Leaving on a High Note - Austin Peay State University

with Fort Campbell, Ky. In 2004-05, she collaborated
with faculty to develop and launch
the Institute for Global Security Studies
(IGSS)—the first of its kind in Tennessee.
In 2006, in an unprecedented action, Hoppe
gained permission from the State Building
Commission for APSU to construct its own
$4.7 million education building at Fort
Campbell, Ky., to alleviate crowded conditions
in the on-post education center and
enable the Austin Peay Center @ Fort
Campbell to serve more students. APSU
enrolls more students on post than all five of
the other colleges added together. The new
facility will open in Fall 2008—not a minute
too soon as APSU’s Fort Campbell enrollment
for Spring 2007 hit 1,740 for the first
time in history.
Hoppe is credited with launching the firstever
capital campaign and doing so in the
face of daunting challenges. Roy Gregory,
executive director for University
Advancement, said, “I remember the day we
met with a consultant regarding our capital
campaign. The consultant said we should not
start a capital campaign but, if we did, our
goal should be no more than $5 million.
“Dr. Hoppe thanked her and said we no
longer needed her services. And the rest, as they
say, is history. Since then, we’ve secured more
than $31 million in gifts and commitments.”
Campus construction explodes
As new president, Hoppe decided rather
than moving into the official President’s
Home on Dunbar Cave Road, she wanted to
live on campus, so she gained permission to
sell the Dunbar Cave residence and use those
funds (along with FEMA funds for tornado
damage) to renovate historic Archwood. Built
in 1878, Archwood was the President’s Home
from 1965 to 1980. Thanks to Hoppe’s
efforts, Archwood again is the official
President’s Home, a convenient place where
The Morgan University Center not only offers all the
amenities of a top-of-the-line student center inside,
the spacious, brick courtyard provides ample outdoor
areas for students, staff and faculty to hold
such events as the Staff Development Day picnic.
Bill Persinger
Dr. Sherry Hoppe and Dr. Bruce Speck, provost, unveil the plaque in front of the Sundquist Science Complex
during its 2001 dedication as Tennessee Gov. Don Sundquist and his wife, Martha, watch on. With a price
tag of $40 million, the complex became known as the state’s premiere science education facility.
the University president can entertain friends
and alumni in an elegant setting.
Since Hoppe began her tenure as president,
new campus construction and renovations have
been happening at a startling rate—to meet
demands created by an influx of new students
and improved student retention. Those include
the following:
• 2001—The $40 million, 220,000-square-foot
Sundquist Science Complex opened as the
state’s premiere science education facility.
• 2002—The 166,000-square-foot Morgan
University Center doubled the space of the
old UC.
• 2003—The Drew Simmons Fitness Center
was renovated and outfitted with top-ofthe-line
equipment.
• 2004—The Harvill Building, renovated
from its former use as the University cafeteria,
became home to the Ann Ross Book
and Supply Store and Austin’s Diner.
• 2004—Hand Village, a unique apartment
complex, provided much needed on-campus
housing for students.
• 2005—Modeled after the W. N. Daniel
African American Cultural Center, which
opened in 1991, the Hispanic Cultural
Center’s opening was a first among state
universities.
• 2006—McCord Building, which had been
completely gutted and renovated, reopened
as the home of the School of Nursing,
School of Agriculture and Geosciences and
the GIS Center.
• 2007—Foy Fitness and Recreation Center
opened in January, thanks to the efforts of
Hoppe and Gregory who secured a substantial
gift from alumnus John Foy,
Chattanooga. Foy stepped to the plate
twice—first, to help fund construction of
the building and, recently, to make a near
Olympic-size swimming pool adjacent to
the Foy Fitness Center a reality.
Hoppe has laid the groundwork for the
construction of an observatory to serve
APSU’s outstanding physics and astronomy
faculty and students, with land already donated
as its site. Thanks to Hoppe, plans also
are under way to build additional on-campus
student housing and a 1,500-space parking
garage as well as to renovate and expand the
Trahern Building and Woodward Library.
Besides pushing for needed construction,
Hoppe has worked to ensure that all academic
buildings and most administrative buildings
are wireless. She expanded technology for
creating numerous smart classrooms and
more than 120 electronic databases.
Academic programs flourish
In 2004, APSU got a significant pat on the
back for the quality of its academic programs.
Following months of study by APSU’s accrediting
body, the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools, APSU not only received
reaffirmation of accreditation, it did so with “no
findings”—an unheard-of feat. “No findings”
means no significant shortcomings were found.
Bill Persinger
6 Austin Peay