Fort Campbell Austin Peay State University Center nears completion

By Joe Parrino, Fort Campbell CourierFebruary 19, 2009

APSU Center opening soon
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT CAMPBELL, KY -- FEB. 19, 2009 -- Austin Peay State University's Center at Fort Campbell will soon move into its own building.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new $4.7 million facility next door to the Sgt. Glenn English Education Center on Bastogne Avenue is scheduled for March 2. Classes will begin there in late May with the Summer III term.

The new building, with two-stories of classroom and office space, resembles the Education Center. It uses a familiar steel, concrete and block design but with a different faAfASade and bigger windows.

APSU's Director of Facilities, Planning and Projects, Al Westerman, said the design is both hi-tech and energy conscious. Portions of the second floor are under an atrium of skylights. Spaces that are lit artificially use efficient lighting fixtures, Westerman said.

Restroom designs minimize water use and the air conditioning system conserves energy while preserving comfort.

Westerman said there is a wireless Internet available throughout the 30 offices, six classrooms and multiple commons areas. Classrooms are equipped with multimedia stations and touch-sensitive SMARTboards.

The design provides spaces for APSU students to gather in small groups.

"We're finding that the students today converse in smaller pockets," Westerman said. "It makes the place more pleasant."

Mitch Robinson, the university's vice-president of finance and administration, said plans for the center began about five years ago as APSU's growth pushed its facilities to the limit.

"We have been the fastest growing public university in Tennessee," Robinson said.

At Fort Campbell, classes had to be held in outdated buildings and faculty offices were divided into cramped cubicles.

Robinson said the new center will not only make existing classes more comfortable but it also gives APSU room for more growth.

"We will be expanding class offerings," Robinson said.

Bill Cox, director of APSU at the Fort Campbell campus, said the initial expansion will be more sections for existing classes. The branch campus hosts seven associate's degree programs, five bachelor degree programs and a handful of graduate programs. Core classes for most of APSU's bachelor degrees are also taught there.

The next step, Cox said, will be to launch new programs especially at the graduate level.

Cox expects APSU Fort Campbell's average enrollment to grow from its current average of 1,500 students per term.

Gerald Beavers, Cox's predecessor, said the APSU Center is the fulfillment of plans that started in 2002. Space at the Education Center was in short supply because of the four institutions sharing the building. And the adjacent World War II-era buildings which housed some of APSU faculty and a few classes were scheduled for demolition.