Austin, TX – Dr. Beverly L. Downing, Associate Provost and Interim Director of Institutional Planning, Research, and Assessment at Huston-Tillotson University, has been selected by the Commonwealth of The Bahamas to receive one of the nation’s highest honors under the provisions of the National Honours Act.
Dr. Downing will be awarded The Order of Excellence, a prestigious national honor established in 2016 and reserved exclusively for non-Bahamian citizens. The award recognizes foreign dignitaries and friends of The Bahamas whose exceptional contributions have had a lasting and positive impact on the nation.
“I am deeply honored and genuinely caught off guard by this recognition,” said Dr. Downing. “As an educator, your purpose is to invest in your students and help them achieve their goals. The Bahamian students I have recruited, taught, and mentored over the years made that work both meaningful and rewarding. I am incredibly proud of each of them and all they have accomplished.”
Since the 1980s, Dr. Downing has made a profound impact as an educator and advocate for student-athletes by recruiting, educating, and mentoring more than 300 Bahamian students at colleges and universities throughout the United States. Many of these graduates have returned to The Bahamas to become influential leaders in government, education, business, media, national security, healthcare, and other vital sectors, making significant contributions to the nation’s growth and development.
Dr. Downing’s decades of commitment to expanding educational opportunities and fostering leadership have strengthened the longstanding relationship between The Bahamas and the United States while creating opportunities that have transformed the lives of hundreds of students and their families.
The official investiture ceremony will take place on October 12, 2026, in Nassau, The Bahamas, where Dr. Downing will be formally presented with The Order of Excellence.
This distinguished recognition celebrates Dr. Downing’s extraordinary legacy of educational leadership, mentorship, and unwavering dedication to the people of The Bahamas. Huston-Tillotson University joins colleagues, former students, and friends around the world in congratulating Dr. Downing on this remarkable and well-deserved honor.
About Huston-Tillotson University
Huston-Tillotson University, the first institution of higher education in Austin, Texas, has roots dating back to 1875. HT is an independent, church-related, historically black, four-year liberal arts institution located on a 23-acre tree-lined campus near downtown in East Austin. Huston-Tillotson University’s mission remains committed to its legacy of educating a mosaic community of learners while cultivating innovative leaders who are dedicated to academic excellence and service. The University offers associate and master’s degrees in addition to Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in more than 19 areas of study. Huston-Tillotson University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate, baccalaureate and master’s degrees. HT is also an NC-SARA school. For more information, please visit www.htu.edu.
