Leaving on a High Note - Austin Peay State University

By Dennie B. Burke
Executive Director of Public Relations and Marketing
Bill Persinger
Asked early in her presidency what traits
she thinks all great leaders share, Dr. Sherry
Hoppe answered without hesitation: “Vision
and the ability to articulate it well and long—
until it becomes a shared vision. Plus integrity,
fairness and objectivity in decision-making.
“A good leader leads by example. I won’t
ask anyone to work harder than I.
“And I always treat others with respect and
dignity—that’s my cardinal rule.”
“At Home with Hoppe”
Austin Peay magazine, Fall 2001
A change agent—that moniker spread
around campus even before Hoppe was
named interim president Feb. 1, 2000. Some
whispered it with trepidation, others with
anticipation.
The name stuck. In fact, in a Jan. 11, 2007,
memo to faculty and staff announcing her
retirement July 31, Hoppe called herself a
change agent. And, clearly, she has made
changes during her seven-year presidency—
big, whopping, history-making changes.
People tend to enjoy the status quo,
because change can be painful. For the overall
good, change sometimes extracts sacrifices
from the few. So not everyone was thrilled—
initially—by the changes Hoppe began implementing
early in her presidency.
During those first years, her resolve and
diplomacy were tested. It would have been
easier for Hoppe, as a new president, to coast
a while, to move at a slower pace. But that’s
simply not her style. Faculty and staff soon
realized that, although she values strategic
planning, she’s action-oriented; although she
loves history, her eyes are on the future.
From the get-go, Hoppe wanted to make
good things happen here; and over the past
seven years, APSU has been the most “happening”
university in Tennessee.
Breaking records; making history
Hoppe is a record-breaker and historymaker.
According to Tennessee Board of
Regents member Fran Marcum, Tullahoma,
Spring 2007
Hoppe leaves “tough shoes to fill.” In The
Leaf-Chronicle (Jan. 27, 2007), Marcum told
Hoppe: “We are going to miss you so much.
Your fingerprints and footprints run throughout
the system, not just at the schools where
you’ve served.”
APSU had many firsts during Hoppe’s tenure,
beginning with her being the University’s first
female president, the first woman to be inaugurated
president of a four-year Tennessee university
and the first person to move directly from a
community college presidency to the presidency
of a four-year university.
When Hoppe arrived at APSU, no online
courses were being taught. With the realization
that APSU must offer online courses or fall by
the wayside as others took over that market
niche, Hoppe offered incentives for faculty to
teach Web classes. Today, APSU leads the
entire state in the number of online enrollments
and offers 12 totally online degrees.
Under her leadership, enrollment has skyrocketed,
increasing by almost 30 percent—
making APSU the state’s fastest growing university
for four consecutive years. Fall 2006
enrollment exceeded 9,200—within easy
reach of Hoppe’s goal of 10,000 by 2010.
“One of Dr. Hoppe’s greatest accomplishments
has been increasing Austin Peay’s name
recognition,” said Sheila Bryant, manager of
affirmative action. “Under (her) leadership,
APSU has increased its visibility tenfold.
We’re the fastest growing university in
Tennessee, and Dr. Hoppe put a tremendous
amount of effort into making that happen.”
One way Hoppe increased visibility was to
initiate the APSU Distinguished High School
Teacher Award, the only one of its kind in
Tennessee. The new program enables APSU
seniors to nominate and, if selected, honor
and award a high school teacher who made a
significant difference in his/her life.
Also, shortly after Islamic terrorists
attacked the U.S. in 2001, Hoppe began considering
what role APSU could play in a post-
9/11 world, given APSU’s strong affiliation
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