moody Jr., founder of Moody National Bank, was an
entrepreneur across several fields: banking, insurance, hotels,
ranching and newspaper printing.
He created the foundation with his wife to share their wealth and make
a difference in the lives of Texans. Their family is carrying out their
wish with the foundation now led by Frances Moody-Dahlberg, Ross Moody
and Elle Moody.
This foundation has donated to several universities in Texas including
, and .
Wallace called the Moody family “angels of change” for their
investment in education at Huston-Tillotson.
“(The Moodys) support education. They support this institution. They
support Texas and I hope that it becomes a symbol of infectious
generosity, where one person is inspired to do something and then
others begin to follow suit,” Wallace said.
The Moodys’ gift tops the in 2024 that previously held the title for
largest-single donation to a historically Black college or university.
Wallace hopes Huston-Tillotson doesn’t carry the rank for long, and
encourages other philanthropists to follow the Moodys.
“I’m calling out all philanthropists out there to top this, because
our HBCUs need it, and they deserve it,” Wallace said.
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