Austin Peay

Austin Peay (June 1, 1876 – October 2, 1927) was an American politician who served as Governor of Tennessee from 1923 to 1927. He was the state's first governor since the Civil War to win three consecutive terms, and the first to die in office. Prior to his election as governor, he served two terms in the Tennessee House of Representatives (1901–1905).

Widely considered one of Tennessee's most effective governors, Peay enacted numerous government reforms. He consolidated government agencies, overhauled the tax code, improved state schools, drastically expanded the state highway system, and converted the massive state debt into a budget surplus. He also created Tennessee's first state park, and lent state support for the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. During his tenure, the balance of power in state politics shifted from the state legislature to the governor.

In 1925, Peay signed into law the Butler Act, which barred the teaching of the Theory of Evolution in public schools. The enactment of this law led to the Scopes Trial, which took place later that year.

State university system

A state university system in the United States is a group of public universities supported by an individual state, or a similar entity such as the District of Columbia. These systems constitute the majority of public-funded universities in the country. Each state supports at least one such system.

State university systems should not be confused with federally funded colleges and universities, at which attendance is limited to military personnel and government employees. Members of foreign militaries and governments also attend some schools. These schools include the United States military academies, Naval Postgraduate School, and military staff colleges.

A state university system normally means a single legal entity and administration, but may consist of several institutions, each with its own identity as a university. Some states—such as California and Texas—support more than one such system.

State universities get subsidies from their states. The amount of the subsidy varies from university to university and state to state, but the effect is to lower tuition costs below that of private universities for students from that state or district. As more and more Americans attend college, and private tuition rates increase well beyond the rate of inflation, admission to state universities is becoming more and more competitive.

Austin Peay State University

Austin Peay State University /ˈɔːstən pi/ is a four-year public university located in Clarksville, Tennessee, and operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. The University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and is the fastest-growing university in Tennessee.

History

Clarksville Masonic Lodge No. 89 sponsored the Montgomery County Male Academy. In 1845, the Masonic College was founded, and in 1848, the Montgomery County Male Academy merged with the Masonic College, taking the name of Montgomery Masonic College and Male Academy. This institution continued through 1855 when it was given to the Presbyterian Synod of Nashville to be operated by them as a male college and academy. The Presbyterians changed the name of the college to Stewart College, and later the name was changed again to Southwestern Presbyterian University. In 1925 Southwestern moved to Memphis, Tennessee, and in 1945 that institution became "Southwestern at Memphis" for many years until it ultimately renamed Rhodes College in 1984. This was the forerunner of Austin Peay Normal School and located where Austin Peay State University now exists. Arguably, the site on which the current university is situated has held some type of an institution of higher learning longer than any in Tennessee west of Knoxville.