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Austin
Peay State University is located on an urban campus
that for over 180 years has been used for
educational purposes and on which the buildings of
five colleges have stood:
Rural Academy, 1806-1810
Mt. Pleasant Academy, 1811-1824
Clarksville Academy, 1825- 848
Masonic College, 1849-1850
Montgomery County Masonic College, 1851-1854
Stewart College, 1855-1874
Southwestern Presbyterian University, 1875-1925
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 Governor Austin
Peay, who was serving his third term of office when
the school was established. Limited in purposes and
resources initially, 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.
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 State Board of
Regents in 1972. In 1974, the Tennessee State 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 State Board of Regents approved the Master
of Music degree, and Master Arts in Education. In
2001, the Tennessee State Board of Regents authorized
the Bachelor of Professional Studies.
During its history, nine presidents and three
acting presidents have served the institution:
John S. Ziegler, 1929-1930
Philander P. Claxton, 1930-1946
Halbert Harvill, 1946-1962
Earl E. Sexton (Acting), September - December 1962
Joe Morgan, 1963-1976
Robert O. Riggs, 1976-1987
Oscar C. 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
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