How do universities evolve from the dreams of visionaries into the reality of bricks and mortar, a place where the minds and lives of those who enter its doors are changed forever?

More than 75 years ago, men and women in Clarksville dreamed of having a teaching college in Middle Tennessee. With their mission resounding in their heads, they planned, they pleaded, they lobbied, they worked, and they eventually succeeded. Austin Peay Normal School was born.

In the ensuing years, the name changed—first to Austin Peay State College and then to Austin Peay State University. Programs multiplied, and enrollment grew. With every decade—and every graduate—the legacy of the University expanded.

In time, what had begun as a small teaching school with 158 students became a comprehensive University with more than 7,000 students and 50 academic majors.

Though much has been accomplished, much remains to be done. Today the University faces new challenges. Students are graduating from Tennessee high schools by the thousands. Many working adults dream of returning to school for a degree. Yet state funding for higher education is at an all-time low, so low that colleges struggle to provide instruction and support for the students they have—let alone thousands of newcomers. Funding problems have driven the University to implement ever-higher fees, putting college out of reach for far too many.

The question then today is this: How will the University continue to meet the educational needs of students next year and in the years ahead? How will it attract and keep quality faculty? The answer is the same today as it was in 1927. With strategic planning, hard work and the support of those who believe when you change minds, you change lives.

Dr. Sherry Hoppe
University President Emeritus

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