Motto Be a Gov! Established 1927 President Alisa White Mascot Governors Acceptance rate 89.3% (2014) Phone +1 931-221-7011 | Type Public Endowment $22 million Academic staff 550 Total enrollment 10,873 (2011) Football stadium Fortera Stadium | |
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Address 601 College Street, Clarksville, TN 37044, USA Undergraduate tuition and fees Local tuition: 7,168 USD (2015), Domestic tuition: 21,664 USD (2015) Notable alumni Bob Harper, Percy Howard, A J Ellis, Trenton Hassell, George Sherrill Similar Belmont University, Tennessee Technological University, University of Tennesse, Tennessee State University, Murray State University Profiles | ||
Austin Peay State University /ˈɔːstən pi/ is a four-year public university located in Clarksville, Tennessee, and operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. The University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and is the fastest-growing university in Tennessee.
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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 to Memphis, Tennessee. In 1945 it became "Southwestern at Memphis"; it was renamed Rhodes College in 1984. This was the forerunner of Austin Peay Normal School and located where Austin Peay State University now exists. The site on which the current university is situated has held some type of an institution of higher learning longer than any in Tennessee west of Knoxville.
The university began as Austin Peay Normal School when it was created as a two-year junior college and teacher-training institution by Act of the General Assembly of 1927 and named in honor of sitting Governor Austin Peay. Limited in purposes and resources, the 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 "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
College of Behavioral and Health Sciences
College of Business
Martha Dickerson Eriksson College of Education
College of Science and Mathematics
School of Technology and Public Management @ Fort Campbell
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 July–August 2006, the Tennessee Titans had their first training camp on the campus.