APSU Alumni Magazine - Spring 2023

EDITOR

Bill Persinger (’91)

ASSISTANT EDITORS

Charles Booth (’10)

Brian Dunn (’21)

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Beth Rates (’17)

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Sean McCully (’18)

Ally Shemwell (2026)

Madison Casey (2024)

PRODUCTION

Jana Gilbert (’14,’22)

ALUMNI, ENGAGEMENT AND PHILANTHROPY

NEWS AND EVENTS

Brad Averitt (’10, ’17)

Tonya Leszczak

Payton Baggett (’14, ’17)

SPORTS NEWS

Cody Bush

To update your alumni information online, visit www. alumni.apsu.edu/contactupdate

For questions, email alumni@apsu.edu.

Austin Peay State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, age, status as a protected veteran, genetic information, or any other legally protected class with respect to all employment, programs and activities sponsored by APSU. Policy 6:001 AP296/2-23/30M/ Lithographics, Nashville, TN

Last November, I met with some of the finest individuals to ever serve in the U.S. military. They came from all different branches, both former officers and enlisted personnel, and for two days, Kirsten and I talked with their families, along with the families of a few other heroic service members who are no longer with us. We spent a powerful, emotional weekend learning about the extraordinary sacrifices these men and women made while protecting our country. In this issue, you’ll read some of the amazing things they accomplished during their impressive careers.

The 13 individuals we celebrated that weekend all have a connection to Austin Peay, and I’m proud they’re members of our Governors Family. We gathered first on Friday for a special dinner, and again on Saturday, where we officially inducted these men and women into Austin Peay’s new Governors Military Hall of Fame. Their names are now permanently displayed inside Austin Peay’s William E. & Sadako S. Newton Military Family Resource Center – the state’s largest military student center – and I encourage you to visit this important memorial the next time you’re on campus.

After reading about the new Military Hall of Fame, I hope you’ll consider nominating someone for our next class, which we’ll induct in November. More details are available on page 11.

In this issue, you’ll also read how we’re embodying our new Experience Austin Peay Strategic Plan. Our faculty, staff and students continue to find innovative ways to enhance our campus and our community. What are they doing? Turn to page 20 to learn about our new speech-language and swallowing clinic, which sees patients of all ages for free.

You’ll also want to go to page 16 and read about the researchers we’re sending into undeveloped regions of Fort Campbell to study the installation’s bat population, and on page 6, you’ll discover how we’re generating more excitement at athletic events and campus gatherings with our new, nationally ranked mascot.

I hope you enjoy reading about just a few of the many exciting things happening on and around our campus. The experiences described in this issue will carry us well beyond Austin Peay’s centennial in 2027, and I hope you share my excitement in seeing how we’ll continue to thrive during our next 100 years.

Thank you, and Let’s Go Peay!

Mike Licari APSU President

06

The Student Experience: A peek behind the mask of APSU’s new Gov mascot.

08 16 20 36

The Austin Peay Experience: A new hall of fame honors APSU’s military Govs.

The Academic Experience: APSU students pitch business ideas to win $15,000 in funding.

The Academic Experience Part 2: An APSU research team spends a night studying bats at Fort Campbell.

The Community Experience: A free speech-language and swallowing clinic offers hope on Marion Street.

14 AUSTIN PEAY | 1

Student’s participate in an orientation event during the Fall semester.

NEW INCENTIVES TO BE A GOV

On Saturday, Oct. 15, Austin Peay State University President Mike Licari surprised a crowd of potential students when he announced several new initiatives aimed at getting them through college faster, at a lower cost and with more enriching experiences.

“We’re so confident that you will thrive on our beautiful campus that we’re willing to put money on it,” Licari said. “That’s what The Austin Peay Experience is all about.”

During the University’s Govs Preview Day, the students learned about three new programs – The Austin Peay Experience, the Govs Guarantee 2023 and the Alumni Legacy Scholarship.

The Austin Peay Experience

• Four-year Graduation Guarantee – If a student follows a program’s requirements and doesn’t graduate in four years, APSU will pay the remaining tuition.

• $2,000 Experience Grants – Money for study abroad, participate in internships, develop innovative research or explore other learning opportunities.

Govs Guarantee 2023

If a student enrolls now as a first-year freshman at Austin Peay for the 2023-24 academic year, they will receive this year’s tuition rate for next fall.

Alumni Legacy Scholarship

Beginning in the summer of 2023, the University will award $1,000 to legacy students, including the children of step-, biological and adoptive parents.

Licari speaking at a recent student success event.

NURSING NOW OFFERING MEDICATION MANAGEMENT CLINIC

Last fall, the APSU School of Nursing received a grant from the Clarksville Montgomery County Community Health Foundation to open a medication management clinic for mental health at 510 College Street.

Office visits start as low as $5, and the clinic has the option to provide clients a bill if they need to submit to insurance for reimbursement.

In addition to supporting the local community, the clinic provides a training site for a new nursing degree program.

“We have a psychiatric nurse practitioner track now open in the School of Nursing. So, we will have students working there as a clinical site,” Dr. Kristen Hershey, APSU professor of nursing, said. “We’re very excited about the opportunities for collaborative, handson learning for our students, as well as community service and outreach.

For information on the clinic’s medication management services, visit https://www.apsu.edu/medicationmanagement-clinic/.

NEW PODCAST, THE AUSTIN PEAY EXPERIENCE, NOW AVAILABLE

APSU launched a new podcast – “The Austin Peay Experience” – to highlight what the university is doing to become the region’s university of choice by APSU’s centennial in 2027. The first season, “Forgotten Tennessee,” looks at the Bell Witch mystery and World War II German POWs working on local farms. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

FEDERAL GRANT PROMOTING STUDENT SUCCESS

In 2020, APSU received a $2.5 million federal grant to help more students succeed on campus, and over the last 24 months, the University has used that money to develop a set of innovative programs unlike any in the state. Now, a new coaching and student success initiatives office is providing extra help to students and using labor market data to develop new curriculum.

WHITE HOUSE EYES APSU’S GROW YOUR OWN

Last August, the White House announced an innovative new plan aimed at tackling the national teacher shortage, and a key component of that plan – teacher apprenticeship programs – was originally developed at Austin Peay State University. “Our work is being discussed nationally because it provides a solution to these persistent problems facing our field,” Dr. Prentice Chandler, dean of the APSU Eriksson College of Education, said.

APSU TURNS UP HEAT

Austin Peay State University launched its own brands of hot sauce last fall. The two sauces – Stacheville Sting, a moderately hot red sauce that gives a nod to the campus’ Governor mascot, and Govs Valiant Verde, a milder green sauce honoring the significant military community both on-campus and in Clarksville-Montgomery County – were unveiled after several months of coordination with a Tennessee-based company, Two Heads Hot Sauce.

TWO PROGRAMS RECEIVE ABET ACCREDITATION

APSU’s Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree program in engineering physics and the University’s bachelor’s degree programs in computer information systems, computer information technology and computer science, were both accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, the global accreditor of college and university programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology.

BOBBY THE BOBCAT

BECOMES THE GOV

There’s a new Gov mascot in town! Last summer, A.J. Crowder, also known as Bobby the Bobcat from Greenbirer High School, in Tennessee accepted an APSU Gov mascot scholarship that is the first of its kind.

“When I was awarded the scholarship, it was a very satisfying moment,” Crowder said. “I knew that my hard work during the last six years was going to pay off for college.”

Crowder has high hopes and goals for the Gov and spreading that Austin Peay spirit. National cheer competitions and an extensive wardrobe for the Gov are in the works.

“I am so excited to spread love and positive messages across the entire university,” he said. “It’s all about the people and bringing them joy and happiness. Let’s Go Peay!”

For six years, Crowder was better known as Bobby the Bobcat. He was always known for his enthusiasm and was often seen decked out in school spirit at school functions. One day, Crowder was called into the principal’s office and was given a giant box. In the box was the Bobby the Bobcat costume.

“I took that idea, and I ran with it,” Crowder said. “I got some ideas from YouTube and learned what to do and what not to do. I went to not only school events, but also community events. I just wanted to create a positive impact on our community.”

The Mascot Life

The pandemic couldn’t stop Bobby or Crowder. During

a time when joy was hard to find, Crowder dressed up as Bobby and would attend birthday parties. Here, he still managed to spread joy, even at six feet apart.

Crowder’s work as Bobby earned him many accolades including the 2019 Varsity Brands School Spirit Award, the 2020 Main Street Preps Person of the Year Award, the 2021 Mascot Training Camp Champion and the 2022 Best Mascot Fan Favorite in Middle Tennessee.

As the Gov, he finished second in January 2023 at the UCA and UDA College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championships.

After Austin Peay, Crowder’s goal is to become a professional mascot for a sports organization or team. “This opportunity would allow me to impact a much larger group of people tremendously,” Crowder said. His love for bringing people together has had a huge impact on his career as a mascot. First and foremost, he wants to spread happiness one dance and handshake at a time.

“That’s why I am super excited about starting here at Austin Peay as the Gov. When I was looking at colleges, I knew I wanted to make an impact like I did in Greenbrier,” Crowder said. “I saw Austin Peay as my book of blank pages and knew I could write my story at APSU.”

WITH INDUCTION OF INAUGURAL CLASS

On a gray morning in early November, more than a hundred people hurried through a wind-swept parking lot into the bright, warm interior of the Austin Peay State University Newton Military Family Resource Center. The visitors that day – many of them in uniform or wearing reminders of their service to our nation – came from across the country to watch the unveiling of the University’s new Governors Military Hall of Fame.

“Today, we celebrate an important and long overdue moment in this University’s 95-year history,” Dr. Mike Licari, APSU president, said. “When the Austin Peay Normal School first opened nine decades ago, we embraced the World War I veterans who joined our faculty. In the years since, our campus – as evident by the class we’re honoring today – has produced some of the finest individuals to serve our country. They’ve made our military stronger, our nation safer, but we’ve never had a long-standing display of the pride we feel for these men and women. That oversight changes today.”

At those words, Licari and Maj. Gen. (retired) Walt Lord, APSU military advisor in residence, removed a black curtain to reveal the new Hall of Fame display.

Each honoree is represented by a standard dog tag. For those who have served, the dog tag is a common denominator. Regardless of whether you served as a private or four-star general, you wear the same dog tags. The use of dog tags in the Hall of Fame highlights the fact that regardless of how they earned their spots in this place of honor, each of them is a hero in the University’s eyes.

“The Austin Peay State University Governors Military Hall of Fame is now a permanent addition to this campus, where it will inspire future generations of students, faculty, staff and visitors,” Licari said. “This display is an expression of the joy and gratitude we feel being connected, through this University, to these noble defenders of our freedom. We honor this inaugural group today, and we look forward to honoring many more in the years to come.”

The night before the ceremony, the University hosted a special dinner honoring the inaugural class and their families. During that dinner, the 13 nominees were officially inducted into the Hall of Fame. Those individuals are:

Lt. Col. Frank Adkins*

Adkins, a highly decorated World War II veteran, graduated from the Austin Peay Normal School in 1936. He volunteered for the Army Air Corps in 1940, and he went on to receive the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star and a Distinguished Flying Cross as a heroic ACE P-40 fighter plane pilot during the war.

Retired Brig. Gen. Paul Bontrager

Bontrager, vice president at the Sierra Nevada Corporation, graduated from Austin Peay in 1988 as an ROTC Distinguished Military Graduate (he was in the top 20 percent of cadets nationwide graduating that year). That began his illustrious military career as an officer, which included commanding the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Campbell and culminated with his promotion to brigadier general.

Retired Lt. Col. Dewey Browder

Dr. Browder, APSU emeritus professor and former chair of the Department of History and Philosophy, took the world’s first picture of light coming from a laser when he was a young Army photographer in 1963. He would later serve in Vietnam, receiving two Bronze Stars for Meritorious Achievement in ground operations against hostile forces, and in Europe, where he served as a USAREUR military-political adviser and then as the Adjutant General for the U.S. Army Europe’s forces in Italy, Greece and Turkey. He earned the Legion of Merit twice during this service in Europe.

Command Sgt. Maj. Sidney Brown*

Brown, a 1985 APSU graduate, deployed to Arkansas with the 101st in 1957 to help desegregate Little Rock High School. He later led patrols as a platoon sergeant through the notorious Iron Triangle during the Vietnam War and spent his retirement serving the community and local veterans as a Montgomery County Commissioner.

Retired Brig. Gen. Remo Butler

Butler, a 1974 graduate, was the first APSU cadet to become a general officer in the U.S. Army, and he was the first Black officer in the Special Forces to achieve the rank of brigadier general. He spent most of his impressive 29-year career in the Special Forces, commanding at every level, including as commander of Special Operations Command South.

Capt. Joe Hendricks Fox

Fox, a 1951 Austin Peay State College graduate, served as a U.S. Marine during the Korean War, where he received the Bronze Star with combat V for valor for “expressing complete disregard for his personal safety and fearlessly leading combat patrols deep into hostile territory to engage and destroy the enemy.” He also was cited for “exceptional ability, initiative and professional skill in the performance of his duties” as a platoon commander, and he received the Korean Service Medal with two stars and the United Nations Service Medal.

Col. David Hackworth*

Hackworth, a 1964 Austin Peay State College graduate with a B.S. Degree in History, was a highly decorated veteran of the Korean and Vietnam Wars. He was a man of action and an accomplished author. He earned well over 100 awards. Among them were the Distinguished Service Cross, 10 Silver Stars, four Legions of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, eight Bronze Stars, eight Purple Hearts, 34 Air Medals and four Army Commendation Medals. Sixty-five of his individual awards were for valor. The Philadelphia Inquirer called him “the best military leader this country has had since Patton.” Prior to his passing, Hackworth was America’s most decorated living soldier. After retiring from the army, he was a prominent military correspondent for Newsweek and authored or co-authored six books.

Lt. Col. Halbert Harvill*

Harvill, one of the first Austin Peay Normal School faculty members and later the president of Austin Peay State College, fought in the trenches of Europe as an enlisted soldier and later as an officer during World War I. During World War II, he was granted a leave-ofabsence from teaching at Austin Peay to serve as an officer in several military police battalions and local and state Selective Service Boards, before returning to the college as a lieutenant colonel.

Dr. Preston Hubbard*

Hubbard, who spent 33 years as an APSU professor of history, enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1941 and was assigned to the 509th Signal Company in the Philippines during World War II. He was captured on the Bataan Peninsula in 1942 and survived the grueling Bataan Death March with its death rate of about 400 men a day. He later received the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster and the POW medal for his extraordinary service.

Retired Col. Carrie Kendrick

Kendrick, a 1977 APSU graduate, was the first Black female to command both a combat support Military Police Battalion (Korea) and Brigade, (Fort Hood, Texas) responsible for training and law enforcement to a military community of over 120,000 military, and civilian personnel. During her 26-year career, she served in positions impacting national security at the Pentagon, and is a veteran of Deserts Shield and Storm. Her awards include the Bronze Star and Legion of Merit for exemplary service.

Retired Capt. John McKay Jr.

McKay, a 1959 Austin Peay graduate and former Governors’ football team captain was selected 1st team All-Conference in 1957 and 1958. In 1958 he was selected as Honorable Mention Little All American. He entered the Navy Officers Candidate School in 1961 and spent 30 years serving in amphibious warfare ships, mine sweepers, cruisers, destroyers and helicopter carriers. During his career he served as captain of the USS Spiegel Grove (LSD-32) and the USS Shreveport (LPD12), and in 1989, he took command of Amphibious Squadron Two and deployed with five ships and 2,000 Marines to the Mediterranean where he assumed Command of Task Force 61. He was awarded three Legion of Merit Medals, one Navy and Marine Corps Medal, Three Meritorious Service Medals, and one Navy Commendation Medal. In 2015 he was inducted into the Surface Navy Hall of Fame, which includes naval heroes such as Admiral Arleigh Burke, Admiral of the Navy George

Dewy, Admiral David Farragut, and Captain John Paul Jones.

Retired Chief Warrant Officer 5 Wayne Price

Price, a 1983 APSU graduate and Vanderbilt Life Flight pilot, served as a UH-60 Black Hawk pilot during two tours in Korea, one tour in Honduras, two combat tours in Iraq and a combat tour in Afghanistan. He received numerous medals, including the Bronze Star and the Meritorious Service Medal, and he was selected to pilot the commanding officer at Fort Campbell during a combat tour of Iraq.

Sgt. Osman Samuel Uffelman*

Uffelman, a 1951 Austin Peay State College graduate and former teacher and superintendent of Houston County Schools, enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II, where he served as an engineer disabling mines. During the war, he fought in North Africa, landed at Omaha Beach on June 12, 1944, and earned a Bronze Star for destroying a German pillbox with explosives while taking fire from an enemy sniper.

During the Saturday ceremony, inductees or their representatives were presented with special dog tags, matching those on permanent display, along with Newton Center jackets featuring the Hall of Fame logo.

“It really is an honor, but I’m really proud of Austin Peay for doing this,” Dr. Dewey Browder, one of the inductees, said. “Taking a public stand about the value of the military, I’m really proud of the University.”

Browder almost had to shout to be heard among all the well-wishers that morning. The room’s temperature steadily rose as people clambered to shake hands and congratulate the inductees.

“We’re so proud of this facility that I’ll say it again – at 5,200-square-feet, the Newton Center is the largest military student center in Tennessee, and today we’re adding another gem to this space with it now housing the APSU Governors Military Hall of Fame,” Lord said.

The special ceremony was sponsored by Mr. Jack Turner, Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army Emeritus, and his wife Margie. The Turners have spent their lives making the Clarksville community a better place for its citizens and especially those and their families who have served our country.

Jack Turner’s connection to the military began in the period between the Korean War and the Vietnam War, when he was an artillery officer. He later served seven years in the U.S. Army Reserve. As Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army, he serves as a liaison between the Secretary of the Army’s office, the community, and the military. Since 2012, Jack has sponsored the CSM Darol Walker Award Ceremony and Breakfast here at the university to annually recognize one outstanding cadet in Austin Peay’s ROTC program.

Anyone who missed it can still see the Hall of Fame memorial wall by visiting the William E. and Sadako S. Newton Military Family Resource Center at APSU from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

To view full bios of the inductees, visit www.alumni. apsu.edu/halloffamehonorees and click on the honoree’s photo.

The University accepts nominations year round. For consideration for the 2023 APSU Governors Military Hall of Fame, nominations must be submitted by May 6, 2023. To view requirements and submit a nomination, visit www.alumni.apsu.edu/militaryhalloffame

(*Inducted posthumously)

SAVE THE DATE 2023 APSU Governors Military Hall of Fame

Friday, Nov. 10, 2023 & Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023 www.alumni.apsu.edu/halloffamecelebration

APSU ENTREPRENEURSHIP CHALLENGE AWARDS

The Austin Peay State University College of Business hosted the first-ever 15K Entrepreneurship Challenge on Nov. 15. The event encouraged student teams to display their creativity and teamwork by presenting viable business solutions to problems within their communities.

After completing a preliminary round of judging, six student teams advanced to the live competition on campus. The winning teams include:

• Gold ($9,000 and a one-year lease at The Press, courtesy of The Press and the Students’ Choice Award) – Zaid Malik and Stewart Black pitched the Northshore Clarksville Bike Shop, a business that will

provide Clarksville with all its biking needs including bikes, accessories, rentals and maintenance. The business also plans to host events to engage the community, while also highlighting trails around Clarksville.

• Silver ($4,000) – Students Drew McIllwain, Kyle Nunn and Jonah Beamon pitched SmartPark, an app that provides efficient parking solutions for campus. The app allows users to preselect a destination and then provides them with the best parking options based on that location.

• Bronze ($2,000) – Students McKenna Jurmu and Marleigh Heggie pitched Ruff Riders, a local

neighborhood service that provides enrichment to family pets while their owners are away, including walks and trips to the dog park at competitive rates.

The challenge has been a dream of Management Professor Dr. John Volker for many years. “What excites me the most about the 15K Entrepreneurship Challenge is that it demonstrates the creativity and imagination of students at APSU,” Volker said. “Students from all disciplines are demonstrating the best of the university experience and the application of critical thinking to real problems that can be solved by free enterprise.”

The event was made possible by a generous donation from Joe and Cathi Maynard, who established a fund of excellence last year to champion student success initiatives across campus. The University recently honored the couple for their years of support – including their pledge of $15 million to the APSU athletics department, representing the largest gift in University history – by naming an area of campus as the Joe and Cathi Maynard Family Athletics Complex. The Maynards are also successful entrepreneurs who have launched several businesses, including the Top Fuel NHRA Maynard Family Racing Team, CraftPoint Concepts custom millwork and the Trio Hospitality Group.

“I am thrilled that the 15K Entrepreneurship Challenge inspired so much interest among our students and fostered dreams of new companies, new products and new ways of doing business,” Dr. Mickey Hepner, dean of the College of Business, said. “We are grateful for Joe and Cathi Maynard, The Press and our judges, who have all been incredible supporters of our aspiring entrepreneurs as this competition is expanding the universe of what our students see as possible.”

“This competition is expanding the universe of what our students see as possible.”

BATS AT NIGHT

SHORTLY AFTER NIGHTFALL AS THE DAY’S STEAM LIFTED FROM A WOODED FORT CAMPBELL CREEK, A MAN’S VOICE STABBED THROUGH THE CRICKET CACOPHONY.

AUSTIN PEAY STATE UNIVERSITY GRADUATE STUDENT BRANDON GULLEY CRACKLED OVER THE RADIO.

Moments later fellow graduate student Leah Crowley responded, “I have one too!” And another voice joined, “We have one!”

The night had started slowly, but as the mugginess of the day’s summer rains lifted, the bats started their forage above Fort Campbell’s creeks and graveled roads.

And the six mist nets that Dr. Catherine Haase’s team erected over those pathways had captured three red bats just seconds apart. Within 20 minutes, the team had netted three more bats – an evening bat, a gray bat and a tricolored bat.

Gulley, Crowley and fellow APSU student Dakota Van Parys retrieved the bats from the nets and brought them to an Austin Peay field research truck for a flurry of scientific activity. They recorded the bats’ species, age, sex and mass.

“This is a female,” Haase said about the red bat that Gulley retrieved. “She is lactating because around her nipples, there’s a lot of hair loss where the babies have nursed. They’re either at the roost or they’ve already flown off.”

In just two hours, Haase and her team captured and inspected 12 bats – six red bats, three evening bats, a tricolored bat and two gray bats. The night was the most productive night during the summer.

The team – all recent or current Austin Peay biology students – also inspected the bats for diseases such as white-nose syndrome, tagged the tricolored bat with a temporary tracking device and banded the gray bats.

“WE’VE GOT ONE!”

The information that Haase and her team collect during these trips contributes to a three-year partnership that Austin Peay has with Fort Campbell to survey the Army installation for endangered bat species. Fort Campbell officials will use the information to make a conservation plan to protect the places where endangered bats roost and forage. About 85% of the installation comprises natural habitats such as forests, grasslands, streams, lakes and wetlands.

But Haase’s students also gain information and practice in other research areas, including the effect water quality has on insect biomass and bat diversity and how white-nose syndrome affects reproductive patterns and bat diversity.

Tracking the bats

The team’s tracking devices – which fall off after about a week – help Haase and her students record the bats’ roosting patterns.

Every morning for the next seven days, the team took turns using radiotelemetry to track the tricolored bat they tagged on July 18 to its roost, usually nearby trees.

On July 20, Leah Crowley, a new member of the team

pursuing her master’s degree, and Jessica Verrillo tracked one of the tricolored bats to its roost tree. The trek wasn’t far from the creek bed where Crowley netted the bat – a short hike across the creek, through the woods and up a hill to a sugar maple. That tree wasn’t far from the white oak where the bat had roosted the day before.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lists gray bats as endangered, and ecology groups have petitioned for tricolored bats to be added to the list.

“Because tricolored bats are so small, they’re just decimated by white-nose syndrome,” Haase said. “They’re also impacted by land-use change because they need trees for summer habitat.”

White-nose syndrome is caused by a fungus that grows on the wings and nose of the bat, deteriorating the barrier to water loss which causes hibernating bats to arouse from hibernation to replenish water stores. Arousing burns fat that bats have accumulated before hibernation. White-nose syndrome also can affect reproduction.

“The bats get dehydrated more quickly and thus need to arouse more frequently,” Haase said. “These more

frequent arousals cause the bats to burn through all their winter fat, and they essentially starve to death before the hibernation season is complete.”

As for the gray bat that the team netted on July 18, “They are an endangered species, which is why we put a band on it so we can track it if it’s recaught,” Haase said. “These bands have unit identifiers on them, ours is FTC for Fort Campbell, so we know where they’ve come from.”

Continuing the work

The genesis of the Fort Campbell Bat Project centered on the northern long-eared bat, which Haase’s team hasn’t found. But the agreement specified two other species, the tricolored bat, which Haase’s team found and tracked during the week of July 18, and the little brown bat, which the team also hasn’t found. Whitenose syndrome has decimated all three species.

The Fort Campbell agreement is in its last year, but because the team has had success finding and tracking tricolored bats, Haase is trying to renew the partnership.

“If (tricolored bats) get listed, then there will be specific compliance efforts required by state and federal agencies if one of these species is found on their property,” Haase said. “If the tricolored bat becomes an endangered species, agency-listed species, Fort Campbell may be required to do surveys such as this in the future, which would be a great opportunity for this partnership to continue.”

APSU OFFERS FREE SPEECH-LANGUAGE AND SWALLOWING CLINIC FOR LOCAL COMMUNITY

A new, state-of-the-art medical clinic is now open in Clarksville, serving everyone from infants to senior citizens, and most people are shocked when they learn how much the clinic charges for its services.

“There’s no cost, and we’re not billing insurance at this point,” Jennifer Brandon, the clinic’s coordinator, said.

Last fall, Austin Peay State University invited the community to use its new Speech-Language and Swallowing Community Clinic, at 255 Marion St., for free. The 2,000-square-foot space offers treatments for everything from speaking and swallowing issues to memory loss and other cognition problems while providing APSU’s newest graduate students with the training they need to become the next generation of speech-language pathologists.

“We expect that a large portion of our caseload will be pediatric clients,” Dr. Kelly Kleinhans, APSU associate professor of speech-language pathology, said. “Our primary job is to teach people how to talk and communicate, and for adults who are experiencing mild memory loss, we can bring them for group therapy sessions where we do evidence-based practices to improve their memory and functioning in everyday life. Our students will be supervised by professional speech-language pathologists, but they’ll be learning how to practice speech-language pathology.”

Kleinhans arrived at Austin Peay in 2018 with an aggressive plan to build a speech-language pathology program that addressed the growing demand nationwide. In 2019, the APSU Department of Health and Human Performance launched the undergraduate degree concentration in Communication Sciences and Disorders, and the program’s popularity paved the way for the new graduate degree in speech-language

pathology that began this year.

Since it first began three years ago, the program has partnered with local providers, such as Advanced Therapy Solutions, to offer students clinical training, but for the graduate program to be successful, Kleinhans knew Austin Peay needed to operate its own clinic. She took her request, which included offering a free service to the community, to Austin Peay’s senior vice president for academic affairs.

“Dr. Maria Cronley, the provost, she said we have to find a place for them,” Kleinhans said. “She did a great job, found a space, supported us to renovate it. It looks like any clinic you would go to.”

That space previously housed several ground-floor apartments on Marion Street. Work crews spent the last year tearing down walls, building a reception area and several themed clinical rooms, and installing cutting-edge technology like eye-tracking glasses and remote video cameras. There are also toys – lots of toys for the children.

“We have plenty of toys and designs that facilitate communication,” Kleinhans said.

“Children learn language by playing, so you’ll see the fun stuff in there. We got a grant from the Maynard Fund of Excellence, and it provided us with money to buy toy sets. Every treatment room has its core set of toys.”

‘It feels like a real clinic’

Last fall, the program’s first graduate students treated patients in the clinic, under the supervision of professional speech-language pathologists. The idea was for them to train in a setting that mimics where they’ll one day work.

‘We have to find a place for them’

When the students first stepped into the APSU clinic, they were surprised at how professional it looked. “We were blown away when we saw it,” Grace Moore, an APSU graduate student, said. “I was amazed. We’re a new program, and to be able to have that, all that equipment in there, it’s really crazy.”

Graduate student Alejandra Serrano spent a few minutes walking around, examining the eye-tracking equipment and the shelves filled with toys.

“It feels like a real clinic,” she said. “You walk in and there’s a waiting room and reception area. Everything is very organized and professional.”

The APSU Speech-Language and Swallowing Community Clinic is now open and taking appointments. For information or to schedule an appointment, call 931-221-1622 or email mslp-info@ apsu.edu.

NATIONAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE BOARD

President

CW4 Joe Shakeenab ’04 jshakeenab@yahoo.com

President-Elect

Victor Felts ’91 feltsv@apsu.edu

Past President

Nicole Aquino Williamson ’04 nicole.aquino615@gmail.com

Faculty Representative

Dr. Tim Leszczak leszczakt@apsu.edu

We truly are in a season of wins at Austin Peay State University. As we have seen, with help from our loyal community, we have the power to make our future vision a reality. We have big plans to build on some of our recent successes, and all of those plans tie into the goals and pillars of the University’s new Strategic Plan, “Experience Austin Peay.”

In November 2022, we changed our model for GOVing Tuesday, our version of Giving Tuesday, to a fundable project day. That decision was ultimately a successful one. APSU faculty and staff submitted over 60 applications for projects they wanted to complete on campus, such as scholarships, conferences, trainings, new equipment, etc. A committee of faculty, staff, students and alumni then selected eight projects to be the focus of GOVing Tuesday. With the help of our alumni and friends, we were able to fund all eight of our chosen projects by the end of the day on Nov. 29. These projects will expand the Austin Peay experience for our students, faculty and staff in a variety of ways.

We are currently in our second year of the APSU SHAPE Campaign, which is the University’s annual giving initiative designed specifically for faculty and staff. This year, we hope that the success of the inaugural campaign will encourage APSU faculty and staff members to choose areas of support that mean the most to them, both individually and with their divisions, departments and colleges. Programs supported through the SHAPE Campaign include scholarships, research funding, improved facilities and hands-on learning experiences to elevate the Austin Peay experience for students, faculty and staff. To give to the SHAPE Campaign, visit alumni.apsu.edu/shape. Like last year, many faculty and staff will participate in the University’s annual online giving campaign, Govs Give. We want to thank all of our alumni and friends for supporting us during our seventh year of that campaign, which will take place from 10 a.m. on April 18 to 7:27 p.m. on April 19. Visit govsgive. com to support the University area of your choice. Your generosity will help us tell the Austin Peay stories of our entire campus community.

I also want to take some time to recognize the late Khandra Smalley (’05), a beloved APSU alumnus and former adjunct faculty member, who unfortunately passed away on Nov. 4, 2022. She was a past member of the APSU President’s Circle of Advisors and a recipient of APSU’s Outstanding Alumni Award in 2019. She was heavily involved in our local community and faithfully supported her alma mater. She will be truly missed by her Austin Peay family.

We look forward to seeing our alumni and friends at our upcoming summer Govs Gatherings and at our fall events including the APSU 5K: Run For Govs on Sept. 30 and all of our celebrations leading up to Homecoming on Oct. 28.

Sincerely,

Kristopher R. Phillips, MSL (’91, ’21) Vice President of Alumni, Engagement and Philanthropy Executive Director of APSU Foundation

Upcoming Events

April 18-19

Govs Give

April 21, 5-7 p.m. (EST)

Orlando Govs Gathering

American Social; 7335 W Sand Lake Rd #101 Orlando, FL 32819

April 22, Noon-1:30 p.m. (EST)

Jacksonville Govs Gathering

River House, 2800 University Blvd N Jacksonville, FL 32211

May 6, 6 p.m. (CST)

39th Annual Candlelight Ball

Omni Nashville Hotel

250 Rep. John Lewis Way South Nashville, TN 37203

RSVP by April 28 by visiting: www.alumni.apsu.edu/candlelight2023

May 15-17, 5-7 p.m. (CST)

Save the Date for Texas Govs Gathering Visit: www.alumni.apsu.edu/govsgathering for up-to-date information.

Aug. 25, 6 p.m. (CST)

Clarksville Govs Gathering

Downtown Commons

Clarksville, TN 37040

Sept. 8, 5-7 p.m. (EST)

Knoxville Govs Gathering

Calhoun’s on the River

400 Neyland Dr, Knoxville, TN 37902

Sept. 30, 5-7 p.m. (EST)

APSU Run For Govs 5K Register at www.alumni.apsu.edu/5K23

Nov. 10-11

APSU Governors Military Hall of Fame

www.alumni.apsu.edu/halloffamecelebration

*Events subject to change

HOMECOMING

October 27-28

Oct. 27, 10 a.m.

5th Annual Homecoming Golf Tournament Swan Lake Golf Course

Oct. 27, 6 p.m.

Military Alumni Chapter Scholarship Dinner Morgan University Center Ballroom

Oct. 28, 8 a.m.

50 Year Reunion, Class of 1973 Reception Iris Room

Oct. 28, 9 a.m.

Distinguished Alumni Awards Ceremony Morgan University Center Ballroom

Oct. 28, 11 a.m.

APSU Homecoming Parade APSU Campus

Oct. 28, 1-2:30 p.m.

#ExperienceAustinPeay Tailgate Tailgate Alley

Oct. 28, 3 p.m.

Govs vs. North Alabama Football Game Fortera Stadium

For more information, visit www.alumni.apsu.edu/homecoming

39th Annual Candlelight Ball

Saturday, May 6, 2023 • Omni Nashville Hotel • 6 p.m.

RSVP by April 28 by visiting: www.alumni.apsu.edu/candlelight2023

Candlelight Ball is an Austin Peay State University tradition with a history of providing scholarships to students each year. Established in 1984, the Ball was founded by the late Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Wendell H. Gilbert to raise scholarship funding for APSU students. Gilbert served as APSU’s Vice President for Development and University Relations for 17 years.

Over time, underwriters and guests have aided in scholarships and funding for renovations to the Pace Alumni Center at Emerald Hill and resources for the APSU Center for Teaching and Learning. We are proud that this event offers a meaningful way for community members to give back to APSU, while also helping students achieve their goals and enhancing the Austin Peay Experience for our entire campus community.

Thank you to Fortera Credit Union for serving as our inaugural Governor Sponsor, which is the 2023 Title Sponsor for Candlelight Ball.

WENDELL H. GILBERT AWARD

Dr. Joe (’70) and Estella Greer

Dr. Joe Greer graduated from APSU in 1970 with bachelor’s degrees in Chemistry and Biology. He earned his D.D.S. from the University of Tennessee Center for the Health Sciences in 1973. In 1991, he received his Master of Science in Health Promotions from Memphis State University. Since then, Joe has maintained a successful private practice in Memphis and has been an instructor at the UT College of Dentistry. He was named the APSU Outstanding Alumnus in 2015 and he is a past president of the APSU National Alumni Association (NAA). Estella Mayhue-Greer earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Memphis. She spent 21 years with the Mid-South Food Bank, serving in various roles, including president and CEO, prior to her retirement in 2019. In 2015, she received the Humanitarian of the Year award from the Memphis City Council. Joe created the Nannie Mae Wooten Memorial Endowed Scholarship and Estella created the Dr. Joe C. Greer Endowed Scholarship. Both scholarships benefit APSU African American students.

Kitty Harvill

SPIRIT OF AUSTIN PEAY AWARD

Larry (’97) and Barbara Goolsby

Master Sgt. (Ret.) Larry Goolsby graduated from APSU in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in Public Management. He had a 20-year career in the United States Air Force, working in Human Resources and recruiting. Larry earned many awards throughout his career, and was named the Top Human Resource NCO in the World for Recruiting Service. He was also awarded the Gold Badge for being the Top Recruiter in Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama and Indiana. He has been with Goolsby & Rye Used Appliances, a business owned by Barbara, for the 29 years since his retirement. Barbara trained in the Tennessee Disaster Relief Program to assist with relief efforts in West Virginia and Virginia Beach after Hurricane Frances. She has coached youth basketball and youth soccer. Larry and Barbara have supported APSU through the Govs Club, the Monocle Society and the Tower Club and by creating the Larry and Barbara Goolsby Business Endowment and contributing to the Patricia Goolsby Gregory Memorial Endowment to honor Larry’s late sister, an Austin Peay alumna and a 2007 recipient of the APSU Outstanding Alumna Award.

In 2022, Kitty Harvill, daughter of the late F. Evans Harvill (‘44, ’47), was recognized for her contribution to art and wildlife with the prestigious Simon Combes Conservation Artist Award. The award is the top honor given by the Artists for Conservation (AFC).

Kitty is co-founder of Artist and Biologists Unite for Nature (ABUN). She has provided many works of art to the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP), both individually and through ABUN, in support of World Albatross Day and to illustrate articles posted to ACAP Latest News. She recently provided the illustrations for “Wisdom, the Midway Albatross: Surviving the Japanese Tsunami and Other Disasters for Over 60 Years,” a book written by Darcy Pattison.

Kitty visited the APSU campus in October 2022 to commemorate the naming of the F. Evans Harvill Quad and the F. Evans Harvill Memorial Highway in honor of her late father, an outstanding alumnus with a family history of giving back to the University in many ways.

Alumni and Annual Giving Corner

In the Austin Peay State University Office of Alumni and Annual Giving, we work to serve you and our entire campus community through a variety of outreach initiatives, opportunities and events.

Our office is a part of the APSU division of Alumni, Engagement and Philanthropy. It is our goal to encourage and foster lifelong alumni participation, involvement, and commitment.

We are responsible for APSU fundraising campaigns such as Govs Give, GOVing Tuesday and the SHAPE Campaign for APSU Faculty and Staff. Our intent is to provide giving opportunities that will appeal to our many stakeholders, including students, faculty, staff, community members, fans of our Governors sports teams and of course - our alumni.

Lately, one of our primary goals has been to emphasize the importance of involvement from our young alumni. The individuals who make up this group form a critical bridge from the Austin student experience to the alumni experience.

Whether they are attending annual events like Homecoming and the Candlelight Ball, mentoring current and future Governors or checking out one of our Govs Gatherings in cities across the country, our young alumni are making connections and contributions that strengthen our network of Governors.

So far this year, we have already hosted successful events in Charlotte, North Carolina and Orlando, Florida. If you live in Texas and want to join in on the fun of our Govs Gatherings, don’t miss our events in the North Fort Worth area on May 15, followed by another event the next day in the South Fort Worth area. We will then move on to the Round Rock area of the state for another Govs Gathering on May 17. We will also have a Govs Gathering in Clarksville on Aug. 25 and another in Knoxville on Sept. 8.

Thank you for being an active member of our Austin Peay alumni family. We hope to see you on campus soon!

If you have questions, suggestions or need information about APSU alumni events, or you if are interested in forming a new alumni chapter, please feel free to contact us by email at alumni@ apsu.edu or by phone at 931-221-7979. We are eager to help you.

Sincerely,

FreeWill has helped alumni like you!

Austin Peay has partnered with FreeWill, a free online tool that guides you through the process of creating a will in just 20 minutes. FreeWill helped APSU alumna Donna Glenn (’97) create an estate plan to fulfill her goal of giving back to her alma mater. Visit FreeWill.com/APSU to start your free will today!

“I arrived at Austin Peay as a nontraditional student who had struggled to complete my degree. As soon as I stepped on campus, I was welcomed and immediately felt like I had found a new family. Every member of the faculty and staff was ready to guide and mentor me so that I could be successful. Because of their help, I was able to complete my degree and even went on to complete a graduate degree. At the beginning of my second semester at the Peay, I earned a scholarship for being an athletic trainer and I decided then that someday I would pay the University back for their generosity. I have always told my husband that I wanted to leave something to the University when I pass, I just never knew the process to make that happen. The FreeWill tool helped me organize my affairs and walked me through every step of the process to make sure my wishes will be honored. It was quick and easy to understand, and I feel better knowing my executor will have direction when handling my estate. Transferring to Austin Peay and receiving that scholarship changed my life and I want to help future students have the same opportunity for success that I was given.” -

Donna Glenn (’97)

Brad Averitt (’10, ’17) APSU Assistant Executive Director of Alumni and Annual Giving

Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Leonard R. “Sonny” Forte (‘63)

The personal and professional journey of Austin Peay State University alumnus Dr. Leonard R. “Sonny” Forte (B.S. ‘63) is one that has the potential to inspire many future generations of Governors.

Dr. Forte met his late wife, Sarah Overstreet-Forte through her older brother, who was Dr. Forte’s roommate and football teammate at Austin Peay. The Fortes were married on June 29, 1962 at the Fairview Baptist Church in Bordeaux. They would go on to be married for 58 years and have three children together - David Forte, Mark Forte and Elizabeth Alman.

In August 1962, Dr. and Mrs. Forte moved to Austin Peay, where they lived in the middle of campus in former U.S. Army barracks that had been converted into married student apartments. During his time as an undergraduate in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Dr. Forte was a letterman in both football and track and field. At the time, APSU was known as Austin Peay State College. Mrs. Forte worked in a beauty salon while her husband played in his last football season and completed his senior year of college.

Dr. Forte earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biology in 1963. He went on to graduate from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine with a Ph.D. in Pharmacology in 1969. He then served as a professor of Pharmacology for four decades at the University of Missouri and for 35 years as senior research career scientist at the Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital in Columbia, Missouri.

Throughout his career as a professor and researcher, he brought much distinction to his alma mater with his considerable academic and professional accomplishments. In 1987, novel receptors in cultured opossum kidney cells were discovered in his laboratory, which led to the publication of the discovery of the existence of a new class of peptide hormones in the American Journal of Physiology in 1988. In 1992, members of his laboratory synthesized the peptide uroguanylin, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science in 1993. These scientific contributions from Dr. Forte’s laboratory led to him being awarded an honorary

doctorate degree from the State University of Ceara in Fortaleza, Brazil in 2000. He also made many scientific contributions to the field of Endocrinology, and was included in numerous other publications.

Throughout his career, he was invited to serve on many committees and to give countless academic presentations. He has received a considerable number of professional awards and belongs to professional societies including the American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, the American Physiological Society, the Society for Molecular Imaging and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Dr. Forte retired from his position as a professor at the University of Missouri School of Medicine on Oct. 1, 2009. In 2018, he and Mrs. Forte created a scholarship known as the Forte-Overstreet Family Scholarship Endowment. After she passed away on May 30, 2020, Dr. Forte renamed it the Sarah Overstreet-Forte Scholarship in her honor. To qualify for the scholarship, applicants must be enrolled full-time at APSU and demonstrate a need for financial assistance.

Over the years, Dr. and Mrs. Forte were avid supporters of his alma mater and APSU athletics. In recent years, he has continued their commitment through his faithful contributions to their scholarship. His story is a proud chapter in the legacy that has made the Austin Peay experience what it is today.

Dr. Leonard R. “Sonny” Forte (B.S. ‘63) and his wife Sarah Ann Overstreet-Forte.

Austin Peay Athletics ‘Levels Up’ with new student-athlete lounge

Thanks to the charitable donations by members of the Monocle Society, Austin Peay State University Athletics opened its first all-student-athlete lounge.

“I am so excited to welcome our student-athletes to their lounge,” said Austin Peay Vice President and Director of Athletics Gerald Harrison. “As we continue to level up, there is nothing more important than enhancing our student-athlete experience. Thanks to the Monocle Society members that made this project a reality for our Govs.”

The lounge, which features multiple recliners, bean bags, two 75-inch TVs, a PlayStation 5, a microwave and a fridge among other amenities, offers studentathletes the opportunity to relax in between classes or practices.

The student-athlete lounge is located on the second floor of the Winfield Dunn Center in room 248 which borders Lot 50, nearest Raymond C. Hand Park.

Four inducted into Red Coat Society

During Homecoming 2022 celebrations, Austin Peay recognized four longtime athletics department supporters with induction into the Red Coat Society.

The Red Coat Society’s 18th induction class included Dr. Jeannie Beauchamp, Ed Bunio, Tom Jones, and Eunice Washington. The society, a Hall of Fame for service to the Austin Peay Athletics Department, was established in 2004 to honor those longtime supporters of Governors athletics.

The University extends Red Coat Society membership to those individuals who have been a member in good standing of the Monocle Society or its predecessors for at least five years; supported the athletic programs at Austin Peay through financial contributions or participation in Monocle Society fundraisers and other events; and provided support to more than one sport both at home and away whenever possible and is recognized within the APSU community for their association with Austin Peay athletics.

APSU athletics celebrates Joe and Cathi Maynard Family Athletics Complex

Last fall, the University hosted the Joe and Cathi Maynard Family Athletics Complex Naming Celebration at Fortera Stadium.

“The Austin Peay community is excited to honor Joe and Cathi Maynard for their transformative gift made to the APSU Department of Athletics,” APSU President Mike Licari said. “Their $15 million pledge is the largest single gift in University history, and we are proud that the Joe and Cathi Maynard Family Athletics Complex will commemorate the generous commitment this family has made to our campus community.”

Named Austin Peay’s 2020 Philanthropists of the Year, Joe and Cathi Maynard have given generously to the University since 2017, including improvements to the baseball field – now named Joe Maynard Field – and the softball park – known as Cathi Maynard Park.

Govs break fundraising record, raise $16,766,017 in 2021-22

When it comes to fundraising in college athletics… some years get the job done, some are good –and maybe even great – years, and then there are years like the one we just had at Austin Peay State University.

Now you’re surely wondering what I mean by “and then there are years like the one we just had” and I am here to tell you that we shattered the Austin Peay athletics department record by raising $16,766,017 during the 2021-22 fiscal year.

Here’s some context. The department-record $16,766,017 is nearly seven and a half times more than the $2,240,541 Austin Peay raised during the 202021 fiscal year and is just over six times more than the previous department record of $2,789,340.43, which was raised during the 2014-15 fiscal year.

“First off, I want to thank everyone that gave to Austin Peay athletics during this record-breaking year,” said Vice President and Director of Athletics Gerald Harrison. “These generous gifts have positively impacted every single student-athlete at Austin Peay and helped us continue to level up as an athletic department. I also want to thank the athletic and advancement staffs that made this possible. Their hard work and dedication have helped to immensely improve the student-athlete experience at Austin Peay!”

Aside from the hard work of many people on the Governors’ staff, this kind of uber-successful year wouldn’t be possible without the generosity of a number of people who give to better the studentathlete experience at Austin Peay, so let’s check the donation stats:

• 521 donors gave 1,087 annual gifts ($1,000 or less), raising $181,443.

• Another 54 donors gave 97 major gifts ($1,001 or more), raising $16,425,928.

• 183 gifts were made during Govs Give, raising $158,646.

• There were 22 five-figure gifts, four six-figure gifts, and one eight-figure gift.

“The University’s record-breaking fundraising year would not have been possible without gifts to APSU athletics,” Austin Peay Vice President for Alumni, Engagement and Philanthropy Kris Phillips said. “We are excited that the department reached this milestone in giving. We can always depend on our Governors fans, friends, and alumni to help us reach new levels of achievement each year. Because of their involvement, the future is bright for our sports teams and our entire campus community.”

Now to the good stuff… where did the money go?

The biggest, and probably most obvious improvement, to Austin Peay athletics in the past year is the brand-new football turf on the Maynard Family Field at Fortera Stadium. The new turf features a nearly 40-yard-long State of Tennessee logo with a Governors logo tucked inside.

On the surface, those are the only upgrades you’ll notice at Fortera Stadium, but if you’re an Austin Peay student-athlete, then that’s just not the case. Upgrades to the training room and nutrition room inside Fortera Stadium will help all 320 Austin Peay student-athletes stay healthy and properly fueled, giving them the best opportunity to accomplish all their goals in their particular sport.

Then there’s the new football locker room. Brandnew lockers and more efficient use of the space gives the Governors football team the best chance to compete in the inaugural season of ASUN Conference football and for many years to come.

Right outside of Fortera Stadium, a new video board can be found in the Jenkins Family Fieldhouse. The sizable LED board gives student-athletes and their coaches another space where they can utilize topof-the-line technology while improving their craft on the practice field.

Just a stone’s throw away from the Jenkins Family Fieldhouse, you can find renovations being done to the inside of the baseball program’s Jamie “Cat” Walker Indoor Facility. The building has been gutted with the nets and original turf removed and a new layer of black paint – which will create a better backdrop for hitters and pitchers – applied from floor to ceiling. With new nets set to be installed, the facility will help bring Austin Peay baseball into a new era as the program looks to return to its championship pedigree.

Another improvement that can be found in the Winfield Dunn Center is the renovated softball coaches’ offices. After the softball team moved into its brand-new locker room in the Downey Building just across the street from Cathi Maynard Park, the coaching staff was next to get a revamped workspace.

The list of the upgrades and improvements Austin Peay has been able to make thanks to this banner fundraising year goes on and on from new branding across the entire Joe and Cathi Maynard Athletic Complex, to new basketball stanchions in the Dunn Center, new concrete pads for bleachers at the Govs Beach Volleyball Complex, resurfaced courts at the Governors Tennis Courts, and a refreshed scoreboard at Morgan Bros. Soccer Field.

Aside from facility upgrades, the record-breaking $16,766,017 helped power a number of new student-

athlete development initiatives. In the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) era of college athletics, Austin Peay has capitalized on its partnership with Teamworks and INFLCR to create the Stacheville Exchange. The Stacheville Exchange provides student-athletes with a free and easy-to-use forum where they can interact with businesses, donors, alumni, and collectives to pursue, construct, and fulfill NIL opportunities.

Austin Peay also used funds raised during the 202122 year to send three student-athletes – Yamia Johnson, Drae McCray, and Olivia Prock – to The NIL Summit, hosted by the Student-Athlete NIL (SANIL) and sponsored by NIL platform INFLCR, at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. The firstever summit gave student-athletes from across the nation a platform to converge on as a community of influencers and change agents, to share ideas, and collaborate alongside the transformative brands and organizations shaping the future of college sports.

Aside from its NIL benefits, Austin Peay’s continued partnership with INFLCR gives the athletics department an efficient and modern way to connect with student-athletes and share media that will allow them to build their own brand while simultaneously enhancing the Austin Peay brand.

All of this and more would be impossible without the generosity of everyone who gave to Austin Peay athletics during the 2021-22 year. As we move forward into a new year, we are going to continue to level up. Records are meant to be broken, and we’ll have time for that, but now there is just one thing left to say… thank you and it sure is a great day to be a Gov.

One of the improvements made as a result of major gifts this year was Fortera Stadium’s Maynard Fields new turf and track surfaces.

Sports Nutrition Enhancements

In October, the Austin Peay State University Department of Athletics hired Jill Merkel as the Governors’ new Director of Sports Nutrition. Merkel is the University’s first registered dietitian and is in charge of all dietary and nutritional needs for Governors’ athletic programs.

Merkel arrived at Austin Peay following five years with the Tennessee Titans, where she served as the team’s dietitian and collaborated with other sports performance staff including athletic trainers, strength and conditioning coaches, and chefs.

She now presides over Austin Peay’s new stateof-the-art Nutrition Room, accessible to all APSU student-athletes, on the first floor of Fortera Stadium. The room includes a full-service kitchen that allows for the preparation of meals and a large dining space. The area also includes a stocked fuel station, smoothie bar, dairy station and grilled options. The room also provides a place for the nutrition staff to hold educational sessions, and athletics department officials continue to add staffing in the area of nutrition.

Governors’ student-athletes set fall-semester record with 3.362 grade-point average

Austin Peay State University’s varsity student-athletes set a fall semester record with a 3.362 grade-point average.

It is the 11th consecutive semester the APSU athletics department has posted a 3.0 GPA or better and the 14th time in department history. All 15 APSU varsity programs recorded at least a 3.0 GPA for the sixth consecutive semester. In addition, the Governors cheer and dance teams posted a 3.0 GPA or better.

Austin Peay’s baseball and women’s basketball teams set program records during the semester. The Govs’ baseball team posted a 3.523 GPA, while the women’s basketball program finished with a 3.567 GPA, each surpassing a 3.50 GPA for the first time. The Austin Peay men’s golf team set a fall semester record with a 3.714 GPA.

“I continue to be incredibly impressed by the hard work and success of our Governors in the classroom,” said Vice President and Director of Athletics Gerald Harrison. “The achievements of our student-athletes would not be possible without the support of Katie Ethridge (associate director of athletics, student-athlete success), her staff, as well as the emphasis our coaches put on their athletes academic performance. Our student-athletes, coaches, and staff prove they live the ‘Total Gov Concept’ in all aspects of their Austin Peay experience.”

Austin Peay announces 45th Athletics Hall of Fame class

In February, the University inducted five new members into the Austin Peay State University Athletics Hall of Fame. The new class – the 45th in the hall of fame’s history –included women’s soccer player Tatiana Ariza, men’s golfer Anthony Bradley, baseball second baseman Jordan Hankins, men’s track and field athlete Johnny Williams, and retired computer science professor and longtime faculty athletics representative Dr. Bruce Myers.

Read more about this year’s class at https:// letsgopeay.com/news/2022/11/30/ austin-peay-announces-45th-athleticshall-of-fame-class.aspx.

On a quiet afternoon in August, about 12 Austin Peay State University Spanish students found themselves inside a secret location – the Clarksville Area Urban Ministries’ SafeHouse. Before arriving, they were told the SafeHouse’s address had to remain confidential to protect the residents living there to escape abusive partners and other forms of domestic violence.

“I took my students to the shelter because I wanted them to have a connection, so they can see the importance of what they’re doing,” Dr. Osvaldo Di Paolo Harrison, APSU professor of Spanish, said.

His strategy worked. The students in his Spanish 4900: Spanish Internship course returned to campus newly motivated. They weren’t simply improving their translation skills – they were possibly saving lives.

“We’re getting hands-on experience, and not just experience, but helping the community,” APSU student Joseph Williams said. “We’re doing something great, something important. It’s a lot of work, but I love it.”

THE SAFEHOUSE

For years, the Urban Ministries SafeHouse has provided domestic violence survivors, and their children, with a protective sanctuary, but the organization’s English-language materials often prevented Clarksville’s Spanish-speaking population from using this important resource. Di Paolo Harrison’s class work to change that. Last fall, the APSU professor partnered with the SafeHouse, thanks to a City of Clarksville grant, so that his students could translate the organization’s many forms and documents.

“Our partnership with Dr. Osvaldo and his students

has allowed SafeHouse to better serve the growing Latinx population in Clarksville,” Maricza Hinnah, program director for the Clarksville Area Urban Ministries, said. “Being able to present our clients with documentation that they can understand not only brings them comfort but shows them that we are ready to fight the battle against Domestic Violence with them. Clarksville Area Urban Ministries SafeHouse strives to provide inclusive trauma-informed advocacy services to all survivors of Domestic Violence and their minor children.”

LEAD SAFE HOUSING PROGRAM

In recent years, the City of Clarksville has worked to make more services accessible to its Spanish-speaking residents. The grant Di Paolo Harrison received is just one example of this work. Last semester, the APSU professor also received a call from Vy Cornett, program coordinator for the Clarksville Department of Neighborhood and Community Services. Cornett worried that many non-English speakers were unaware of the dangers of lead paint in older homes.

Di Paolo Harrison decided to incorporate her concerns into his class, having his students also translate her program’s materials.

“By having our informational flyers, documents and applications translated, we at Neighborhood and Community Services hope to make the Lead Safe Housing Program more accessible,” Cornett said. “People who identify as Hispanic or Latino make up the second-largest ethnic minority in Clarksville, so it made sense for us to have those documents available in Spanish. We want everyone to have the opportunity to live in safe, decent and sanitary housing, and we hope that this is a step in the right direction.”

THE CLASS

Last spring, several advanced Spanish students signed up for the internship class, not knowing exactly what they’d be doing. Once they returned to campus in the fall – and toured the SafeHouse – they realized the seriousness at the core of their assignments.

“I knew I would be translating, but I didn’t know what I was going to be translating,” APSU student Jayla Milton said. “Honestly, it was scary because I didn’t really feel like I was qualified.”

To ease their fears, the students were divided up into teams with each team assigned a section of a document. Then they brought their translations to class so that everyone could work on it together and then compare it to the translation their professor did independently. They knew they had to get it right for the people needing these services.

“For me, I think the fact that there’s such a large Hispanic population that is not English speaking that are served by both organizations, and to be able to do this to where they have better means of communication is very important,” Dr. Brandon Di Paolo Harrison, APSU assistant professor of accounting, said. He is married to Dr. Osvaldo Di Paolo Harrison and taking the class to both help the community and improve his Spanish-language skills.

For several students, the class also provides a glimpse into their future careers.

“I will say I definitely grew a lot in my language skills,” APSU student Sam Busby said. “This is definitely something that will help me in the future because I want to teach language and translation as a side job. It’s giving me good experience in the field I want to go into.”

The class’s finish translations allow the SafeHouse and Clarksville Neighborhood and Community Services to use the documents this winter.

“I am grateful to Dr. Di Paolo-Harrison for providing his students with an opportunity to help their community,” Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts said. “This is community engagement at its best.”

“This is community engagement at its best.”

GOVS GATHERING

ATLANTA

APSU alumni & friends came together for a night of mingling, networking and celebrating being a Gov at the For the PEAYple Gathering in Atlanta, Georgia, in July.

CLARKSVILLE

The Clarksville Community joined APSU President Mike Licari, APSU athletics and former Montgomery County Mayor Jim Durrett for the Clarksville For the PEAYple Gathering and Pep Rally during the Downtown @ Sundown concert series in August.

CHATTANOOGA

APSU alumni & friends at the Chattanooga For the PEAYple Gathering in July.

HUNTSVILLE

Members of the Huntsville Govs Gathering Host Committee with President Mike Licari and Vice President of Alumni, Engagement and Philanthropy, Kris Phillips at the Huntsville Govs Gathering in September.

BIRMINGHAM

Over 80 APSU alumni & friends gathered in Birmingham, AL in November for a Govs Gathering before heading down to watch the Governors football team take on the University of Alabama Crimson Tide.

Dr. Phil Roe (’67), member of the APSU Board of Trustees, was awarded the American Legion’s highest award, the Distinguished Service Medal.

Steve Osborne (’01) was named Assistant Director in the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office division of Local Government Finance.

Dave M. Hershey (‘75) won the Charles J. Long Award from the York Symphony Ochestra in York, Pennsylvania. He is the first sitting member of the Symphony to have a chair named after him.

Roosevelt Sanders (‘82), an administrator for Metro Nashville Public Schools, was selected as the 2022-23 Distinguished Service Award winner by the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA).

Sheila Reed (’88) was named Tennessee’s new Director of Local Government Finance.

Sabrina Powell (‘03) was named Process Improvement/Fuel Manager for the Kroger Nashville Division.

Tina Tucker (’05) was named the new President and Chief Executive Officer of the Pinnacle Solutions Board of Directors.

Heather Fleming (’06) was named Human Resources director by Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden.

Tony D. Raye (’89) was named the 2022-2023 Teacher of the Year for JFK Middle School in Antioch, Tennessee.

Jennifer Whitcomb-Oliva (‘09) was named “Best Performing Artist” by the Nashville Scene.

Jude Crowell (’96) received the 2022 Frederick C. Morgan Individual Achievement Award from the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA). The award honors career-long contributions to HFMA and to the healthcare finance profession.

Freeman B. Foster, (‘00) joined Baker Donelson as counsel in the Firm’s Memphis office and a member of the Health Care Litigation Group.

Jacob Lorino (’21) was hired as a client service associate for The Trust Company of Tennessee.

IN MEMORY

DARRELL RAY OSBORN 12/1/2021

THOMAS JOSEPH DUFFY (’56) 1/28/2022

PHILLIP RAY KELLY 7/28/2022

LINDA CROW (’85) 8/12/2022

MARY ALICE PARKER (’79) 8/16/2022

QUANTERRIA HUGHES 8/23/2022

VANESSA DAVILA (’16) 8/25/2022

GEORGE P. LONG (’75) 8/26/2022

TINA DOUGLAS 8/27/2022

BETTY OSBORNE (’75) 9/1/2022

JOHN SIDNEY FRAZER (’53) 9/4/2022

ALAN D. PRESSON (’63) 9/5/2022

JOYCE SPICER COLEMAN (’72) 9/7/2022

GEORGE RANDOLPH OFFITT (’74) 9/11/2022

FRANCES CHICK (’60) 9/13/2022

ALLEN W. KOVASH (’93) 9/16/2022

HAROLD A. STAMEY (’72) 9/16/2022

CHARLES W. PERSINGER (’61) 9/17/2022

GLORIA F. ARMSTRONG (’71) 9/19/2022

KENNETH ALBERT MAYOR (’75) 9/21/2022

ROBERT COVINGTON CLORE 9/23/2022

JILL ELIZABETH EICHHORN 10/2/2022

AMY MARIE HOUCK (’19) 10/2/2022

ROBERT H. BRADLEY (’57) 10/6/2022

JOHN KEITH ASHBY (’55) 10/14/2022

BILLY LYNN GILKEY (’64) 10/16/2022

CAROL KINGINS ALEXANDER (’64) 10/17/2022

CLARICE WHITE (’73) 10/20/2022

JAMES H. COLLIER (’57) 10/22/2022

VAN SHOFNER ALLISON 10/23/2022

LORI LEE VON PALKO (’85) 10/28/2022

BRUCE EDWARD WILSON (’70) 10/29/22

CHARLES N. FILLINGHAM 10/31/2022

JANET LYNN CLEGHERN (’83) 11/1/2022

THOMAS RICHARD SEAY 11/1/2022

KHANDRA SMALLEY (’05) 11/3/2022

MAYNARD P. DAVIS (’57) 11/7/22

DOLORES SETTLE (’52) 11/7/22

LINDA GENE WARREN (’68) 11/8/22

JUSTIN DEREK JOHNSON (’11) 11/12/22

BILLY RUSSELL HERNDON 11/14/22

JOHN MILLER (’54) 11/17/2022

ROBERT ZIMMERMAN (’73) 11/17/2022

KATHERINE STEVENS (’85) 11/18/2022

ARCHIE L. HILL 11/19/2022

JOHN LEE MORRIS (’70) 11/23/2022

BETTY LAMBERT 12/4/2022

LOUIE PETERS (’98) 12/6/2022

MARY ELLIS (’41) 12/8/2022

MIKE MACDOWELL (’71) 12/8/22

THOMAS PERCY WALKER (’71) 12/9/22

JANICE HARDIN MAGNUSON (’74) 12/13/22

JOHN DAVID MASTRI (’59) 12/14/22

LYNDA SHEFFIELD KILBY (’76) 12/15/22

GARY P. HAGADORN (’72) 12/20/22

HELEN B. COLEMAN 12/22/22

SCOTT A. SHAMP (’72) 12/23/22

DONNA RAWLS HEAD (’74) 12/31/22

MICHAEL MCKEE GARLAND (’61) 1/1/23

JOSEPH B. TRAHERN 1/10/23

BARBARA J. BANIK (’73) 1/16/23

JAMES GEORGE INGALLS (’75) 1/16/23

JAMES DAVIS MCCUTCHEN 1/16/23

EDWARD JOSEPH SWIDERSKI (’58) 1/17/23

FRANK WILSON (’57) 1/19/23

ANDRE T. HUNTER (’22) 1/21/23

JAMES ALVIN VERTREES (’70, ’75) 1/21/23

JAMES THOMAS PERRY (’73) 1/26/23

JB CONE 1/29/23

SARA GOTCHER (’81) 1/30/23

THOMAS R. HAMEL 2/3/23

1-800-264-ALUM

Thank you for making #GOVingTuesday2022 a success!

Giving Tuesday is the largest giving day in the world, and it happens the Tuesday after Thanksgiving every year. Austin Peay celebrates Giving Tuesday every year, and we call it GOVing Tuesday! In 2022, we moved to a fundable project day. Out of the more than 60 project proposals submitted by APSU faculty and staff, eight were selected as the focus of GOVing Tuesday 2022. With the help of alumni and friends, all eight projects were fully funded by the end of the day on Nov. 29.

APSU Department of Health and Human Performance

Adaptable Music Themed Toys for Speech Therapy

Eriksson College of Education Exploring Literacy with CMCSS

APSU Department of Music Mabry Concert Hall Sound Upgrades

APSU Department of Physics, Engineering and Astronomy Solar Viewing Equipment

Community Engagement and Sustainability

SOS Food Pantry Winter Holiday Boxes and Traveling Coat Rack

APSU Department of Athletics

Indoors APSU Department of Languages and Literature Study Abroad Experience in Salamanca, Spain