APSU administrators have new titles this year

Clarksville, TN – Two members of the Austin Peay State University community returned to campus this fall with new job titles in order to maintain the University’s status as a thriving institution of higher education.

President Obama highlighted that status in August when he singled out APSU as a leader in using technology to better serve students.

A month later, the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2014 rankings were released, and Austin Peay jumped an astounding 18 spots, placing 69th in the Regional University South rankings. That same afternoon, the national publication G.I. Jobs named APSU a Military Friendly School for 2014.

Dr. Tristan Denley, former APSU provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, contributed greatly to the University’s success, and in July, he was named vice chancellor of Academic Affairs for the Tennessee Board of Regents.

Following his departure, the University has tapped two key administrators – Dr. Jaime Taylor, dean of the College of Science and Mathematics, and Dr. Brian Johnson, assistant provost/assistant vice president of Academic Affairs – to continue moving APSU forward.

In August, Taylor was named interim provost and vice president of Academic Affairs. Taylor, an APSU graduate, earned a doctorate in engineering from the University of Tennessee Space Institute. In 1996, he returned to Clarksville to join the APSU faculty as an assistant professor. He has served in various capacities throughout the years, including eight years as chair of the physics department.

That same month, Johnson was named interim vice president of the newly formed Office of Strategic Planning and Institutional Effectiveness. The office is tasked with developing strategic long-range plans for the University and assisting in the development of a comprehensive planning program for APSU.

Johnson earned a Ph.D. in English in 2003 from the University of South Carolina. Before joining APSU in 2010, he served as chief of staff in the president’s office at Johnson C. Smith University. Johnson is the editor and author of two books on W.E.B. Du Bois, “Du Bois on Reform: Periodical-based Leadership for African Americans” (2005) and “W.E.B. Du Bois: Toward Agnosticism” (2008). He was recently named a 2012-2013 American Council of Education Fellow, where he spent significant time at Indiana University-Purdue University of Indiana.

Dr. B. Alex King, chair of the APSU Physic’s Department, is now serving as the interim dean of the College of Science and Mathematics.

For more information, contact the APSU Office of Public Relations and Marketing at 931.221.7459.