Austin College

Presbyterian college in Sherman, Texas, US

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Austin College" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (November 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

Not to be confused with Austin Community College.

Austin College

Motto| Nil nisi per aspera

Motto in English

| Nothing but the fierce
Type| Private liberal arts college
Established| 1849; 176 years ago (1849)

Religious affiliation

| Presbyterian

Academic affiliations

| Oberlin Group
Annapolis Group
CIC
APCU
Endowment| $155.4 million (2020)[1]
President| Steven O'Day

Administrative staff

| 104
Students| 1,223 (2019)[2]
Location|

Sherman

Texas

United States

Campus| Suburban, 70 acres (28 ha)
Colors| Crimson & Gold[3]

Nickname| Kangaroos, The Fighting 'Roos

Sporting affiliations

* NCAA Division III – SCAC
* CWPA
* ASC

Mascot| Katy the Kangaroo
Website| www.austincollege.edu
Administrative building

Austin College is a private liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and located in Sherman, Texas.[4] Chartered in November 1849, Austin College remains the oldest institution of higher education in Texas to be operating under its original charter and name as recognized by the State Historical Survey Committee.[4] About 1,300 students are enrolled at the college.[5]

## History

[edit]

Old Main

The college was founded on October 13, 1849, in Huntsville, Texas, by the Hampden–Sydney[6] and Princeton-educated missionary Daniel Baker. Signed by Texas Governor George Wood, the charter of Austin College was modeled after those of Harvard, Yale, and Princeton.[7]

Baker named the school for the Texas historical figure Stephen F. Austin; the original land was donated by the Austin family. Two other important figures in Texas history, Sam Houston and Anson Jones,[4] served on the board of trustees.

Austin College's founding president was Irish-born Presbyterian minister Samuel McKinney, who served as the school's president a second time from 1862 to 1871.[8] Under the tenure of the fourth president of Austin College, Samuel Magoffin Luckett,[9] Austin College had several yellow fever epidemics and complications related to the Civil War. The college relocated to Sherman in 1878.

On January 21 of 1913, Old Main was set ablaze and burnt to the ground in a matter of hours. During the fire, the senior class called the student body together and they committed, in writing, to stand by the college after the fire. The faculty also committed to continue college work the next day. The event galvanized the community.[10] Following the fire, the citizens of Sherman raised $50,000 to help the college rebuild.

The college has boasted such guests as Harry Houdini, Harry Blackstone Sr., Madame Schumann-Heink, William Howard Taft, and George H.W. Bush.

In 1994, Oscar Page joined the community as its 14th president. Under his tenure, 1994–2009, Page increased the school's endowment by nearly 80%, due in large part to his dedicated fundraising efforts as evidenced by the success of the "Campaign for the New Era;" a total of $120 million were raised and the campaign was heralded as the largest fundraiser in Austin College's history. Page orchestrated the construction of Jordan Family Language House, Jerry E. Apple Stadium, the Robert J. and Mary Wright Campus Center, the Robert M. and Joyce A. Johnson 'Roo Suites, and the Betsy Dennis Forster Art Studio Complex; as well as the renovation of the David E. and Cassie L. Temple Center for Teaching and Learning at Thompson House and of Wortham Center, and creation of the John A. and Katherine G. Jackson Technology Center, the Margaret Binkley Collins and William W. Collins, Jr., Alumni Center, and the College Green in Honor of John D. and Sara Bernice Moseley and Distinguished Faculty.[9]

Marjorie Hass joined the campus in 2009 as both its first female and Jewish president. Under her leadership, the college saw the construction of the IDEA Center and two new housing complexes. The IDEA Center is a 103,000 square ft. facility which includes multi-disciplinary and multi-purpose classrooms, laboratories, lecture halls and the largest telescope in the region found in Adams Observatory. It is a LEED Gold certified facility.[11]

## Rankings and reputation

[edit]

Academic rankings

Liberal arts
U.S. News & World Report[12]| 117
Washington Monthly[13]| 116
National
Forbes[14]| 250
WSJ/College Pulse[15]| 255

The U.S. News & World Report ranked Austin College 83rd (tied) out of 211 National Liberal Arts Colleges in its 2024-2025 edition.[16]

The college was profiled in all three editions of Colleges That Change Lives.

## Academics

[edit]

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 has a music program,[17] and supports the Austin College A Cappella Choir and the Sherman Symphony Orchestra[18] made up of students and local musicians, and assorted smaller musical ensembles.

Students are required to live on campus for the first three years of their education. 70% of its graduates have at least one international study experience during college, and about 82% of students are involved in research.[19] The college has a 13:1[20] student to faculty ratio and an average class size of fewer than 25 students.[21]

## Athletics

[edit]

Austin College joined the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) on July 1, 2006, replacing Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Austin College was previously a member of the American Southwest Conference (ASC), Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association, and Texas Conference. In 2017, the Austin College football team joined the Southern Athletic Association in football, while remaining a member of the SCAC across all other sports.[22]

### Baseball

[edit]

In 2007, the first year of participating in the SCAC, the Austin College baseball team won the conference tournament, beating Millsaps College 9–7 in the finals. The Roos finished the season with a win–loss record of 22–25. The tournament win was the first ever conference championship for the Roos and the first time the program had ever been in the Regional tournament.[23] Carl Iwasaki was the head coach for the Roos from 2005 until 2010. He won two coach of the year awards, the first in 2006 while the Roos were still in the ASC and the second, coming in 2007 after the Roos had joined the SCAC. Coach Iwasaki was replaced by James Rise for the 2011 season who coached for four seasons. Under Rise, the Roos went 11–24 in 2011, 8–29 in 2012, 12–29 in 2013, and 6–33 in 2014.[24]

## Alumni

[edit]

* Ramon Frederick Adams, author of books about the history of cattle and gunmen[25]
* Ryan Allen, opera singer
* Marshall Applewhite, leader of the Heaven's Gate religious cult[26]
* Gene Babb, football player
* Thomas Henry Ball, Texas politician
* Smith Ballew, actor and singer
* Billy Bookout, football player
* Hannibal Boone, 16th Attorney General of Texas
* Byron Boston, football player
* John Bucy III, Texas House Representative (2019–present)
* Ben Bumgarner, Texas House Representative (2023–present)[27]
* Joe Coomer, football player
* Deborah Crombie, author
* Philip Diehl, director of the United States Mint.
* Nancy Duff, theologian
* Larry Fedora, football coach
* Maurice Harper, football player
* David Lee "Tex" Hill, fighter pilot
* John Hitt, academic administrator
* Ron Kirk, former mayor of Dallas and former United States Trade Representative
* Candace Kita, actress
* Haskell Monroe, educator and university administrator
* Ray Morehart, baseball player
* John Moseley, educator and college president
* Carroll Pickett, Presbyterian minister, author and advocate for abolishing the death penalty[28]
* Homer Rainey, college president
* Charlie Robertson, baseball player
* Walter Rogers, U.S. Representative
* Reggie Smith, Texas House Representative (2018–2023)
* Dan Stoenescu, Romanian diplomat
* Leonidas Jefferson Storey, 13th Lt. Governor of Texas (1881–1883)[29]
* Vern Sutton, operatic tenor
* Tom Thompson, football player
* Larry Tidwell, basketball coach
* Brandon McInnis, actor

## Faculty

[edit]

* Light Townsend Cummins, State Historian of Texas
* George Diggs, biologist
* Joseph Havel, artist, current director of the Glassell School of Art
* Jerry B. Lincecum, Texas folklore author
* Shelton Williams, political scientist

## References

[edit]

1. ^ As of June 30, 2020. U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2020 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY19 to FY20 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. February 19, 2021. Archived from the original on February 21, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
2. ^ "U. S. News". Archived from the original on 2019-02-25. Retrieved 2019-02-25.
3. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-07-07.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
4. ^ a b c Austin College Archived 2015-06-08 at the Wayback Machine, Austin College History.
5. ^ Austin College Archived June 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Austin College Life.
6. ^ "An Army of Good Men". The Record. Hampden–Sydney College. Archived from the original on 2012-01-11. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
7. ^ "History". www.austincollege.edu. November 2009. Archived from the original on 2015-06-08. Retrieved 2015-09-03.
8. ^ Williams, Amelia W. (June 15, 2010). "MCKINNEY, SAMUEL". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Archived from the original on September 20, 2015. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
9. ^ a b "Past Presidents". www.austincollege.edu. 22 January 2013. Archived from the original on 2019-04-11. Retrieved 2015-09-03.
10. ^ "Lost Buildings of Austin College 1". abell.austincollege.edu. Archived from the original on 2015-09-08. Retrieved 2015-09-03.
11. ^ "IDEA Center". www.austincollege.edu. November 2009. Archived from the original on 2015-11-09. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
12. ^ "2024-2025 National Liberal Arts Colleges Rankings". U.S. News & World Report. September 23, 2024. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
13. ^ "2024 Liberal Arts Colleges Rankings". Washington Monthly. August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
14. ^ "America's Top Colleges 2024". Forbes. September 6, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
15. ^ "2025 Best Colleges in the U.S." The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse. September 4, 2024. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
16. ^ "National Liberal Arts Colleges Rankings". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on 2016-08-21. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
17. ^ "music program". austincollege.edu. November 2009. Archived from the original on 2022-07-31. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
18. ^ "www.shermansymphony.com". shermansymphony.com. Archived from the original on 2022-04-11. Retrieved 2022-07-31.
19. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-06-03. Retrieved 2014-08-28.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
20. ^ "Indicator". Archived from the original on 2022-07-31. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
21. ^ Austin College Archived 2013-08-18 at the Wayback Machine, Austin College Faculty.
22. ^ "Austin College Football to Join SAA as Affiliate Member". acroos.com. 18 November 2015. Archived from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
23. ^ "Austin College Magazine" (PDF). June 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-01-28. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
24. ^ "SCAC". scacsports.com. Archived from the original on 2015-11-28. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
25. ^ Clayton, Lawrence. "Adams, Ramon (1889-1976)". Encyclopedia of the Great Plains. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
26. ^ Steinberg, Jacques (March 29, 1997). "From Religious Childhood To Reins of a U.F.O. Cult". New York Times. Archived from the original on June 16, 2008. Retrieved May 8, 2008.
27. ^ "Texas House of Representatives". Texas House of Representatives. Archived from the original on 2023-02-16.
28. ^ Stowers, Carlton, and Carroll Pickett, Within These Walls: Memoirs of a Death House Chaplain, ISBN 978-0-312-28717-7, St. Martin's Press, 2002, Google BooksArchived July 31, 2022, at the Wayback Machine
29. ^ Biographical Souvenir of the State of Texas: Containing Biographical Sketches of the Representative Public, and Many Early Settled Families. Chicago: F. A. Battey & Company. 1889. pp. 795–96\. Archived from the original on 2024-01-06. Retrieved 2024-01-07 - via University of North Texas Libraries.795-96&rft.pub=F.+A.+Battey+&+Company&rft.date=1889&rft_id=https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1151235/m1/819/&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Austin+College" class="Z3988">

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Austin College.

* Official website
* Official athletics website

* v
* t
* e

Colleges That Change Lives (CTCL)

* Agnes Scott College
* Allegheny College
* Antioch College
* Austin College
* Bard College
* Beloit College
* Centre College
* Clark University
* Cornell College
* Denison University
* DePauw University
* Earlham College
* Eckerd College
* Emory and Henry University
* The Evergreen State College
* Goucher College
* Guilford College
* Hampshire College
* Hendrix College
* Hillsdale College
* Hiram College
* Hope College
* Juniata College
* Kalamazoo College
* Knox College
* Lawrence University
* McDaniel College
* Millsaps College
* Oberlin College and Conservatory
* Ohio Wesleyan University
* Reed College
* Rhodes College
* Southwestern University
* St. John's College (Annapolis/Santa Fe)
* Saint Mary's College of California
* St. Olaf College
* University of Lynchburg
* University of Puget Sound
* Ursinus College
* Wabash College
* Wheaton College (Illinois)
* Whitman College
* Willamette University
* The College of Wooster

* v
* t
* e

Education in Grayson County, Texas

Public
high schools|

| Bells ISD|

* Bells High School

|

Collinsville ISD|

* Collinsville High School

Denison ISD|

* Denison High School

Gunter ISD|

* Gunter High School

Howe ISD|

* Howe High School

Pottsboro ISD|

* Pottsboro High School

S&S ISD|

* S&S Consolidated High School

Sherman ISD|

* Sherman High School

Tioga ISD|

* Tioga High School

Tom Bean ISD|

* Tom Bean High School

Van Alstyne ISD|

* Van Alstyne High School

Whitesboro ISD|

* Whitesboro High School

Whitewright ISD|

* Whitewright High School

Tertiary|

* Austin College
* Grayson College

School districts which have territory in the county but do not operate schools in it include Pilot Point ISD, Trenton ISD, and Celina ISD.

* v
* t
* e

Private colleges and universities in Texas

* Abilene Christian University
* Amberton University
* Arlington Baptist University
* Austin College
* Baylor University
* Fisher More College
* Concordia University Texas
* Dallas Baptist University
* Dallas Christian College
* Dallas Theological Seminary
* Dallas International University
* East Texas Baptist University
* Hardin-Simmons University
* Houston Christian University
* Howard Payne University
* Huston–Tillotson University
* Jarvis Christian University
* The King's University
* LeTourneau University
* Lubbock Christian University
* McMurry University
* Nelson University
* North American University
* Northwood University
* Our Lady of the Lake University
* Paul Quinn College
* Rice University
* St. Edward's University
* St. Mary's University
* Schreiner University
* Southern Methodist University
* Southwestern Adventist University
* Southwestern Christian College
* Southwestern University
* Texas Christian University
* Texas College
* Texas Lutheran University
* Texas Wesleyan University
* Trinity University
* University of Dallas
* University of Mary Hardin–Baylor
* University of St. Thomas
* University of the Incarnate Word
* Wayland Baptist University
* Wiley University

* Private junior colleges: Bay Ridge Christian College
* Jacksonville College

* v
* t
* e

Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

Current members|

* Austin Kangaroos
* Centenary (LA) Gentlemen and Ladies
* Colorado College Tigers
* Concordia (TX) Tornados
* Dallas Crusaders
* McMurry War Hawks
* Ozarks Eagles
* Schreiner Mountaineers
* Southwestern Pirates (departing in 2025-26)
* Texas Lutheran Bulldogs
* Trinity (TX) Tigers (departing in 2025-26)
* University of St. Thomas (TX) Celts

Associate member|

* Lyon Scots (football)

Future members|

* Hendrix Warriors (effective 2025-26)
* LeTourneau Yellowjackets (effective 2025-26)

Former members|

* Birmingham–Southern College
* Centre College
* DePauw University
* Hendrix College
* Johnson and Wales University – Denver
* Millsaps College
* Oglethorpe University
* Rhodes College
* Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology
* Sewanee: The University of the South

* v
* t
* e

Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities

* Agnes Scott
* Alma
* Arcadia
* Austin
* Barber-Scotia
* Belhaven
* Blackburn
* Buena Vista
* Carroll
* Centre
* Coe
* College of Idaho
* College of the Ozarks
* College of Wooster
* Davidson
* Davis and Elkins
* Eckerd
* Grove City
* Hampden–Sydney
* Hanover
* Hastings
* Illinois College
* Inter American
* Jamestown
* Johnson C. Smith
* King
* Lake Forest
* Lees-McRae
* Lindenwood
* Lyon
* Macalester
* Mary Baldwin
* Maryville
* Millikin
* Missouri Valley
* Monmouth
* Muskingum
* William Peace
* Presbyterian
* Queens University of Charlotte
* Rhodes
* Rocky Mountain
* Schreiner
* St. Andrews
* Sterling
* Stillman
* Trinity
* Tusculum
* University of Dubuque
* University of Pikeville
* University of Tulsa
* University of the Ozarks
* Warren Wilson
* Waynesburg
* Westminster (Missouri)
* Westminster (Pennsylvania)
* Westminster (Utah)
* Whitworth
* Wilson College (Pennsylvania)

* v
* t
* e

Annapolis Group

Chair|

* Nayef Samhat

Member
schools|

* Agnes Scott
* Albion
* Albright
* Allegheny
* Alma
* Amherst
* Atlantic
* Augustana
* Austin
* Bard
* Bates
* Beloit
* Bennington
* Berea
* Berry
* Bowdoin
* Bryn Mawr
* Bucknell
* Carleton
* Carthage
* Centre
* Claremont McKenna
* Coe
* Colby
* Colgate
* Colorado
* Connecticut
* Cornell
* Davidson
* Denison
* DePauw
* Dickinson
* Drew
* Earlham
* Eckerd
* Emmanuel
* Franklin & Marshall
* Furman
* Gettysburg
* Gordon
* Goucher
* Grinnell
* Guilford
* Gustavus Adolphus
* Hamilton
* Hampden–Sydney
* Harvey Mudd
* Haverford
* Hendrix
* Hiram
* Hobart & William Smith
* Holy Cross
* Hope
* Houghton
* Illinois Wesleyan
* Juniata
* Kalamazoo
* Kenyon
* Knox
* Lafayette
* Lake Forest
* Lawrence
* Lewis & Clark
* Luther
* Lycoming
* Macalester
* Manhattan
* McDaniel
* Millsaps
* Monmouth
* Moravian
* Morehouse
* Mount Holyoke
* Muhlenberg
* Nebraska Wesleyan
* Oberlin
* Occidental
* Oglethorpe
* Ohio Wesleyan
* Pitzer
* Pomona
* Presbyterian
* Puget Sound
* Randolph–Macon
* Randolph
* Redlands
* Reed
* Rhodes
* Richmond
* Ripon
* Roanoke
* Rollins
* St. Benedict and St. John's
* St. John's
* St. Lawrence
* St. Mary's (IN)
* St. Norbert
* St. Olaf
* Sarah Lawrence
* Scripps
* Sewanee
* Skidmore
* Smith
* Southwestern
* Susquehanna
* Swarthmore
* Transylvania
* Trinity College
* Trinity University
* Union
* Ursinus
* Vassar
* Wabash
* Washington
* Washington & Jefferson
* Washington & Lee
* Wellesley
* Wesleyan University
* Whitman
* Willamette
* William Jewell
* Williams
* Wittenberg
* Wofford
* Wooster

* v
* t
* e

Oberlin Group of Libraries

* Agnes Scott
* Albion
* Alma
* Amherst
* Augustana (IL)
* Austin
* Bard
* Barnard
* Bates
* Beloit
* Berea
* Bowdoin
* Bryn Mawr
* Bucknell
* Carleton
* Claremont McKenna
* Clark
* Coe
* Colby
* Colgate
* Colorado College
* Connecticut College
* Davidson
* Denison
* DePauw
* Dickinson
* Drew
* Earlham
* Eckerd
* Franklin & Marshall
* Furman
* Gettysburg
* Grinnell
* Gustavus Adolphus
* Hamilton
* Harvey Mudd
* Haverford
* Holy Cross
* Hope
* Kalamazoo
* Kenyon
* Knox
* Lafayette
* Lake Forest
* Lawrence
* Macalester
* Manhattan
* Middlebury
* Mills
* Morehouse
* Mount Holyoke
* Oberlin
* Occidental
* Ohio Wesleyan
* Pitzer
* Pomona
* Randolph–Macon
* Reed
* Rhodes
* Rollins
* Sarah Lawrence
* Scripps
* Sewanee
* Simmons
* Skidmore
* Smith
* Spelman
* College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University
* St. Lawrence
* St. Olaf
* Swarthmore
* Trinity (CT)
* Trinity (TX)
* Union
* Vassar
* Wabash
* Washington and Lee
* Wellesley
* Wesleyan
* Wheaton
* Whitman
* Whittier
* Willamette
* Williams
* Wooster

33°38′49.22″N 96°35′50.16″W﻿ / ﻿33.6470056°N 96.5972667°W﻿ / 33.6470056; -96.5972667

Authority control databases |

* ISNI

|

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template