Erik D. Austin

I serve as the Program Director for Westminster College's TRIO Student Support Services project.  In my role, I manage the program's finances and compliance with Department of Education guidelines, evaluate TRIO program applicants for admission to the program, and supervise the TRIO  Academic Advisors in their work with our TRIO participants.  I also serve as a member of the campus CARE team, where I work to help students experiencing difficulties connect with services and supports across campus.

Before joining the TRIO program at Westminster, I served as an Academic Advisor with the TRIO program at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, where I spent five years serving our TRIO participants and helping them to develop academically, personally, and in their career progression.

I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Communication from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford and my Master of Science in Communication from Purdue University.  My areas of interest in the field include public speaking, crisis communication, strategic communication, and persuasion.

I'm also a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach. My top 5 themes are:

1. Ideation
2. Conectedness
3. Input
4. Restorative
5. Developer