From Student to Steward: PC alumnus Dr. Austin Shull ‘11 named 2026 Professor of the Year

For Dr. Austin Shull ’11, being named Presbyterian College’s 2026 Professor of the Year is more than a professional milestone. It is the continuation of a journey that began when he first stepped onto campus as a student nearly two decades ago.

Now an associate professor of biology, director of the Center for Inquiry, Research, and Scholarship (CIRAS), and mentor to student researchers pursuing cancer biology and biomedical science, Shull will stand before the Class of 2026 on May 9 as one of two commencement speakers during PC’s 143rd Commencement exercises on Vance Plaza.

The honor carries special meaning for a professor who once sat among graduates listening to a Professor of the Year commencement address himself.

“One of the more memorable experiences I had at Presbyterian College was being a sophomore and attending commencement that year and hearing (history professor) Dr. Rick Heiser speak,” Shull said. “I still remember the thoughtfulness he put into his speech and the earnestness of wanting to provide a good and proper message to the students.”

Shull said the opportunity to deliver that same “last lesson” to graduates is deeply humbling.

“There’s still one last lesson to receive,” he said. “A little bit of knowledge and wisdom to impart. In a sense, you kind of get the last word with them.”

Joining a Tradition of Mentors

As a former PC biology major, Shull now finds himself mentioned alongside professors who once shaped his own experience as a student.

He studied under longtime faculty members such as Dr. Stuart Gordon, Dr. Mike Rischbieter, and Dr. Jim Wetzel — professors whose names remain synonymous with teaching excellence at the college. Professors who are now his colleagues in the biology department.

Those professors modeled the kind of educator Shull hoped to become — teachers who embraced not only scholarship, but mentorship, advising, and relationships with students.

“They loved being PC professors,” Shull said. “They loved working with students. They loved teaching. They loved advising. They loved doing the work of a professor at Presbyterian College.”

Today, Shull has become part of that same tradition.

“It’s a full-circle moment,” he said. “I now kind of serve in those roles.”

A Calling Discovered Through Science — and History

When Shull arrived at PC as a student from rural South Carolina, he already loved science. But his understanding of what a scientific career could look like was limited by what he had seen growing up.

“Like many people in small-town South Carolina, I thought science meant becoming a doctor or pharmacist because those were the professions I knew,” he said.

That changed during his time at PC, where faculty mentors exposed him to biomedical research and graduate study in cancer biology.

The liberal arts environment also broadened his intellectual horizons in unexpected ways. Though a biology major, Shull also became a history minor and joined the history honor society.

One moment from his graduation day still remains vivid.

As Shull prepared to leave campus for graduate school, history professor Dr. Stefan Wiecki handed him his own honor cords to wear during commencement.

“He said, ‘Wouldn’t it be amazing if you came back here and did this one day?’” Shull recalled.

Today, those same cords hang in his office.

“It always felt poetic,” he said.

‘The Teacher’s College’

Shull believes Presbyterian College’s greatest strength lies not in facilities, rankings, or celebrity connections, but in relationships between professors and students.

“This is the professor’s college,” he said. “This is the teacher’s college.”

That philosophy is perhaps best reflected in one of PC’s longstanding traditions: having professors — rather than celebrities or politicians — deliver commencement addresses.

While celebrity speakers may generate headlines elsewhere, Shull believes PC’s approach reflects the institution’s identity far more authentically.

“The person who is the commencement speaker is someone who has walked with you every step through the process,” he said. “That’s meaningful.”

For Shull, teaching extends far beyond helping students earn degrees or launch careers. Much of his work as a professor and mentor centers on helping students discover vocation and purpose.

“Our goal is helping students find the thing that gives deep joy and serves the common good,” he said.

That philosophy aligns closely with the college’s motto, “While We Live, We Serve.”

“As we prepare students to become doctors, lawyers, teachers, scientists, and business leaders, we’re also trying to instill the understanding that they are doing those things to serve the common good,” Shull said.

Mentorship Through Research

In addition to teaching, Shull has become known for mentoring undergraduate student researchers through CIRAS and through his own work in cancer biology.

At PC, undergraduate students frequently work directly alongside faculty members in laboratory research — opportunities often reserved for graduate students at larger universities.

For Shull, those experiences represent another form of mentorship and transformation.

He now finds himself watching former students move into graduate school and professional careers, much the way his own professors once guided him.

“That professor-student relationship eventually becomes much closer to a peer relationship,” he said. “You start seeing those same cycles of mentorship continue.”

Shull said his evolving relationship with Presbyterian College mirrors the evolution of adulthood itself.

“As a student, you love the college one way,” he said. “As a professor, it becomes a deeper and more multifaceted understanding.”

That deeper understanding also brings responsibility.

“There’s a level of stewardship that comes with it,” he said. “You realize you now have some responsibility for carrying on the mission of the college.”

A Message for the Class of 2026

Shull’s commencement address will focus on what he describes as the calling to “create good things.”

He plans to speak directly to a graduating class he describes as uniquely shaped by the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Class of 2026, he noted, entered college during a period when many traditions, activities, and campus rhythms were still being rebuilt.

“They became part of our reboot,” he said. “They helped create a Presbyterian College culture again.”

His message to graduates will center on courage, service, and the willingness to build meaningful lives even amid uncertainty.

Drawing from the biblical creation story and the writings of Kentucky farmer-poet Wendell Berry, Shull argues that human beings are fundamentally called to create — careers, families, communities, and institutions that serve others well.

“There’s fear in creating anything meaningful because we don’t fully know what we’re doing,” he said. “But that’s also where the beauty is.”

Ultimately, he hopes graduates leave PC understanding that service and purpose are inseparable.

“If what you create serves well,” Shull said, “then you are doing the right thing.”