Austin, TX
Huston-Tillotson seeks to expand to California, open first undergraduate HBCU in West Coast
Huston-Tillotson University, a private historically Black college in Austin, is expanding to California in an effort to make HBCU education accessible to students on the West Coast and to further bolster the workforce in Texas.
The faith-based university plans to secure approval for a branch campus from the necessary California agencies by August 2025, President Melva Wallace told the American-Statesman, but it has received approval to start offering coursework remotely to California students, which it plans to start doing in January.
California has no historically Black undergraduate colleges. Texas has 10 such institutions, and Huston-Tillotson is the closest undergraduate HBCU in the nation to California, Wallace said.
Texas has seen an influx of former California residents, and Melva said she thinks this partnership will help strengthen the workforce pipeline even more.
“If it’s working for the corporate and workforce, why don’t we take the lead on building the pipeline for workforce by training more California students to enter into the workforce here?” Wallace asked. “Being the first undergraduate HBCU in California, it’s just an amazing thing.”
The university is partnering with the San Diego Unified School District and National College Resources Foundation, a nonprofit organization that aims to boost higher education completion rates for underrepresented groups, to make this possible. The nonprofit approached Huston-Tillotson to help the group expand HBCU education offerings in California, Wallace said, and they are both still looking for locations in which to put down roots.
Huston-Tillotson California will offer a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an associate degree in liberal studies to start, she said. Once the foundation and university select a space, Huston-Tillotson will know how many students it can accept, Wallace said.
Wallace said that, as a private university, Huston-Tillotson had the capacity to invest in expansion faster than the public HBCUs. Huston-Tillotson and Austin are also both in a moment of growth: Austin and Central Texas are increasingly becoming a hub for technology and manufacturing; and the university enrolled its largest number of first-time students in its history, was ranked the top private HBCU in Texas for 2025 by U.S. News & World Report and accepted its highest number of international students, Wallace said.
Prospective faculty members in California are already showing interest in teaching at a future campus, and “there’s a lot of energy” behind making it a reality, she said.
“There’s a scroll of things longer than I-35 that could possibly fail, but we are focusing on all of the ways that we can make this happen for those kids out there who want to attend an HBCU and just don’t have access,” Wallace said.
An HBCU education has become more desirable to applicants after the U.S. Supreme Court banned affirmative action in 2023, and many states adopted anti-diversity, equity and inclusion legislation limiting supports and resources tailored to students of color, creating a reportedly hostile environment for some underserved communities. HBCUs were founded to help address disparities in education opportunities for Black students, and in 2022, 9% of Black college students, who make up 3% of college student demographics, choose to attend them, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Huston-Tillotson, the first higher education institution in Austin, offers a holistic, personalized education while being a close partner to Austin’s businesses and workforce needs, Wallace said. The university looks forward to reaching more students, she said, and living out the goals set in its strategic plan, which was launched last summer, “From First to Foremost.” It will celebrate its 150th anniversary next year.
“We want to be leaders in providing talent who are not just prepared to come in and sit at the cubicle and do a job, but that they can think critically,” Wallace said about students. “They come with a brightness about them. They come with a joy.”
In the future, Wallace would consider expanding the California campus, and even consider expanding internationally, she said.
“We’re only limited by our imagination,” she said.
AUSTIN, Texas — Austin city leaders gathered on East 11th Street on Juneteenth to celebrate the “Black Artists Matter” mural before it must be removed under an order from the Texas Department of Transportation. The mural and the city’s rainbow crosswalk are slated for removal in compliance with a Texas Department of Transportation directive requiring cities to remove political ideologies from roadways. Last October, Gov. Greg Abbott directed TxDOT to enforce the policy.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson stood on the blocked-off street where the yellow letters spelling “Black Artists Matter” are painted on the roadway’s surface. “We will never forget that when the state decided to target our murals, the community stood together to celebrate our city’s diversity, spirit, and creativity,” Watson said.
Watson criticized the state’s actions, saying, “The state government engages in negative rhetoric and threats, it targets communities that it disagrees with and seeks retribution.”
In response to the order, Watson formed the Public Spaces Task Force to identify other ways to celebrate diversity in Austin.
ALSO| Screwworm medications straining animal shelter budgets across Texas
KEYE
Daphne McDole, chief executive officer of the African American Cultural Heritage District and a member of the task force, said she wanted the event held on Juneteenth because of its significance. “I wanted to do it on Juneteenth, it was significant to me because I knew that that was the day my community would be in the district. We will be celebrating over here all day, so it was appropriate,” McDole said.
Task force members said they are exploring alternatives to honor East Austin’s history and diversity. They noted that city leaders in San Antonio created rainbow sidewalks after removing rainbow crosswalks, but said Austin will pursue its own approach.
Task force chair Steven Rivas said the community is focused on preserving the meaning behind the markings. “We chose to come together as a community and find a way to respect what these markings mean and build upon them. If we can’t have them in the street, we’re going to put them off the street,” Rivas said.
AUSTIN, Texas — The screwworm outbreak is having a major impact on animal shelter budgets across Texas. Instant kill and preventative medications for dogs and cats are an unprecedented expense.
Paul is a rescue dog from South Texas, where he was living on the streets and starving. He is now at Austin Pets Alive! getting Screwworm prevention medication and the treatment he needs to get healthy.
“Any dog that enters our shelter period, but especially if they look like this, we are going over them with a fine-tooth comb and looking for anything that might be a wound where a screwworm might have been able to gain access,” said Dr. Ellen Jefferson, CEO and President of Austin Pets Alive!
RELATED| FDA authorizes generic over-the-counter drug to treat New World screwworm in pets
Dr. Jefferson says dogs and cats need regular checks of their eyes, noses, ears, and underneath their fur. But Austin Pets Alive! says the best protection is a combination of Capstar, which is an instant-kill medication for existing active screwworm larvae, and prescription preventatives that provide ongoing protection when administered every 30 days.
“Just to buy the initial Capstar for our program, it was close to $10,000,” said Rebecca Giamona, Asst. Medical Care Director at Austin Pets Alive!
Giamona says preventative meds are also putting a heavy financial strain on the nonprofit’s budget at a cost of around $70,000.
“We need about 5,000 doses of the monthly preventative, and they are roughly $14 to $15 per dose,” said Giamona.
Products with the active ingredients ending in l, a, n, e, r are highly effective at preventing and treating infestations. But keeping Paul and every shelter animal up to date will take help from the public.
“Donations, and hopefully some more donations,” said Giamona.
An infestation of New World Screwworm can be painful, disfiguring, and potentially deadly for animals. Most cases involve livestock, especially cattle, but dogs and cats can also get infestations.
AUSTIN, Texas – Central Texans gather to celebrate Juneteenth or “Freedom Day” on June 19 and commemorate the end of slavery.
What you can do:
The Greater East Austin Youth Association (GEAYA) is hosting the Central Texas Juneteenth Parade and Festival today (6/19).
It’s free and taking place at Rosewood Park in East Austin located at 2300 Rosewood Ave.
The schedule for the events is as follows:
- ACME Juneteenth FunRun – 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
- Juneteenth Historical Parade – 10 AM – 12 PM
- Park Celebration and Fireworks – 12 PM – 9:45 PM
Other events
On June 20, the Carver Kickback: Juneteenth Edition will be taking place 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural, and Genealogy Center located at 1165 Angelina Street.
It will be a day of celebration and remembrance and there will be BBQ plates and music as well as vendors and hands-on activations.
The backstory:
Juneteenth commemorates the end of formal slavery in Texas on June 19, 1865, two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, and more than one month following the end of the American Civil War.
Colloquially known as “The Black 4th of July,” Juneteenth marks the beginning of an African American journey to carve a new place in society for free people to shape identities independent of racial caricature, eradicate slave culture, promote ethnic pride, and create economic prosperity.
The Source: Information from City of Austin and Greater East Austin Youth Association and reporting by Jessica Rivera.
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