Single Hero
Explore Austin College
in words
“This community of learning ... will excite you, stretch you, expand your world, and make you believe in yourself. This college does marvelous things to multiply talents and to develop character.”Loren PopeAuthor of Colleges that Change Lives
Quiet on the set, please.
Hear directly from our students as they share their experiences and insights. Discover what makes Austin College truly special from those who know it best.
Why I Chose Austin College
We asked Austin College students on how they made the decision to come to Austin College.
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“I knew I’d be challenged to do my best at AC.” Jordan Hudgins '27 |
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“I chose Austin College because of the inclusive and uplifting environment. There is always someone in my corner.” Lupita Reel ’26 |
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“JanTerm changed my life. Challenging myself to dive into unfamiliar disciplines in unfamiliar places completely redefined my passions and career goals. I can't imagine a more fulfilling experience.” Christine Tomasino '24 |
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Our mission statement is our North Star.
Austin College is a private, primarily residential, undergraduate liberal arts college committed to academic excellence and devoted to preparing students for rewarding careers and full, engaged, and meaningful lives. Along with a core foundation in the liberal arts and sciences, the College also offers pre-professional, professional, and graduate programs.
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Founded by the Presbyterian Church in 1849, Austin College continues its relationship with the church and its commitment to a heritage that values personal growth, justice, community, and service.
An Austin College education emphasizes academic excellence, intellectual and personal integrity, and participation in community life. Thus Austin College affirms the importance of:
- a community that through its size, diversity, and programs fosters lively intellectual and social interaction among persons of different origins, experiences, beliefs, accomplishments, and goals;
- a program that does not discriminate with regard to religion or creed, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, physical disability, age, or economic status;
- a faculty that acknowledges teaching, sustained by active commitment to professional growth and development, as its primary responsibility;
- a student body of committed learners, actively involved in the programs of the college and in service to the greater community;
- a climate of civility and respect that encourages free inquiry and the open expression of ideas;
- and a non-sectarian education that fosters the exploration and development of values through an awareness of the world’s religious, philosophical, and cultural traditions.
Empowering Minds, Inspiring Futures
Why Our Faculty Choose Austin College
Dr. Saritha Bangara
Associate Professor of Public Health
"The intimate nature of Austin College’s relatively smaller class sizes lends itself to developing a close and personal rapport with my students. The benefit is mutual as I have the pleasure of speaking to faces with names and individual personalities rather than lecturing to the anonymity of 200 or more students in a crowded lecture hall. In turn, I feel our students appreciate the individualized attention they receive and the personal touches that come with that when addressing their questions during office hours or when it comes time for letters of recommendation. Moreover, the environment at Austin College lends itself to facilitating discourse over the passivity of didactics. It fosters an atmosphere wherein students feel at ease to pose questions that are sometimes outside the box, which makes what I do all the more exciting and fulfilling. My aim is preparing them for the next step in their academic careers and, eventually, as future colleagues who share the common goal of mitigating the emergence and sequelae of pervasive diseases as fellow public health professionals and clinicians."
Dr. Patrick Duffey
Professor of Spanish
"I chose to teach at AC--and I have chosen to keep teaching here for going on 30 years now--because it is a place that values above all else the mentoring relationship between students and faculty. It continues to be a close-knit, egalitarian, inclusive community of smart, caring students, staff, and professors. Everyone wants to put in extra effort to help each other learn more, opening minds and hearts in service to others. I have always wanted to be part of such an intellectual and spiritual community. Whether I'm teaching about Latin American dance moves in the classroom, or playing a game and having a culturally authentic meal with students in the Spanish House, or analyzing short stories written by the most recent generation of Latin American women, or presenting a talk on my own publications about the relationship between film and Latin American literature, I feel like I am doing what I was meant to do. I love it here"
Dr. Renee Countryman
Professor of Psychology
"I chose to teach at Austin College because of the freedom to design timely, engaging courses (i.e. Brain Health, The Science and Practice of Yoga, Clinical Neuroscience). I continue to love teaching at Austin College because of the community of intellectually curious students and fellow faculty that I am surrounded by. I am lucky enough to have a career that fosters my passion for life-long learning, and I get to share that with students every day."
Dr. Kirk Everist
Associate Professor of Theatre
"Austin College is particularly special to me because I find in its application of its mission to create a life of the mind, that is residential liberal arts experience, is not just about setting aside four years of your life to just consume all the information you can and to go do a job somewhere that is determined by your major. Instead this is a place where people come to figure out who they are and being a part of that process is something special."