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Articles by Seth Riker APSU
GED to doctorate: 2 APSU professors remind students no such thing as hard stop
CLARKSVILLE, TN – The letters behind a professor’s name can be intimidating. Ph.D. Ed.D. They speak to years of scholarship, research and expertise. To students just beginning college, they can feel like a destination impossibly far away. But for two Austin Peay State University professors, three different letters came first. GED. For some, those letters carry an unfair stigma.
APSU’s speech-language pathology program earns national accreditation
CLARKSVILLE, TN – As Tennessee faces a growing shortage of speech-language pathologists, Austin Peay State University’s newly accredited Master of Speech-Language Pathology (MSLP) program is expanding the pipeline of clinicians prepared to meet one of the state’s most pressing healthcare needs.
APSU professor selected as American Academy of Nursing Fellow
CLARKSVILLE, TN – For Dr. Debra Rose Wilson, nursing has never been about treating a diagnosis. It has always been about caring for the whole person. That philosophy has guided decades of teaching, research and clinical practice, earning the Austin Peay State University professor one of nursing’s most prestigious distinctions. Wilson, professor and Lenora C. Reuther Chair of Excellence in the APSU School of Nursing, has been selected for induction as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.
APSU’s sociology department shares limited-edition print celebrating civic responsibility
CLARKSVILLE, TN – As the U.S. approaches its 250th anniversary, discussions about citizenship, community, and civic responsibility are taking place across the country. At Austin Peay State University, two departments are contributing to that conversation through an unlikely medium: a hand-printed letterpress broadside inspired by the idea that meaningful change begins close to home.
At 24, APSU social work alum joins national juvenile justice leadership board
CLARKSVILLE, TN – When Isaiah Polk walks into national policy meetings, he is often the youngest person in the room. At just 24 years old, the Austin Peay State University social work alumnus has built a career advocating for young people in Montgomery County’s juvenile justice system. Now, he is bringing that perspective to the national stage.
Most Americans see hazing as a public health issue, APSU study finds
CLARKSVILLE, TN – Conversations about hazing often focus on students and campus organizations. New research co-authored by an Austin Peay State University faculty member suggests parents, coaches, educators, alumni, and community members may be just as important to preventing it. Dr. Caitlin M. Shaw, assistant professor in APSU’s Department of Psychological Science and Counseling, co-authored the study, “Is hazing a public health issue according to the public?
APSU nursing faculty say ‘Gut-brain axis’ is redefining our understanding of depression
CLARKSVILLE, TN – What if depression isn’t only a matter of the mind? For decades, conversations about depression have focused primarily on the brain. But growing research suggests another part of the body may play a larger role in mental health than many people realize: the gut.
APSU to host Health and Performance Summit for sport, recovery, tactical fields
CLARKSVILLE, TN – Austin Peay State University’s Department of Health and Human Performance will host its inaugural Health and Performance Summit on Saturday, Oct. 17. The one-day event will bring together leaders in strength and conditioning, sports science, healthcare and tactical performance inside the university’s Health Professions Building. Programming will feature nationally recognized experts whose work has shaped performance in athletic, clinical and military settings.
Austin Peay State University Army ROTC program commissions its 1,000th officer
CLARKSVILLE, TN – In January 1971, when Austin Peay State University (APSU) announced plans to establish a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program, then-President Joe Morgan described the approval from the U.S. Army as a “substantial addition” to the university. More than five decades later, that addition reached a historic milestone. On Friday evening, APSU commissioned its 1,000th Army officer during a ceremony honoring the newest class of graduates from the Governors Guard Battalion.
Austin Peay State University emerges as national destination for Army nursing students
CLARKSVILLE, TN – For students preparing to serve as nurses in the U.S. Army, the path is anything but simple. It requires academic excellence, military readiness, and selection into one of the Army’s most competitive commissioning pathways. Increasingly, it also leads them to Austin Peay State University.
Austin Peay State University expands summer healthcare programs for high schoolers
CLARKSVILLE, TN – Austin Peay State University is inviting high school students to explore healthcare careers this summer through three hands-on programs aimed at strengthening Tennessee’s future workforce. The camps are designed to meet students at different stages of interest, helping them build confidence early while exploring high-demand healthcare fields.
Austin Peay State University to host large-scale emergency response simulation Monday
CLARKSVILLE, TN – Austin Peay State University will host a large-scale interdisciplinary simulation on Monday, April 13, recreating the aftermath of a drunk driving crash as part of an immersive learning experience for students across multiple programs. The event, led by Dr. Adrienne Wilk in Austin Peay’s School of Nursing, will involve approximately 250 people — students, faculty and actors — across three simulation cycles. “This has been months in the making,” Wilk said.
From spring break to global perspective: APSU students study national security in Serbia
CLARKSVILLE, TN – While most American college students spent spring break stepping away from the world, a group of Austin Peay State University students stepped directly into it — traveling to Belgrade, Serbia, to study national security where it is actively being shaped. For students in APSU’s Institute for National Security and Military Studies (INSMS), the city offered more than a destination; it offered context.
From VHS to virtual: APSU professor explores future of online P.E. in groundbreaking study
CLARKSVILLE, TN – Dr. Alex Adams, an assistant professor in Austin Peay State University’s Department of Health and Human Performance, has published one of the first comprehensive reviews of appropriate practices for K-12 online physical education—addressing a growing need as virtual enrollment remains above pre-pandemic levels nationwide. The research comes at a critical moment. When COVID-19 forced schools online, physical education faced a major challenge.
APSU psychologists to host ‘Built Not Born’ talk on performance, skill development
CLARKSVILLE, TN – What separates people who steadily improve from those who feel stuck isn’t talent. It’s how they train, recover, and respond to setbacks. That’s the central idea behind “Built Not Born: The Power of Performance Psychology,” an upcoming talk hosted by the Austin Peay State University College of Behavioral and Health Sciences at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, at Old Glory Distillery. The event is open to the public, with free food and a cash bar.
APSU professor co-leads international study on first responders’ mental health
CLARKSVILLE, TN – The work of keeping communities safe often comes at a personal cost, one carried quietly by those tasked with leading in moments of crisis. For years, researchers have documented the toll that frontline public safety work can take on mental health. Far less attention, however, has been paid to the psychological burden borne by the leaders responsible for guiding those organizations through trauma, uncertainty, and loss.
‘The body pays the price’ for unresolved grief, say APSU nursing researchers
CLARKSVILLE, TN – Grief rarely arrives with permission. It doesn’t wait for a convenient moment or follow a predictable timeline. It shows up after a death, yes, but also after a diagnosis, a divorce, the loss of independence, or a life that no longer looks the way we expected. And despite how common grief is, two Austin Peay State University nursing professors say grief remains widely misunderstood.
APSU research looks beyond labels to rethink childhood adversity
CLARKSVILLE, TN – New research from Austin Peay State University is challenging common assumptions about how early adversity shapes children’s development and where society may be oversimplifying the causes of long-term outcomes. Dr. Rong Huang, assistant professor in APSU’s Department of Psychological Science and Counseling, recently published two complementary studies on early childhood risk.
Four-legged companions offer more than holiday cheer, APSU nursing researcher says
CLARKSVILLE, TN – As holiday stress rises for many Tennesseans, Austin Peay State University’s Dr. Debra Rose Wilson says one of the simplest forms of relief may already be curled up on the living room floor. Wilson, the School of Nursing’s Lenora C. Reuther Chair of Excellence and a nationally recognized scholar in psychoneuroimmunology, co-authored “The Holistic Effects of Interacting with Animals” in the American Holistic Nurses Association’s magazine Beginnings earlier this year.
Strength, discipline and purpose: APSU’s Ben Grandchamp finds his lane
CLARKSVILLE, TN – When senior health and human performance major Ben Grandchamp first stepped onto Austin Peay State University’s campus, he wasn’t entirely sure where his path would lead. Fitness had always been central to his life. He was already working as a personal trainer in high school, following in the footsteps of his fitness-minded family, but college was a leap he hadn’t always envisioned for himself.
Journal leadership, PsyD concentration, new hires mark APSU’s impact in military psychology
CLARKSVILLE, TN – When Military Psychology, the premier academic journal for research on defense and service populations, updated its masthead this fall, Austin Peay State University had reason to celebrate. Among its newest consulting editors is Dr. Stephen Truhon, professor emeritus in the Department of Psychological Science and Counseling. In this role, Truhon advises the editorial board, reviews high-impact studies and helps set the direction for new research in the field.
Austin Peay’s ROTC program sees record number of Distinguished Military Graduates
CLARKSVILLE, TN – Twelve cadets from Austin Peay State University’s Army ROTC program, the Governor’s Guard, have earned the U.S. Army’s Distinguished Military Graduate (DMG) designation, marking the highest number of honorees in APSU history and placing the program among the top producers of commissioned officers nationwide. The DMG recognition is awarded to fewer than 20% of cadets across more than 270 ROTC programs and honors exceptional academic performance, leadership, and physical fitness.
APSU nursing researchers call for holistic solutions to rising childhood obesity
CLARKSVILLE, TN – Childhood obesity has tripled in the United States since the 1970s, with nearly one in five children now classified as obese. What were once considered adult problems, conditions such-as Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and sleep apnea, have become a reality for younger and younger patients.
APSU to host national security expert for talks on North Korea and Iran
CLARKSVILLE, TN – Austin Peay State University’s Institute for National Security and Military Studies will host Dr. Bruce E. Bechtol Jr., a leading expert on North Korea and Iran, for two events on Wednesday, Oct. 1. Bechtol will deliver a student talk from 1-2:30 p.m. in the Morgan University Center Room 307, followed by an evening lecture for the public at Old Glory Distilling Co. Doors open at 5 p.m. with complimentary food and a cash bar.
Raiders rise to challenge at Austin Peay State University ROTC competition
CLARKSVILLE, TN – On Saturday, 176 Junior ROTC cadets from 12 regional high schools laced up their boots, cinched their rucksacks, and prepared for a long day of teamwork, sweat and grit. Sixteen teams in total gathered for the annual APSU Raider Challenge, hosted by Austin Peay State University’s ROTC battalion, the Governor’s Guard. Running since the 1990s, the APSU Raider Challenge is more than just a competition.
APSU graduates inaugural class from state’s first, only accredited PsyD program
CLARKSVILLE, TN – Across Tennessee, the demand for advanced mental healthcare far outpaces the availability of providers. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 93 of 95 Tennessee counties are designated as mental health professional shortage areas. For individuals in crisis, this means long waits, long drives, and in some cases, going without care entirely.
Austin Peay State University inspires next generation of nurses at 2025 summer camp
CLARKSVILLE, TN − For Austin Peay State University’s School of Nursing, this summer brought more than just an expanded camp for aspiring nurses. It marked a full-circle moment where former students, now seasoned professionals at Tennova Healthcare, gave high schoolers their first glimpse into the world of patient care. The 2025 APSU Nursing Summer Camp doubled in size from last year, expanding from one week into two sessions.
Army veteran Dr. Phillip Mongan named chair of APSU Department of Social Work
CLARKSVILLE, TN − Dr. Phillip Mongan has been named the new chair of the Department of Social Work at Austin Peay State University – but long before jumping into university administration, he was jumping out of planes with the Army’s 501st Infantry Regiment in Alaska. At the time, Mongan was chasing adrenaline, purpose, and a future he hadn’t quite figured out. “I was that 17-year-old kid who wanted excitement,” he said.
Austin Peay State University psychologist weighs in on masculinity, mental health
As topics surrounding men’s mental health continue to gain overdue attention, one Austin Peay State University psychologist is pushing the conversation beyond the spectrum of “either-or.” Dr. Daniel McKelvey, assistant professor in the Department of Psychological Science and Counseling, has spent years researching masculinity and says it’s not as simple as mainstream conversations may lead us to believe. “Decades of research tells us there are multiple types of masculinities,” he said.
Austin Peay receives $1.9 million grant to expand rural healthcare education
CLARKSVILLE, TN − Austin Peay State University (APSU) has received a $1.94 million grant from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission’s Rural Health Pathways program to launch RISE TN: Rural Immersion for Students Exploring Tennessee Healthcare. This initiative addresses healthcare workforce shortages in Middle Tennessee’s rural communities.
APSU nursing camps to inspire future healthcare professionals
CLARKSVILLE, TN − Back for year two and doubling in size, the Austin Peay State University School of Nursing is hosting two four-day summer camps for local students interested in nursing careers. Registration is open now, and the camps will run from June 24-27 and July 8-11. The $100 fee covers simulation lab supplies, instructional materials, lunch, a camp T-shirt. Certifications in CPR and basic life support are also included.
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