PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (November 25, 2019) –  A major gift from Charles Butt, Chairman and CEO of H-E-B, to Prairie View A&M University will provide the institution with a half-million dollars to establish scholarships for high achieving students seeking to become educators.  The university received a $250,000 donation from Butt to create the Mary Elizabeth Holdsworth Endowment. The Texas A&M University System will match these funds.

“Research continues to show that having teachers of color in the classroom helps close the achievement gap for students of color. For 140 years, Prairie View has prepared minority students to become world-class educators and administrators.  I thank Charles Butt for his generosity in helping Prairie View continue this legacy,” said Prairie View A&M University President Ruth J. Simmons.

Outstanding upper-level students enrolled in the Whitlowe R. Green College of Education at Prairie View who receive the Mary Elizabeth Holdsworth Scholarship will be encouraged to pursue careers in public education.

As a passionate advocate of public education in Texas, Charles Butt’s philanthropic efforts established The Holdsworth Center and created the Raising Texas Teachers Scholarship Fund. He is also the founder of the Raise Your Hand Texas, an advocacy organization committed to teacher preparation and the development of public school leaders.

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