The first female president of Huston-Tillotson University has announced that she will be calling it a career with her retirement coming on June 1.
Dr. Colette Pierce Burnette has been the president of the historically black university since 2015 and was the first female president since the merger of Huston and Tillotson College. The Cleveland, Ohio, native said that her hopes for the future are for the university to keep the momentum and “radiate as a jewel in the violet crown of Austin” and continue to transform lives of students and their families, as reported by KUT 90.5.
Burnette’s accomplishments in the community have not gone unnoticed, with Austin Mayor Steve Adler praising her leadership.
“President Pierce Burnette is one of the most valued leaders in our community and her reach is among the most encompassing,” Adler tweeted. "She has done so much for @HustonTillotson, and I'm sure will continue to get a lot done before her retirement!”
While she has been president, endowment at the university has reportedly increased by 55%, according to a recent press release by the university. Burnette was praised by the university, with the release saying Burnette’s tenure has been “one success after another.” This past year she led the university through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission of Colleges (SACSCOC) reaccreditation. Also under her leadership, the university started various new degree programs.
During Burnette's tenure, Huston-Tillotson has also opened the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, started a master of business administration program focused on people who are working, and also expanded the Center for Adult and Continuing Education while creating the Center for Academic Innovation and Transformation. Burnette also had the daunting task of overseeing the transition to online in March 2020 in response to the pandemic in just two weeks time. The university successfully reopened to in-person instruction this fall for the first time since spring 2020.
“Huston-Tillotson University (HT) has been blessed to have Dr. Burnette’s leadership for the past seven years,” said Board of Trustees Chair Carol McDonald in the released statement. “Her vision and perseverance have made HT a stronger, more vibrant and more visible institution in Austin and beyond.”
McDonald added that in the coming weeks there will be a national search to find her successor.