Meet the Dean
Dr. Sharon Augustine
Sharon Murphy Augustine, Ph.D., was named Interim Dean of Mercer University’s Tift College of Education in July 2026. A professor of education and longtime academic leader, Dr. Augustine previously served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, overseeing undergraduate and graduate programs across Mercer’s Macon campus and regional academic centers.
With more than 20 years of experience in higher education and nine years as a high school English teacher, Dr. Augustine brings a unique combination of classroom expertise, scholarly achievement, and administrative leadership to educator preparation and educational innovation. Throughout her career, she has been committed to preparing effective educators and fostering academic excellence through collaboration, research, and service.
Dr. Augustine has held numerous leadership positions within the Tift College of Education, including Director of Graduate Studies, Director of the Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction program, Director of the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship Program, Chair of Teacher Education, Assistant Dean of Teacher Education, and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. In these roles, she has provided leadership for both undergraduate and graduate programs while advancing strategic initiatives that support student success and faculty development.
As a scholar and teacher, Dr. Augustine has taught undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral-level courses in curriculum design, literacy, learning theory, and writing. Her research explores the intersection of theory and practice, with particular interests in sociocultural theories of teaching and learning, adolescent literacy, writing pedagogy, qualitative research methods, teacher education reform, and gender in education.
A strong advocate for interdisciplinary collaboration, Dr. Augustine values Mercer’s culture of partnership across colleges and disciplines. She worked with Mercer’s School of Engineering for seven summers to engage middle school students from Bibb, Dodge, Houston, and Monroe counties in an Engineering Design Process STEM Camp supported by the Woodrow Wilson Foundation and the Georgia Department of Education. She has also collaborated with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the College of Professional Advancement to expand opportunities for students and faculty. In addition, she serves as Tift College of Education’s liaison to Mercer University’s Roberts Academy.
Dr. Augustine’s scholarship has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals, including Journal of Teacher Education, English Education, English in Australia, The Teacher Educator, and Qualitative Inquiry. She received the Association of Teacher Educators Distinguished Research Award for a co-authored article published in Journal of Teacher Education. In 2020, she was inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and has served on Mercer University’s Fulbright Screening Committee since 2013.
Dr. Augustine earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Agnes Scott College, a Master of Education in Secondary English Education from Georgia College & State University, and a Ph.D. in Language and Literacy Education from the University of Georgia. She also holds certificates in Qualitative Research and Women’s Studies.