The school’s founders say they’re responding to widespread illiberalism; critics see a not-so-hidden right-wing agenda.
At first glance, the University of Austin (UATX) looks more like a buzzy Silicon Valley outfit than an academic institution. Its entire campus is the renovated 30,000-square-foot third floor of downtown Austin’s historic, art deco–inspired Scarbrough Building. The space is full of exposed concrete, interior glass walls, minimalist tables, and tufted leather armchairs. On a balmy day in late January, about eight months before the nonprofit university’s first class of 100 students is set to arrive, the hallways are quiet, save for the occasional clattering of a keyboard coming from a faculty member’s office. The library’s shelves are still sparse.
