2013-Spring-DU-Magazine

NEw pRoVoST
2 DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE Spring ‘13
New Provost/
Vice President for
Academic Affairs
Dr. Timothy R. Austin has been named provost and vice
president for academic affairs at Duquesne, effective July 15. He
will succeed Dr. Ralph Pearson, who will step down as provost
but will remain at Duquesne.
“Dr. Tim Austin brings to us a long and successful history
as an administrator in Catholic higher education. He is sure
to do the same as he builds on Dr. Ralph Pearson’s success as
Duquesne’s provost,” says President Charles J. Dougherty. “Dr.
Austin was enthusiastically endorsed by every constituency that
met with him during his on-campus interview.”
Austin currently serves as vice president for academic affairs
and dean at the College of the Holy Cross. In these roles, his
achievements include establishing a cycle of academic program
reviews; helping to develop new policies in intellectual property,
data security, harassment and threat assessment; and conducting
an organizational review of academic affairs to provide for
improved accountability and efficiency.
“In the years ahead, every institution of higher
education will be presented with many exciting opportunities,
as well as some challenges,” says Austin. “Everything that I
learned before and during my visit to Duquesne tells me that the
University is blessed with the strength and vision to excel in this
dynamic environment.”
Prior to joining the College of the Holy Cross in 2006, Austin
served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Creighton
University. Previously, he taught at Loyola University Chicago,
where he chaired the English department and served as director
of the Interdisciplinary Program in Linguistic Studies.
A recognized expert in linguistics, Austin has authored
various books and scholarly articles and has presented
numerous papers. His work has appeared in the Journal of
Literary Semantics, The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics,
and the Journal of College and Character.
Austin has reviewed programs at various schools as
a member of accreditation teams for the Commission on
Institutions of Higher Education for the New England
Association of Schools and Colleges. He is a member of the
Saint Anselm College board of trustees, for which he chairs the
academic affairs committee.
A native of Tonbridge, England, Austin earned his master’s
degree in English language and literature from Oxford
University’s Lincoln College and his Ph.D. in linguistics from
the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
“I am grateful to Fr. McCloskey and the search committee
for their fine work, to the faculty senate for hosting the faculty
forum, and to all those who not only helped to evaluate Dr.
Austin, but, more importantly, who helped make him want to be
part of our academic community,” says Dougherty.