Austin College

Austin College is a private liberal arts college affiliated by covenant relationship with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and located in Sherman, Texas, about 60 miles (about 100 km) north of Dallas.

The undergraduate student body of Austin College is limited to about 1,300. Most students are required to live on campus for the first three years in an attempt to create a close-knit community. Austin College actively promotes study abroad programs; 70% of students study abroad during their four years at the college. The college states that it attempts to foster close interaction between students and professors via a 13:1 student to faculty ratio and an average class size of fewer than 25 students. The college has no teaching assistants, so regular faculty teach all levels of coursework.

Chartered in November 1849, it is the oldest college in Texas under original charter and name as recognized by the State Historical Survey Committee.

History
The college was founded on October 13, 1849, in Huntsville, Texas, by the Princeton-educated missionary Dr. Daniel Baker.

The college moved to Sherman in 1876 and became co-educational in 1918, merging in 1929 with the all-female Texas Presbyterian College.

Baker named the school after the Texas historical figure Stephen F. Austin. Another important figure in Texas history, Sam Houston, served on the original board of trustees for the college, and the former site in Huntsville later became today's Sam Houston State University.

On September 20, 1973, the musician Jim Croce died in a plane crash in Natchitoches, Louisiana, on his way to perform the next night at Austin College. Six people died in the crash.

Administration
Dr. Marjorie Hass became the 15th president of Austin College on July 1, 2009. She was previously provost of Muhlenberg College. Hass succeeded Dr. Oscar Page.

Rankings
Listed in the U.S. News & World Report "Guide to the 331 Most Interesting Colleges", Austin College is also ninth on the U.S. News 2006 list of "most students studying abroad". It is a member of the International 50, a group of the top colleges in the USA for international focus.

Academics
Austin College offers about 35 majors and pre-professional programs for study, and students can also create a specialized major to match their academic interests. The college is known for its nationally recognized five-year Master of Arts in Teaching program, its pre-medical, international studies, and pre-law programs, which draw many students to the campus. The college has a music program and supports the Austin College A Cappella Choir and the Sherman Symphony Orchestra made up of students and local musicians, and assorted smaller musical ensembles. It sponsors the Posey Center of Excellence in Leadership, the Center for Environmental Studies, and the Center for Southwestern and Mexican Studies , three specialized programs that give students numerous research and internship opportunities. The school also has active programs in over 40 academic disciplines. The school's student newspaper, the Austin College Observer, is a bi-weekly publication.

Communication/Inquiry
Communication/Inquiry (C/I) is a seminar course taken by freshmen during the fall of their entry year. The professor becomes a mentor for the students in the class over the next four years. C/I serves as the initial course in the undergraduate core curriculum, meant to emphasize the enhancement of core academic skills. Course topics are generally aligned with specialty of the instructors. C/I professors and topics rotate every year.

Heritage of Western Culture
Heritage of Western Culture, a three semester program, was the Austin College core curriculum. From fall 2007, "Heritage" ceased to exist. The purpose of the classes was to tie together various liberal arts disciplines into an overview of the development of western culture.

January Term
January Term is a three-week course taught every January. Students are required to take three Jan-terms during their time at Austin, and many use the semester to either take a class in an area different to their regular studies, intensify their study in their designated field, or travel abroad on one of the many travel Jan-terms. Off-campus Jan-terms are an opportunity for those who cannot study abroad during the normal school year to do so. International destinations rotate from year to year. There are also a number of domestic travel locations, such as Ghost Ranch in New Mexico, Washington D.C., Las Vegas and New York City.

Courses are taught on-campus as well. A longstanding policy requires freshmen to spend their first Jan-term on-campus, although some instructors allow exceptions.

Jordan Family Language House
Completed in 1998, the Jordan Family Language House is both a residence hall and a place of study for German, Spanish, French, Chinese and Japanese language and culture. The hall is divided into four sections, one for each language. Each section functions independently, with the number of students varying from Spanish (the largest) to Japanese (the smallest, with a capacity for eight). Students are encouraged to speak in their language of study when in the house.

A native speaker, always coming from abroad, resides in each section to assist students in their study of the language. The native speaker also holds intermediate and advanced conversation classes for the students. The Jordan House contains a multimedia language laboratory.

Students who live in the house are enrolled in a half-credit course, in addition to another course in the language or literature. Course requirements include meeting several times a week for language table, weekly house meetings with skits, games, and other presentations in the target language, and a variety of other culturally appropriate activities. 

Model United Nations
Austin College has participated in Model United Nations around the USA since 1983. Model UN conferences simulate the workings of the United Nations, with delegates assuming the current positions of the countries they represent.

The purpose of the program is to gain skills in leadership, verbal and written communication, teamwork, decision-making and research. At the National Model U.N. Conference in New York City, the Austin College program has earned more than 20 top rankings for Outstanding Delegation. Austin College has also attended conferences in Chicago, Washington, DC, Hawaii, Russia and China.

Posey Leadership Institute
The Austin College Posey Leadership Institute is intended to instruct student leaders in leadership and service. Each fall, 15 entering freshmen and up to five sophomores are selected to participate, based on demonstrated leadership ability and potential. Participants receive a scholarship of around $11,000 a year.

Participating students complete special courses beyond their normal academic workload. These include a freshman introductory leadership course, an internship on leadership in action, a Jan-term course, a second-year course on national and international leadership, and a senior conference on advanced leadership studies.

Study abroad
Austin College has a strong emphasis on international learning opportunity. A 2009 report by Open Doors Online showed that Austin College sent more than 80% of their students abroad at some point during their undergraduate education.

Sports
Austin College participates in NCAA Division III athletics. Previously, Austin College competed in NAIA Division II athletics. Austin College athletes do not receive athletic scholarships. The football team became known as the "Kangaroos" sometime during the 1914 to 1915 seasons. According to campus legend, the mascot name was derived from a kangaroo court of organized students that would paddle violators of college rules.

Kangaroo varsity teams include American football, men and women's soccer, volleyball, men and women's basketball, swimming and diving, tennis, baseball and softball, which was added for the 2006-2007 season. More than 225 student athletics participate in varsity intercollegiate athletics each year. In 2004-2005, 28 students were recognized with all-conference athletic honors and 61 students received all-conference academic honors. Austin College also has a lacrosse team, which is run as a club sport.

Austin College joined the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference on July 1, 2006, replacing Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Austin College was previously a member of the American Southwest Conference, Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association, and Texas Conference.

Football
The Austin College American football program began competition in 1896. Former head coach Mel Tjeerdsma has the most wins in school history. The defense is known as "The Redshirts". Defensive players have long used the motto "Redshirt Pride" to remind them of their work ethic. Austin College won conference championships in 1920, 1923, 1935, 1979, 1981, 1984, 1985, and 1988. The school's career leading rusher is Mike Maloney (1964–1967). The career passing leader is Jerry Bishop (1962–1965). The leading pass receiver is Otis Amy (1986–1988). The football program boasts more than 130 All-American players during its history. Otis Amy was a three time All-American in 1986, 1987, and 1988. Otis Amy finished his college career as the all time leading NAIA pass receiver. Defensive back Chris Luper was an All-American 1979, 1980, and 1981. Punter Brent Badger (1991–1994) also was a 3 time All-American selection. In 1993, Badger kicked an 80 yard punt against Nebraska Wesleyan. Charles "Bo" Miller (Class of 1961), Willie Williams (Class of 1977), Chris Luper (Class of 1982), and Gene Branum (Class of 1982) have been inducted into the NAIA Football Hall of Fame. Aaron Kernek (Class of 2001) was the last AC player to play in the NFL. He was a member of the NY Giants and Baltimore Ravens.

Notable faculty

 * Light Townsend Cummins, (State Historian of Texas, Texas history author)
 * George Diggs, (biologist, Texas flora)
 * Jerry B. Lincecum, (English, Texas folklore author)
 * Shelton Williams, (political science/international studies, government consultant)

Notable alumni

 * Marshall Applewhite, leader of the Heaven's Gate religious cult.
 * Gene Babb, President, National Football Scouting Inc.; former player for the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Oilers and San Francisco 49ers
 * Byron Boston, a football official in the National Football League
 * George C. Butte, American jurist and Texas politician
 * Larry Fedora, head football coach at University of North Carolina
 * David Lee "Tex" Hill, World War II triple ace, member of the Flying Tigers. John Wayne based his character on Hill in the movie Flying Tigers.
 * Ron Kirk, former Mayor of Dallas and current United States Trade Representative
 * Candace Kita, actress
 * Ray Morehart, baseball player, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, played with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig
 * Carroll Pickett, Presbyterian minister, author and advocate for abolishing the death penalty