Hayley Austin

Profile

I am our Associate Director of Admission & Enrollment for Online Programs and I am here to support our online students from application to graduation! My career in higher education began with a deep investment in the liberal arts by way of a B.A. and M.A. at the University of Virginia’s department of religious studies. I balanced research interests in middle English literature & theology with a well-rounded intellectual foundation in the study of global religious practices—learning how curiosity and compassion for difference are essential to a healthy, pluralist democracy. Reference, academic mentoring of student athletes and undergraduate admissions experience led me to the W&M School of Education, whose graduates make the impact of liberal arts institutions on communities real.

My role primarily supports our online Counseling M.Ed. I am honored to work with a culturally responsive counseling program whose modality expands access to the profession with excellence and integrity. Counseling is a career that brings compassion, wellbeing and openness directly into the life of each client. If that work sounds like you, I hope you will reach out and choose to make the SOE your professional home.

What is a fun fact about you?

I started walking daily during the pandemic…and I haven’t stopped. Last year I walked nearly 600 miles!

What is your favorite spot in Williamsburg?

It is hard for me to choose between the beeches that line the Sunken Garden, daffodils beside the Wren, snowdrops in the Palace Garden, or the irises that bloom next to the School of Education each year. When you smell boxwood and magnolia—commencement is just around the corner.