First-year APSU students give back through Freshman Service Project

Dr. Dwayne Estes, with the Southeastern Grasslands Initiative, works with freshmen volunteers.

CLARKSVILLE, TN – On Aug. 24, members of Austin Peay State University’s 2019 freshmen class began their academic careers on an altruistic note by participating in the Freshman Service Project, an annual event that allows freshman to bond while introducing them to nonprofit organization’s in the community. During this year’s event, 150 students visited five nonprofits in the community to volunteer for two hours. This allowed them to learn about Clarksville’s needs and the ways they can help.

The APSU Center for Service-Learning and Community Engagement created the event three years ago to establish a culture on campus that focuses on giving back to the community.

This year, student volunteers helped clip invasive plant species with the Southeastern Grasslands Initiative, worked with the Veterans Ranch and Retreat in Woodlawn, spent time with veterans at the Veterans Treatment Home, worked in the community garden and free thrift store with Radical Mission, and worked with the Cumberland River Compact on a river clean up.

This year, 150 students volunteered at five nonprofits in the community.

Several Austin Peay students are using the Tennessee Promise scholarship – a state initiative that provides financial assistance to students pursuing an associate degree. Participants in the program are required to complete eight hours of community service in their communities each semester. Opportunities like Austin Peay’s Freshman Service Project help students complete a few hours and learn where else they can volunteer

For information about the Center for Service-Learning and Community Engagement, visit www.apsu.edu/volunteer. For information about the Tennessee Promise scholarship, visit www.tn.gov/tnpromise.html.

News Feed

View All News

APSU's Science on Tap to educate community on organ donation

The Austin Peay State University College of STEM will host its next Science on Tap event at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7, at Strawberry Alley Ale Works, featuring a presentation on organ donation from Samantha Robinson, an assistant professor of radiography and three-time organ transplant recipient.

Austin Peay graduate students producing original musical on Belizean unrest

Two Austin Peay State University graduate students from Belize are producing what is believed to be the first international Belizean musical, telling the story of Nora Parham, a woman wrongfully executed in 1963. An abbreviated version will premiere at the APSU Fringe on May 2 in Trahern Theatre.

Registration open for APSU's 2026 CoSTEM Summer Camps

The College of STEM has opened registration for its 2026 summer camps, offering programs in space exploration, data science, robotics, and coding for students in multiple age groups.