Suzanne Austin

Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs

Suzanne Austin became provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs at the College of Charleston on July 1, 2020. In this role, Austin serves as the chief academic officer of the College of Charleston and is a key member of the president's senior staff. She oversees academic programs, faculty affairs and many academic support functions, and works to ensure that the College of Charleston fulfills its institutional mission and goals.

Before joining the College, Austin served as senior vice provost and senior international officer at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), a public research university with 23,000 students and $600 million in external research funding. In this role, Austin led UAB's strategic internationalization efforts through the Office of Global Engagement that includes the INTO UAB Center, International Education, International Student and Scholar Services and Education Abroad. She also led the Offices of Faculty Affairs, Service Learning and Undergraduate Research, the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), the UAB Writing Center, National and International Fellowships and Scholarships and UAB Army ROTC. In addition, she led strategic initiatives to enhance UAB's online offerings and increase enrollments through the Division of eLearning and Professional Studies.

Before becoming senior vice provost and senior international officer at UAB, Austin served in several senior administrative positions at the University of Delaware including interim dean of the College of Education, associate provost for academic affairs, divisional dean for the Social Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences, and chair of the Department of Art. Austin has been awarded an American Council on Education Fellowship and a Bryn Mawr Institute for Women Leaders Fellowship. She has also earned certification from the Society for College and University Planning.

Austin has been actively engaged in community service, particularly in the area of workforce development. While at UAB, she served as a board member and member of the executive committee for the regional workforce council for central Alabama. Austin also served on the education and workforce steering committees for the United Way of Birmingham, and she chaired the Workforce Development Committee for the Birmingham Business Alliance.

Austin holds a Ph.D. in history from Duke University, an M.A. in history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a B.A. in English/journalism from North Carolina State University.

Education

1984: Ph.D., History, Duke University

1978: M.A., History, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

1977: B.A., English/Journalism, North Carolina State University

Career Highlights

2020-present: Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs, College of Charleston

2011-20: Senior Vice Provost and Senior International Officer, U. of Alabama at Birmingham

2011-20: Professor of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Secondary Appointment in African American Studies, College of Arts and Sciences, U. of Alabama at Birmingham

2010: Interim Dean, College of Education and Public Policy/Education and Human Development, U. of Delaware

2009: Associate Provost for Academic Affairs, U. of Delaware

2008-09: Divisional Dean for the Social Sciences and History, College of Arts and Sciences, U. of Delaware

2007-08: Faculty Director, Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Graduate Studies, U. of Delaware

2005-07: Faculty Fellow, Office of the Provost, U. of Delaware

2001-03: Chair, Department of Art, U. of Delaware

2000-01: Assistant Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, U. of Delaware

1998-2000: Director, Latin American Studies Program, U. of Delaware

Honors and Achievements

2016: Department of the Army Commanders Award for Public Service

2006: Integrated Planning Institute (certification), Society for College and University Planning

2004-05: American Council on Education Fellow, West Chester University of Pennsylvania and Haverford College

2000: Higher Education Resource Services (HERS), Bryn Mawr Institute for Women Leaders

1981-82: Fulbright Fellowship (Spain)