Suzanne Austin

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.