The 13th president of the University of Connecticut (UConn). He has been president since Oct. 1, 1996. He served for seven years as chancellor of the University of Alabama. He was president of Colorodo Sate university and chancellor of Colorado State University. University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut, commonly known as UConn, is the State of Connecticuts flagship land-grant university. ... University of Alabama The University of Alabama (also known as Alabama, UA, or colloquially as Bama) is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. ... Colorado State University Colorado State University is a public land grant institution of higher learning located in Fort Collins, Colorado in the United States. ...

Austin served in the U.S. Army from 1969-1971. He was awarded the bronze star, the Joint Service Commendation Medal and the Army Commendation Medal.

Austin served as deputy assistant secretary for education for the Dept. of Health and Welfare in Washington D.C. From 1971 to 1973 he served as an economist in the director's office of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.

Austin has been credited with a remarkable transformation of the University of Connecticut, and helped lobby former Connecticut Governor John Rowland to support building programs like UCONN2000 and 21st Century UConn, which have led to the $2.1 billion, 20-year transformation. John G. Rowland (born May 24, 1957 in Waterbury, Connecticut) was the Governor of Connecticut from 1995 to 2004. ...

Austin has also been criticized for significant lapses in construction oversight. Several university officers have been forced to resign over the affair, and calls have been made by groups, including the student-run newspaper, for Austin's ouster.

His official web site: http://president.uconn.edu/