Austin Peay State University

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Austin Peay State University
Motto: Find Your Place in The World
Established: 1927
Type: State funded
President: Timothy Hall
Staff: 453
Undergraduates: 8,650
Postgraduates: 542
Location: Clarksville, Tennessee, USA
Campus: Urban, 160 acres (0.8 km²)
Colors: Red and White
Mascot: Governors
Website: www.apsu.edu
This article is about the public university in Clarksville, Tennessee. For the 20th century Governor of Tennessee, see Austin Peay.

Austin Peay State University is an accredited public university located in Clarksville, Tennessee, and operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents.

Contents

[edit] History

The school was founded after the former Southwestern Presbyterian College (now Rhodes College) moved to Memphis in 1925, leaving its former campus in Clarksville unoccupied. In 1929, area civic and political leaders encouraged the state of Tennessee to purchase the facility and operate it as a public normal school for the training of schoolteachers. This was done, and the institution was renamed in honor of former governor Austin Peay who had died in office in 1927, which many attributed at least in part to stress due to his battles with the state legislature over education issues.

The school thus began with the formal name of Austin Peay State Normal School for Rural White Teachers. Racial desegregation, among other factors, led to a name change to Austin Peay State College, and the institution was granted university status in 1967. The school grew greatly in the late 1940s and 1950s, largely due to veterans attending under the G. I. Bill of Rights, which gave the school a large number of male students for the first time, school teaching at the time of the school's founding having been a largely-female occupation. At the same time, several fields of study in areas beyond education were introduced into the curriculum. Much of the recent growth of the school has been in conjunction with programs conducted in conjunction with the United States Army at nearby Fort Campbell.

The site of Austin Peay State University has also been the site of Clarksville's first educational institutions, Rural Academy (1806-1810) and Mount Pleasant Academy (1811-1824). Later, Clarksville Academy (1825-1848), Masonic College, (1849-1850), Montgomery County Masonic College, (1851-1854), and Stewart College (1855-1874) would occupy this area until the arrival of Southwestern Presbyterian University (1875-1925).

[edit] 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 of 2006, the Tennessee Titans had their first training camp on the campus.

[edit] Buildings on campus

[edit] Educational or administrational

  • Browning Building
  • Claxton Building
  • Clement Building
  • Dunn Center
  • Ellington Building
  • Felix G. Woodward Library
  • Foy Fitness and Recreational Center
  • Harned Hall
  • Kimbrough Building
  • Marks Building
  • McCord Building
  • McReynolds Building
  • Music/Mass Communication Building
  • Simmons Memorial Health Building ("The Red Barn")
  • Pace Alumni Center at Emerald Hills
  • Sundquist Science Center
  • Trahern Building
  • Joe C. Morgan University Center

[edit] Residence halls

  • Killebrew Hall (Co-ed)
  • Miller Hall (Male)
  • Rawlins Hall (Male)
  • Cross Hall (Co-ed)
  • Beatrice Hand Village (Co-ed)
  • Emerald Hills (Family Housing)
  • Sevier Hall (Female)
  • Blount Hall (Co-ed, Honors housing)
  • Harvill Hall (Co-ed, Honors housing)
  • Meacham Apartments (Co-ed)
  • Two Rivers Apartments (Co-ed, Honors housing)

[edit] Fraternities

[edit] Sororities

[edit] Professional Fraternities

[edit] Alma Mater

All Hail To Austin Peay

All Hail our Alma Mater,

All Hail to Austin Peay,

Forever faithful to thy standards will we ever be,

We love thy campus beauty, serene in dignity,

And so we proudly sing this song in praise of thee,

All Hail, All Hail,

We sing in praise of thee,

We love our Alma Mater,

All Hail to Austin Peay.

Words and Music by Aaron Schmidt Music by "Governors Own" Austin Peay State University Marching Band directed by Andrea Brown

[edit] Departments

Accounting, African American Studies, Agriculture, Art, Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Communication & Theatre, Computer Science, Economics & General Business, Education, Engineering Technology, Finance Management & Marketing, Geosciences, Health & Human Performance, History, Languages & Literature, Leadership, Mathematics, Military Science, Music, Nursing, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Public Management, Social Work, Sociology, and Women's Studies.

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] Presidents of Austin Peay

  • 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-Present

[edit] External links

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Tennessee Board of Regents institutions
State Universities
Community Colleges
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Public universities in Tennessee
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Ohio Valley Conference