Austin Peay State University is a four-year public university located in Clarksville, Tennessee. Standing on a site occupied by a succession of Tennessean educational institutions since 1845, the precursor of the university was established in 1927 and named for then-sitting Governor Austin Peay (further honored with "Governors" as the name of the university's athletic teams). Affiliated with the Tennessee Board of Regents, it is now governed by the Austin Peay State University Board of Trustees as of May 2017. The University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and, in 2012, was the fastest-growing university in Tennessee.
History
Clarksville Masonic Lodge No. 89 sponsored the Montgomery County Male Academy. In 1845, the Masonic College was founded, and in 1848, the Montgomery County Male Academy merged with the Masonic College, taking the name of Montgomery Masonic College and Male Academy. This institution continued through 1855 when it was given to the Presbyterian Synod of Nashville to be operated by them as a male college and academy. The Presbyterians changed the name of the college to Stewart College, and later the name was changed again to Southwestern Presbyterian University. In 1925 Southwestern moved from Clarksville to Memphis, Tennessee, and is known today as Rhodes College.
In 1927, the Clarksville campus was chosen by the state as the site of the new Austin Peay Normal School, created as a two-year junior college and teacher-training institution by Act of the General Assembly and named in honor of sitting Governor Austin Peay. Located where Austin Peay State University now exists, the "normal school" continued the tradition of the site holding some type of an institution of higher learning longer than any in Tennessee west of Knoxville. Limited in purposes and resources, the Austin Peay Normal School gradually grew in stature over the years to take its place among the colleges and universities under the control of the State Board of Education.
Harned Hall was the first new building during the institution's normal school era, 1931 to 1943. In 1939, the state Board of Education authorized the school to inaugurate a curriculum leading to the Bachelor of Science degree. The degree was first conferred on the graduating class at the 1942 Spring Convocation. By Act of the Tennessee Legislature of February 4, 1943, the name of the school was changed to Austin Peay State College. In 1951, the state board authorized the college to confer the Bachelor of Arts degree and, in 1952, to offer graduate study leading to the degree of Master of Arts in Education. At the November 1966 meeting, the state Board of Education conferred university status on the college, effective September 1, 1967. In February 1967, the state Board of Education authorized the university to confer the Master of Arts and the Master of Science degrees. In 1968, associate degrees were approved. The state Board of Education relinquished its governance of higher education institutions to the Tennessee Board of Regents in 1972.
In 1974, the Tennessee Board of Regents authorized the Bachelor of Fine Arts and the Education Specialist degrees. In 1979, the Bachelor of Business Administration degree was approved as a replacement for traditional B.A. and B.S. degrees in various fields of business. In 1979, the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree was approved. In 1983, the Tennessee Board of Regents approved the Master of Music degree. In 2001, the Tennessee Board of Regents authorized the Bachelor of Professional Studies.
The university began to grow rapidly in 2000, leading to an increase in enrollment of 52.4 percent from 2001 to 2010, making it the fastest growing state university in Tennessee. In Fall 2009, enrollment reached a record 10,188, surpassing the 10,000-student mark for the first time. In Fall 2010 enrollment continued to grow, reaching 10,723 students. The university opened its newest facility in fall 2010, the Hemlock Semiconductor Building, offering the university's first degree in chemical engineering technology, a two-year associate degree program. The university has continued to expand its presence in its service region, offering a degree program on-site at the Renaissance Center in Dickson, Tennessee, and plans to offer similar programs in Springfield, Tennessee.
Tornado damage
In the early morning hours of January 22, 1999, an F-4 tornado struck downtown Clarksville and the APSU campus. No one was killed, but the Clement, Harned, Harvill and Archwood Buildings were severely damaged, while many others suffered broken windows and roof damage. Some 130 shattered trees littered the campus and added to the gloomy sight of shattered buildings. Administrators announced plans to resume classes within one week, and the university opened three days later. Many of the heavily damaged buildings were reopened within one year.
Organization
Academics at Austin Peay are organized into six colleges, two schools, and 28 subordinate departments and offices:
College of Arts and Letters
- Department of Art
- Department of Communication
- Department of History and Philosophy
- Department of Languages and Literature
- Department of Music
- Department of Theatre and Dance
College of Behavioral and Health Sciences
- School of Nursing
- Department of Health and Human Performance
- Department of Military Science and Leadership
- Department of Political Science
- Department of Psychology
- Department of Sociology
College of Business
- Department of Accounting, Finance, and Economics
- Department of Management, Marketing, and General Business
Martha Dickerson Eriksson College of Education
- Department of Teaching and Learning
- Department of Educational Specialtiesnfb
College of Graduate Studies
College of Science and Mathematics
- Department of Agriculture
- Department of Allied Health Sciences
- Department of Applied Sciences
- Department of Biology
- Department of Chemistry
- Department of Computer Science and Information Technology
- Department of Geosciences
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics
- Department of Physics and Astronomy
- Office of Pre-Professional Health Programs
School of Technology and Public Management @ Fort Campbell
- Department of Public Management and Criminal Justice
- Department of Engineering Technology
- Department of Professional Studies
Athletics
The school's athletic teams, most of which compete in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), are known as the "Governors" in honor of the school's namesake. The school's popular cheer is, "Let's go, Peay!"
The football team had participated in the Pioneer Football League, but on April 8, 2005 announced that it was leaving the Pioneer League at the conclusion of the 2005 season and that the football program would rejoin the Ohio Valley Conference in 2007.
The basketball Govs and Lady Govs have a long tradition of excellence in the OVC. Coach Dave Loos has led Austin Peay to three NCAA tournament berths, on the way to becoming one of the most respected coaches in the conference, as well as its winningest coach. Notable players such as Trenton Hassell and Bubba Wells continue to emerge from the program. In 1987, Austin Peay stunned Illinois in the first round 68-67, becoming just the third 14th-seeded team to knock off a No. 3 seed.
In Julyâ€"August 2006, the Tennessee Titans had their first training camp on the campus.
Buildings on campus
Notable alumni
- Major General Ronald Bailey, United States Marine Corps Commanding General, 1st Marine Division
- David Bibb, Deputy Administrator, U.S. General Services Administration
- Riley Darnell, former Tennessee State Senator and former Tennessee Secretary of State
- A.J. Ellis, MLB catcher for the Miami Marlins
- Jeff Gooch, former NFL player, Tampa Bay Buccaneers '96-'01,'04-'05 Detroit Lions '02-'03
- David Hackworth, United States Army Colonel and author
- William J. Hadden, Protestant minister and politician
- Bob Harper, personal trainer who gained fame on The Biggest Loser.
- Trenton Hassell, NBA basketball player, New Jersey Nets
- Tommy Head, former member, Tennessee House of Representatives and brother of basketball coach Pat Summitt
- Otis Howard, former NBA player, Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons
- Percy Howard, former wide receiver for the NFL Dallas Cowboys
- Douglas S. Jackson, Tennessee State Senator, D-Dickson
- Shawn Kelley, pitcher, MLB San Diego Padres
- Chonda Pierce, Christian comedian and performer
- Matt Reynolds, pitcher, MLB San Francisco Giants
- Josh Rouse, noted singer-songwriter
- George Sherrill, relief pitcher, MLB Seattle Mariners, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Bonnie Sloan, former NFL player, first deaf player in the NFL.
- Jeff Stec, entrepreneur who formed Peak Fitness
- Jamie Walker, relief pitcher, MLB Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers, Baltimore Orioles
- Bubba Wells, former basketball player, NBA Dallas Mavericks
- Verner Moore White, noted landscape and portrait artist
- James "Fly" Williams, legendary 1970s basketball player; later in the original American Basketball Association
- Jack Zduriencik, former General Manager of the Seattle Mariners MLB team
- Drake Reed, basketball player, international
Presidents
- John S. Ziegler, 1929â€"1930
- Philander Claxton, 1930â€"1946
- Halbert Harvill, 1946â€"1962
- Earl E. Sexton (acting), Septemberâ€"December 1962
- Joe Morgan, 1963â€"1976
- Robert O. Riggs, 1976â€"1987
- Oscar Page, 1988â€"1994
- Richard G. Rhoda (Interim), Julyâ€"October 1994
- Sal D. Rinella, 1994â€"2000
- Sherry L. Hoppe (Interim), 2000â€"2001
- Sherry L. Hoppe, 2001â€"2007
- Timothy L. Hall, 2007â€"2014
- Alisa White, 2014â€"Present
References
External links
- Official website
- Austin Peay State University athletics