About The College of Business
The APSU College of Business is a teaching-focused business school committed to student success while serving the Clarksville and Nashville metropolitan areas. We strive to push students beyond the textbook and help them explore their passions, in order to empower our graduates to compete in a global economy.
The College of Business will be recognized as a premier provider of business education.
The College of Business Strategic Plan serves as a guide for advancing our mission, strengthening academic excellence, and creating meaningful impact for our students, faculty, and community through 2027. Our work is guided by four pillars of progress which are outlined below.
Strategic Pillars of Progress and Dashboard
Pillar 1: Enhance Academic Quality
- Improve program quality
- Expand portfolio of academic programs
- Improve online course quality
| Objective | Status |
|---|---|
| 1. Attain AACSB Accreditation | Accepted for a PRT Visit |
| 2. Develop and launch an MBA program | Completed |
| 3. Develop and launch a Business Analytics concentration | Program approved for fall 2025 start |
| 4. Develop and launch an MIS concentration | Program approved for fall 2025 start |
| 5. 100% of BBA and MBA Core Courses become QM Certified | 10 of 15 BBA core courses are QM certified |
| 6. Incorporate best practices of online course design into every online course | Every faculty member completed APPQMR training |
Pillar 2: Improve Student Outcomes
- Improve student success metrics
- Increase student engagement in high-impact learning experiences
| Objective | Status |
|---|---|
| 1. Increase first-time, full-time freshman retention rate | 2019-23: 65.54%, 2024: 69.1%, 2025: 69.9% |
| 2. Increase percentage of students who persist YoY or graduate | 2019-23: 67.7% |
| 3. Develop portfolio of high-impact practices | --- |
| 4. Minimum of 60 student internships for credit per year | 2022-23: 37, 2023-24: 54, 2024-25: 45 |
| 5. Minimum of 75 students present research at conferences from 2023-27 | 2022-23:19, 2023-24:26, 2024-25:35 |
| 6. Minimum of 50 students participating in study abroad form 2023-27 | 2022-23: 11, 2023-24: 16 |
| 7. lncrease portfolio of service-learning courses | 2 as of 2025 |
| 8. Increase number of student organizations within the college | Added Business Govs SERVE, Real Estate Club, Hospitality & Tourism Society, Govs Women in Business |
| 9. Increase student exposure to professional organizations | 2024:25 - 72 students attended professional events |
Pillar 3: Increase Scholarship Impact
- Increase academic impact from research
- Increase community impact from research
| Objective | Status |
|---|---|
| 1. 35 highly-ranked publications from 2023-2027 | |
| 2. 6,000 collective citations by 2027 | 5,554 |
| 3. 50 publications with at least 25 citations by 2027 | 47 |
| 4. Minimum of ten white papers from CABR by 2027 | 5 white papers as of 2025 |
Pillar 4: Strengthen Community Connections
- Grow Small Business Development Center Impact
- Increase student societal impact
| Objective | Status |
|---|---|
| 1. Small Business Development Center: $3 million annually of new capital formation | $2 million / 3 yr average |
| 2. Increase number of organizations hosting College of Business interns | 2023-23: 32 organizations; 2023-24: 43 orgs |
| 3. Student teams complete 10 projects with businesses and government orgs | 2024: 5 projects |
| 4. Increase interactions with regional business and government orgs | Partnership with Nashville Chamber of Commerce, Participation in Regional Skills Coalition |
| 5. Increase interactions with Ft. Campbell | Sponsor of the Nashville Chamber Veterans Initiatives and The Honor Foundation |
The purpose of the APSU College of Business is to contribute to the economic and intellectual vitality of its region.
Outcomes of Societal Impact Activities:
Curriculum:- Supported 10 local nonprofits through the Social Media Marketing service-learning course.
- 255 Income tax returns filed by VITA students in 2025, bringing the four year total to more than 800.
- Supported 5 local small businesses through the Tennessee Small Business Development Center internship program.
- Launched a new MBA program, which became the largest graduate program at APSU in its first year.
- Launched six new undergraduate concentrations and two MBA concentrations in the last four years to support regional workforce needs.
- Created a Center for Applied Business Research and released seven white papers.
- Faculty expertise appeared on local newscasts or were quoted in national articles discussing their research.
- A faculty project with the BBB of Middle Tennessee led to improved business practices and support for BBB members.
- Faculty presented to community partners like the Clarksville Young Professionals and Small Business Development Center clients.
- The Tennessee Small Business Development Center at APSU has generated $5 million of new capital infusion since 2022.
- Launched partnerships with the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce to support quarterly Talent Solutions Forums for chamber members and tours of Ft. Campbell for Nashville executives.
- College of Business faculty and staff provide workshops for the Nashville Chapter of the Honor Foundation—which assists retiring Special Forces personnel with transitioning to the private sector.
- Hosted Dr. Raphael Bostic, President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, for a discussion with 80 local business leaders regarding regional economic conditions.