Austin Peay State University enters historic partnership with Sofia University in Bulgaria

By: Ellie Forrest November 5, 2026

Austin Peay State University President Mike Licari and Sofia University Rector Eliza Stefanova sign a first-of-its-kind partnership agreement between the two institutions on Oct. 14. | Contributed photo

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Austin Peay State University’s Institute for National Security and Military Studies (INSMS) recently established the first partnership of its kind between a Tennessee university and a Bulgarian university, with support from the U.S. Embassy and the Tennessee National Guard.

This collaboration aims to extend far beyond the military by creating new opportunities for all APSU students. Austin Peay hopes for the partnership to include a spring break study-abroad trip, semester-long faculty and student exchanges, collaborative research projects for grants and publications, and hosting opportunities for Fulbright Scholars.

“One of the most encouraging aspects of our visit was a desire that the president of Sofia University shared: that our partnership could expand beyond national security studies and into other academic fields,” Vice President of Military and Veterans Affairs and retired Maj. Gen. Walt Lord said. “I think the prospect of that kind of evolution could be really exciting for our university, our faculty, and most importantly, our students.”

The official signing took place in Sofia, Bulgaria, where Austin Peay President Mike Licari, INSMS Director Dr. Rich Mifsud, and Lord represented INSMS and Austin Peay. The U.S. Chargé d’Affaires to Bulgaria, H. Martin McDowell, and representatives of Sofia University were also in attendance.

The Sofia partnership has been in the works since February 2024 but was only recently approved through the U.S. Embassy and the Tennessee National Guard. In the wake of Austin Peay’s successful relationship with the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Belgrade in Serbia, the Tennessee National Guard approached the university about a possible partnership with Sofia University in Bulgaria.

"Dr. Rudy Baker and I established contact with the U.S. Embassy and Sofia over a year ago in order to work with their Country Team and the Tennessee National Guard’s bilateral affairs officer to establish this partnership, and the U.S. Embassy and Sofia Country Team chose Sofia University as the best fit for APSU,” Mifsud said. “Lord and I both have extensive experience in the National Guard’s State Partnership Program, which made it an easy fit.” 

Tennessee has a rich military history with Bulgaria. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the National Guard implemented the State Partnership Program (SPP) to deploy U.S. military personnel into former Soviet states. This program offered a less threatening way for the U.S. to collaborate with these nations, and Tennessee was among the first state partnerships to be established. It was matched with Bulgaria and has been its state partner since 1993.

“The partnership between APSU and Sofia University helps the Tennessee-Bulgaria State Partnership Program expand beyond a military-to-military relationship to a higher-education relationship, which has been a goal for the U.S. Embassy, Sofia Country Team, and the Tennessee National Guard for some time,” Mifsud said. “APSU is the ‘first and only’ university in Tennessee to have this ‘sanctioned and approved’ partnership with Sofia University as part of the Tennessee-Bulgaria State Partnership Program expansion plan.”

The intent of the SPP was to go beyond a military partnership by connecting the countries on a deeper level, and this INSMS partnership shares the same goal. Austin Peay hopes to deepen cooperation, development, and security between the two countries through this partnership. 

“With the expansion of the partnership beyond just national security interests between students and faculty, this partnership provides opportunities for other departmental collaborations such as STEM-to-STEM and business-to-business,” Mifsud said. “[That] can lead to agricultural improvement and investment strategies in Bulgaria from lessons learned in Tennessee.”

 This historic partnership represents more than a military or strategic connection; it is an opportunity for students at both universities to share their unique knowledge and experiences.

"Establishing this partnership is a tremendous honor for Austin Peay,” Lord said. “Our partnership with Sofia University achieves the gold standard that the United States government envisioned in evolving these partnerships from military-to-military into non-military sectors and ultimately into civilian-to-civilian sector relationships.”