Austin Peay State University

Austin Peay State University (/piː/) is a public university in Clarksville, Tennessee. Standing on a site occupied by a succession of educational institutions since 1845, the precursor of the university was established in 1927 and named for then-sitting Governor Austin Peay, who is further honored with "Governors", 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.[6] In 2019, Austin Peay officially hit 11,000 students enrolled.

Austin Peay State University
TypePublic university
Established1927 (1927)
Academic affiliations
Space-grant
Endowment$22 million[1]
PresidentMichael J. Licari[2]
Academic staff
550[3]
Administrative staff
629[4]
Undergraduates9,835
Postgraduates888
Location
Clarksville
,
Tennessee
,
United States
CampusUrban, 182 acres (0.74 km2)
ColorsRed and white[5]
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division I –
Ohio Valley Conference
MascotGovernors
Websitewww.apsu.edu

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.

The Browning Building at Austin Peay State University

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. Today, Austin Peay offers graduate and undergraduate programs to nearly 11,000 students, and the 2016 acquisition of more than 10 acres has expanded the campus deeper into downtown Clarksville. In 2016, the Tennessee General Assembly passed the FOCUS Act, changing the governance structure of higher education in Tennessee and calling for the establishment of an institutional Board of Trustees for Austin Peay and the other five universities previously governed by the Tennessee Board of Regents. On March 30, 2017, the university's inaugural Board of Trustees held its first meeting on the APSU campus.

1999 tornado damage

In the early morning hours of January 22, 1999, an F-3 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.

Presidents
  • John S. Ziegler, 1929–1930
  • Philander Claxton, 1930–1946
  • Halbert Harvill, 1946–1962
  • Earl E. Sexton (acting), September–December 1962
  • Joe Morgan, 1963–1976
  • Robert O. Riggs, 1976–1987
  • Oscar Page, 1988–1994
  • Richard G. Rhoda (Interim), July–October 1994
  • Sal D. Rinella, 1994–2000
  • Sherry L. Hoppe (Interim), 2000–2001
  • Sherry L. Hoppe, 2001–2007
  • Timothy L. Hall, 2007–2014
  • Alisa White, 2014–2020[7]
  • Dannelle Whiteside (Interim), 2020–2021
  • Michael Licari, 2021–Present

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 and Design
  • 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
  • Department of Social Work
  • Department of Criminal Justice

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 Specialties

College of Science, Technology, Engineering 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
  • Geographic Information Systems Center

School of Technology and Public Management @ Fort Campbell
  • Department of Public Management and Criminal Justice
  • Department of Engineering Technology
  • Department of Professional Studies

Buildings on the Campus

Buildings Prior to Austin Peay Normal School

When Austin Peay Normal School was founded, there were several buildings on the site from the former Southwestern Presbyterian University. These included:

The Commons Building (completed in 1916) housed the campus dining facilities. This building was located northeast of the current Morgan University Center, approximately where the Sentinel statue now sits. The Commons Building was demolished in 1968 after a fire caused significant damage.

The Stewart-Waddel Building was located at the site of the current Clement Building. The Stewart Cabinet Building was completed in 1878. Its name was a memorial to William M. Stewart, former president and benefactor of Southwestern Presbyterian University. The Waddel (some sources spell this 'Waddell") building adjoined the Stewart building and was completed in 1898. The campus library was located in the Stewart-Waddel Building until the Browning Building was completed in 1950. The Stewart-Waddel building also contained science laboratories, lecture halls, an auditorium and a gymnasium. Basketball games were played in Stewart-Waddel (and in the Armory) until the Memorial Health building opened in 1952. The Stewart-Waddel building was demolished in 1958 to make way for the new Clement Fine Arts Building.

The Castle Building was an impressive "three-storied structure of red brick, with towers, fretted battlements, and casement windows set in paneled wood...".[8] It was completed in 1848, built by the Tennessee Masons, and dedicated on June 15, 1850. In 1861, after the battle of Fort Donelson, Grant and his men took over the Castle Building for sleeping quarters - horses on 1st floor, men on 2nd and 3rd floors. The building was remodeled in 1927-28 when the state of Tennessee took ownership. At various times it housed classrooms for mathematics, social science, psychology, English, languages, art, agriculture, music, and commerce. In 1946, nine days after President Harvill became president of Austin Peay State College, a portion of the building collapsed. It was eventually demolished and the Browning Building was built slightly north of the site.

Robb Hall was located on the site now occupied by the Claxton building. It was a residence hall built in 1860. The property for Robb Hall was donated by Colonel Alfred Robb (a board member of Stewart College). It was the first dormitory built for Stewart College. During the Civil War the confederate army used it as a hospital. It served as a women's dorm for Austin Peay Normal School until the completion of Harned Hall. Robb Hall was demolished in 1966.

Calvin Hall was located on the site now occupied by the Woodward Library. It was a residence hall built in 1895, with an addition added in 1939.

The Chancellor's Residence was built in 1880 and served as a house for the president of Austin Peay Normal School and Austin Peay State College until 1966 when it was demolished to make way for the construction of the Claxton Building.

Current Campus Buildings

Claxton Building

Clement Building

The Browning Library and Administration Building was occupied in 1950 and is named for former Tennessee governor Gordon Browning. The building was designed by Speight & Hibbs architects. The Browning Building housed the university's library (located on the east end of the building) along with various administrative offices. When the Woodward Library was completed in 1967 and the university collection was moved out of Browning, a major renovation was completed to create additional office space. At the same time, air conditioning was added to the building. Over 70 years later, the university president's office suite is still located in the same space that President Halbert Harvill occupied in 1950.

McCord Building

Sundquist Science Building - A groundbreaking ceremony was held on September 4, 1998 for a new science building for Austin Peay State University. The 180,000 square foot complex was designed by Rudy Johnson and Jerry Clark and constructed by Patten-Beers. The building welcomed students in the fall of 2001. The building is named for former Tennessee governor Don Sundquist. Max Hochstetler (professor emeritus of art) painted a mural in the atrium to depict 75 years of APSU history.

Technology Building (Formerly Hemlock Building)

Maynard Building

Trahern Building

Art + Design Building

Kimbrough Building

Music / Mass Communication Building

Harned Hall was the first residence hall constructed on the campus of the new Austin Peay Normal School. Ground was broken for the construction in December 1930. The architect, Russell B McCollum, proclaimed that the building was "...the most beautiful of the many buildings that he had planned and supervised in a life of architectural activity." The building was completed for the 1932-33 winter quarter. When it opened, Harned Hall was used as a girls dormitory. The building was named for Myra McKay Harned, wife of Perry Lee Harned, Tennessee Education Commissioner and Chairman or the Tennessee Education Association. In 1981, the building was closed as a housing facility. After much debate about the future of the building, a renovation project was started in 1990. The building currently houses classrooms and offices used primarily by the College of Arts and Letters.

Ellington Hall

Miller Hall

Catherine Evans Harvill Building

Morgan University Center

Memorial Health Building

McReynolds Hall

Shasteen

Marks Building

Pace Alumni Center

Ard Building

Woodward Library

Archwood (President's residence)

Dunn Center (basketball/volleyball)

Raymond C. Hand Park (baseball)

Cathi Maynard Park (softball)

Fortera Stadium (football)

Morgan Brothers Field (soccer)

Jenkins Family Fieldhouse

Foy Center (student recreation)

Current Residential Buildings

Castle Heights

Eriksson

Governors' Terrace North

Governors' Terrace South

Blount Hall

Sevier Hall

Harvill Hall

Hand Village

Meacham Apartments

Emerald Hills Apartments

Two Rivers Apartments

Former Campus Buildings

Ball Village (1960-1985)

Rawlins Hall (1964-2011) - demolished for construction of Governors' Terrace complex

Cross Hall (1966-2011) - demolished for construction of Governors' Terrace complex

Killebrew Hall (1968-2011) - demolished for construction of Governors' Terrace complex

Roake Hall

Patch-Catlett-Drane House

Foust House

Armory (acquired by APSU in 1968 - 2005?) - demolished for construction of Foy Center

"Old" Student Union (1968-1999) - In 1963 plans were underway to design a new Student Center for the campus. Construction began in 1966 on what would later (in 1978) be known as the Morgan University Center (in honor of former university president, Joe Morgan). The three-story building was dedicated in May 1968. The exterior finish of the building was a marble-chip veneer to match the Woodward Library. The building contained a game room, meeting space, "quick food" service, book store, and a large multi-purpose room. In 1995 a task force began studying a renovation of the University Center to accommodate the growth in student enrollment. The decision was eventually made to demolish the structure and build a larger facility on the site. The building was demolished in December 1999.

Zeigler Building (~1955-1999) - demolished for construction of new Morgan University Center

Athletics
Austin Peay Athletics logo
Main article: Austin Peay Governors
See also: Austin Peay Governors basketball and Austin Peay Governors football

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 July–August 2006, the Tennessee Titans had their first training camp on the campus. In 2019, the Austin Peay football team won the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) as well as secured its first-ever FCS playoff berth. It hosted the first-round game vs Furman and won its first-ever FCS playoff game. Then it traveled to Sacramento State for the second round of playoffs, winning 42–28. Making it to the Quarterfinals FCS playoffs, ultimately losing to Montana State University 24–10 in what was a Historic Season for the Austin Peay Governors football team, finishing with an 11–4 record.

Notable alumni

References
  1. "U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2013 Endowment Market Value and Percentage Change in Endowment Market Value from FY 2012 to FY 2013" (PDF). National Association of College and University Business Officers. June 30, 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 13, 2014.
  2. "APSU Board of Trustees names Dr. Michael Licari as University's 11th president". www.apsu.edu. December 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  3. As of Fall 2009 semester. "Faculty By Gender, Tenure Status, and Ethnicity" (PDF). 2009 Faculty Data. Austin Peay State University Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 15, 2011. Retrieved December 3, 2010.
  4. As of Fall 2009 semester. "Total Employees By Employment Status, Gender, and Ethnicity" (PDF). 2009 Employees Data. Austin Peay State University Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness. Retrieved December 3, 2010.
  5. Austin Peay State University Official Logos and Trademarks – Usage and Style Guide (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 1, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  6. Green, Tavia. "Austin Peay State University continues growth, Nashville State opens doors". The Leaf Chronicle. Clarksville Leaf Chronicle. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
  7. Canning, Rob. "APSU's Tim Hall Accepts Presidency at Mercy College". wkms.org. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  8. "The Old Distinctive Castle Building Has Romantic And Varied History" (PDF). The All State. November 22, 1944. p. 1. Retrieved February 23, 2022.

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