First United Methodist Church of Austin eliminates debt for Huston-Tillotson students

On Saturday, hundreds of students walked across the graduation stage on the athletic field at Huston-Tillotson University. About 200 of them graduated with a huge weight off their shoulders thanks to a gift of more than $450,000 from the First United Methodist Church of Austin intended to eliminate student debt.

The relationship between Huston-Tillotson, a Historically Black University just east of downtown Austin, and the First United Methodist dates back to the 1800s. But it’s the first time the church has presented the school with such a gift.

The idea came during a conversation between leaders of each organization, Huston-Tillotson Vice President Wayne Knox said.

“The church leader had a discussion with our university president, just talking about the institution and talking about how we can continue to partner,” Knox said. “And in that conversation, the pastor asked us, ‘How could we help?'”

University President Colette Pierce Burnette shared with the church that many Huston-Tillotson students had been financially challenged by the pandemic and were struggling to pay for school — some of them even in jeopardy of dropping out, Knox said.

So, the First United Methodist Church offered to help.

“HT has faith-based roots with founders from the United Methodist Church and a strong partnership with FUMC,” the Rev. Taylor Fuerst, senior pastor of First United Methodist, said in a statement. “This partnership is an opportunity for transformation in all our lives and the community which binds us together.”

About 200 students benefited from the gift, and many of them graduated Saturday debt-free. The class of 2021 has plans to go into education, engineering, business, social services and more, Knox said.

“The gift allowed the students to achieve the ultimate goal, which was to earn their college degree,” he said.

A gift of this nature is unprecedented in the history of Huston-Tillotson, Knox said.

“We are just overly excited and humbled by the rich gift from First United Methodist,” Knox said. “Rich, not just in dollars, but rich in terms of the spirit in which it was given. It was given just to simply help.”

In addition to the class of 2021, Saturday’s commencement celebrated the class of 2020, which was not able to have an in-person commencement due to the pandemic. The Huston-Tillotson classes of 1970 and 1971 were also present to celebrate the 50th anniversaries of their own commencements.

Mae Jemison, the first Black woman to ever travel into space, was the ceremony’s commencement speaker.

“Dr. Jemison, being the first African American female to go to space, has a testimony in and of herself about defying the odds and moving forward,” Knox said, adding that Huston-Tillotson students have defied the odds themselves.

“We’re just over the moon proud of our graduates,” Knox said. “They are the embodiment of grit and persistence. Being able to finish out their collegiate studies in the midst of the global pandemic — that’s unprecedented.”