History of Austin Peay State University

Austin Peay State University occupies a site that has served the cultural and educational needs of the Clarksville–Montgomery County area for more than 200 years. In 1806, the Rural Academy was founded at what is now the corner of College and Henry streets. Over the next century, a succession of schools would occupy this campus: the Rural Academy, Mount Pleasant Academy, Clarksville Academy, Masonic College, Stewart College, and Southwestern Presbyterian University.

From teachers college to university

In 1925, Southwestern Presbyterian University relocated to Memphis and became Rhodes College. At 3 p.m. on Monday, April 25, 1927, Gov. Austin Peay signed a bill calling for a new teachers college in Clarksville. The bill became state law the next day, officially creating a two-year junior college and teacher-training institution. The school — Austin Peay Normal School — was named in honor of the governor, a Clarksville native who died six months after signing the legislation.

The normal school was renamed Austin Peay State College in 1943 and became Austin Peay State University in 1967. In July 1985, the Tennessee General Assembly established the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts at APSU. A few months later the program received a major boost when country music legend Roy Acuff endowed a chair of excellence. In July 1986, the university opened another specialized program, the Center of Excellence for Field Biology.

Austin Peay today

Today, Austin Peay offers doctoral, master's, and undergraduate degree programs to approximately 11,185 students on its 195-acre campus in downtown Clarksville. In 2016, the Tennessee General Assembly passed the FOCUS Act, which called for an institutional board of trustees for Austin Peay and the five other universities previously governed by the Tennessee Board of Regents. The inaugural Austin Peay State University Board of Trustees held its first meeting on March 30, 2017.

Board of Trustees

Katherine Cannata
Nancy Gibson
Don Jenkins
Curtis G. Johnson
Ben Kimbrough Jr.
Valencia May
Mike O'Malley
Keri McInnis
Robin Mealer
Mike Rainey
Phil Roe
Benjamin Martin

APSU National Alumni Association

Every graduate becomes part of the Austin Peay State University National Alumni Association, a community of more than 100,000 alumni — both graduates and former students — represented by more than 30 active alumni chapters.

Members receive a complimentary subscription to the Austin Peay Alumni Magazine, a free APSU email account for life, e-newsletters, and special invitations to events and programs such as Homecoming, the Candlelight Ball, alumni receptions and reunions, and alumni travel. The association also offers ways for alumni to shape the future of APSU — through student recruitment events, networking, and giving.

The National Alumni Association and Office of Alumni Relations are housed at the Pace Alumni Center at Emerald Hill, 751 N. Second St. To learn more, visit the APSU National Alumni Association or call 931-221-7979.