WCKV TV Clarksville

02/04/2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 2, 2024

Media Contact:
Jessie Greene
[email protected]

Tennessee Students Encouraged to Complete the FAFSA During “Finish the FAFSA Week,” April 1 – 5, 2024

NASHVILLE, TN – April 2, 2024 – The Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) has designated April 1-5, 2024, as "Finish the FAFSA Week." This initiative urges all high school seniors and their families to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) before May 15 to maintain eligibility for up to two years of tuition-free college through the Tennessee Promise program.

Completing the FAFSA is crucial for making college more affordable. Students who submit the FAFSA are more likely to enroll in higher education, persist in their studies, and earn a degree or credential.

Despite a national decline in FAFSA submissions, Tennessee currently ranks seventh in the country and first in the Southeast for current FAFSA submission, with 40.7% of Tennessee high school seniors completing the FAFSA, according to the National College Attainment Network. Even with submissions significantly lower than past years, the "Finish the FAFSA Week" campaign aims to inspire students to complete this important form and access potential financial aid opportunities.

“To the students and families affected by this year's FAFSA delays, it is not too late to complete this important step,” Dr. Steven Gentile, Executive Director of THEC, addressed students and parents as they persist in their college planning despite challenges with the FAFSA. “We assure you that the financial aid you are eligible for will be there when you finish the FAFSA.”
Several measures have been taken to streamline the FAFSA completion process for Tennesseans. These initiatives include more live webinars, extensive communications, and increased outreach to school staff who assist students with their FAFSAs. Additionally, the deadline for the Tennessee Promise FAFSA has been extended to May 15 to align with the delayed opening of the FAFSA compared to previous years.

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission and Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation have curated a range of resources available at CollegeforTN.org to bolster FAFSA completion efforts in Tennessee. Resources for students and parents feature detailed step-by-step directions and instructional videos for completing the FAFSA. School resources include guides specifically designed to help schools assist their student populations and strengthen their FAFSA completion rates.

To the students and families affected by this year's FAFSA delays, it is not too late to complete this important step. We assure you that the financial aid you are eligible for will be there when you finish the FAFSA.

We are also here to help. It’s our job to ensure you never feel alone on this journey. If you have questions along the way, we are here to help. Call the THEC FAFSA Hotline at 1-800-342-1663 for FAFSA completion assistance.

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The Tennessee Higher Education Commission was created in 1967 by the Tennessee General Assembly. The Commission develops, implements, evaluates postsecondary education policies and programs in Tennessee while coordinating the state’s systems of higher education, and is relentlessly focused on increasing the number of Tennesseans with a postsecondary credential.

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission & Student Assistance Corporation is relentlessly focused on increasing the number of Tennesseans with a post secondary credential. We pursue this goal by innovating for student access and success, creating a policy environment conducive to increased degree a...

07/04/2023

Filing Rates for Tennessee Promise Applicants: Ranks Number One in Nation

For Immediate Release
Friday, April 7, 2023

THEC Announces Increase in FAFSA-Filing Rates for Tennessee Promise Applicants: Ranks Number One in Nation

NASHVILLE, TN – April 7, 2023 – The Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) released data today showing an increase in FAFSA-filing rates among Tennessee Promise applicants over last year. Tennessee is currently the number one state for FAFSA completion in the nation.

The FAFSA completion rate for Class of 2023 TN Promise applicants attending public high schools surpassed the prior year on March 1, the FAFSA-filing deadline for TN Promise eligibility. The completion rate for the Class of 2023 is 74.1%, increasing from 72.8% in 2022. This increase represents approximately 1,600 additional students who completed this crucial step in maintaining eligibility for the state’s last-dollar scholarship program this year.

Tennessee currently ranks number one in the nation for FAFSA completion, according to the Form Your Future National FAFSA Tracker sponsored by the National College Attainment Network (NCAN). Tennessee also leads the nation in the amount of financial aid awarded per student, awarding over $500 million annually in financial aid to Tennessee students according to the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO).

This year also saw a record-breaking number of Tennessee Promise applicants, with 64,612 high school seniors applying for the program by the November 1 deadline. This is the largest applicant pool in the history of the program.

Research shows that students who complete the FAFSA are far more likely to enroll in higher education or technical training after high school. Filing a FAFSA is the first step students must take to apply for most state and federal financial aid for college. To learn more about college, careers, and financial aid available for students, visit CollegeforTN.org.

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission was created in 1967 by the Tennessee General Assembly. The Commission develops, implements, evaluates postsecondary education policies and programs in Tennessee while coordinating the state’s systems of higher education, and is relentlessly focused on increasing the number of Tennesseans with a postsecondary credential.

21/03/2023

Chicago Bulls Tap APSU Designer for Game-Day Graphic Series

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Chicago Bulls tap APSU designer for game day graphic series
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Basketball and art have driven Beth Rates since she was 5 years old, and she recently seized the chance to unite her passions by designing an official game day graphic for the Chicago Bulls in celebration of Women’s History Month.
Rates currently works as a graphic designer for Austin Peay State University’s Public Relations and Marketing Department and graduated from the University in 2017. She established herself as a key player for the women’s basketball team as a student, and her career total of 127 blocked shots remains the second highest in program history.
“This was a surreal moment for me, because I grew up loving and playing basketball while also loving art and design,” Rates said. “Being able to put those two things together on such a huge platform for the Chicago Bulls was incredible, and there’s honestly not just one word to describe how amazing it felt.”
The Bulls commissioned seven artists for their Women’s History Month graphic series, including Rates. Her design was released across the team’s social media platforms on March 17 to promote a home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“I was going back and forth about whether I wanted to do it, but I decided to just submit it and see how things went,” Rates said, noting that she learned about the campaign through Twitter. “I didn’t know if I’d get selected because there were thousands and thousands of people on that thread … but about two weeks later I got a phone call from one of the designers.”
Rates said she was provided with several photos, logos and assets for her design and asked to use her personal style. She decided to spotlight Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine because of his strong performance this season.
“My creative process was different than usual because I was nervous, and I knew this was going to be posted on huge platforms,” Rates said. “I sat and looked at some different sports design posters – which I do in my free time anyhow, because I make a lot of edits with my favorite players – and put on some games. There were actually a lot of NBA games playing the week I did it, so I watched a lot of different matches and looked at designers on Twitter and Instagram to see what they were doing.”
Although Rates looked to posters and game footage to get inspired, her finished design came together through pure instinct.
“I knew I needed to keep it in my style as well, so I just sat down, got in my zone and started working,” she said. “There was no rhyme or reason to why I did what I did – it just felt right.”
After determining a theme and choosing the right logo, Rates in her design roughly a week before the game – and it wasn’t long until Bulls fans from around the world were seeing it.
“I couldn’t do anything but thank God, really,” Rates said. “This was such a blessing and such a huge platform. I called my parents immediately to tell them it was live, and they were so happy for me. My friends and coworkers were also really excited.”
Rates said her time as a design student at Austin Peay helped her develop the skills needed to create the graphic, and her job at the University has allowed her to keep improving.
“Even though they wanted me to be able to customize the graphic, the Chicago Bulls have a brand,” she said. “I’ve learned to work with a brand from being here at Austin Peay as an employee and as a student, so that made a huge difference.”
Being able to work on a variety of designs, from issues of the University’s alumni magazine to Candlelight Ball invitations, also prepared Rates to take on a project for the Bulls.
“Austin Peay was definitely the reason that I was even able to do this,” she said. “I have coworkers and supervisors here that are so encouraging with all of my designs and let me go beyond my limits … having people like that in my corner gave me the confidence to be able to do something new and step out of my comfort zone.”
Photos: Two photos of Beth Rates, graphic designer, Austin Peay State University Public Relations and Marketing, and a copy of the game day graphic she designed to promote the Chicago Bulls' March 17 home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

23/02/2023

Congratulations to Kevin Kennedy!!! Be sure to watch the TV program "Conversations with Kevin Kennedy" on WCKV-TV. Available on Charter cable Ch 6, CDE Lightband cable Ch 12, and OTA (over-the-air) free TV Antenna Ch 22.1 each Wednesday and Saturday at 6:30 PM. Way to go Kevin & Sarah.

Congratulations to The Kennedy Law Firm!

Kevin of The Kennedy Law Firm wins Golden Gavel Award at the National Trial Lawyers Association. This award was presented to him at the National Trial Lawyers Annual Summit Conference in Miami, Florida. This most prized and prestigious award was given to them for Best Social Media among the National Trial Lawyers. Kevin has over 1.2 million followers on Tik Tok with over 195 million views.

Pictured are Kevin Kennedy and Sarah Sumpter, Kevin Kennedy's Legal Assistant.

31/01/2023

Community Notice

Clarksville, TN - Starting this Saturday, January 28th, 2023, the Austin Peay State University (APSU) Department of Physics, Engineering and Astronomy

10/05/2022

APSU freshman awarded hand-crafted concert guitar

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, May 10, 2022

Tlented APSU freshman awarded hand-crafted concert guitar

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University freshman Chaz Privette, a music performance major, was recently named the second national recipient of an expensive, hand-crafted concert guitar by the nonprofit organization GiftedGuitar.
“At first, I thought, this can’t be happening,” Privette said, ‘but it felt amazing when I realized it actually was happening.”
This spring, GiftedGuitar – a new San Francisco nonprofit that works to put concert-quality instruments in the hands of unusually promising young musicians – presented the APSU student with a newly hand-constructed Kenny Hill signature concert guitar worth around $8,000.
“It took my whole high school savings to buy the guitar I had before,” Privette said. “I saved and saved, playing gigs at places – restaurants and little cafes. Being able to have a guitar like this would have taken years and years and years to save up for.”
On a warm afternoon in late April, Privette sat on the empty stage of the APSU Music/Mass Communication Building’s Mabry Concert Hall, running through pieces on his new instrument.
“I can hear the difference.” He smiled. “I can hear the price.”
Privette, a Columbia, Tennessee, native, began playing guitar when he was 6, and he showed such talent that his parents reached out to Dr. Stanley Yates, a world-renowned guitarist and APSU professor of music.
“Chaz is a special case,” the APSU professor said. “He’s about the only private student I’ve taught outside of the University.”
When it came time for Privette to go to college, he didn’t think twice about enrolling at Austin Peay.
“Dr. Yates – that’s why I came to Austin Peay,” he said. “He’s incredible, all the insight he’s had with 50 years of experience – almost 30 years as a professor.”
GiftedGuitar awarded its first guitar to a student at the prestigious Oberlin College-Conservatory of Music. The San Francisco nonprofit then reached out to Yates about who he thought should receive the second guitar. He immediately thought of Privette.
“As a freshman, he already plays in the graduate quartet,” Yates said. “GiftedGuitar awarded him the guitar, and it’s his to keep.”
In the concert hall, Privette examined the instrument, turning it over and watching the stage lights shine across the smooth wood surface.
“What I like about playing is mostly the tone of the guitar,” he said. “It’s so varied. It has this certain sonority to it, unlike any other instrument.”
The Clarksville-Montgomery County community will get to hear more from the talented Privette and his guitar in the coming years. For information on the APSU Department of Music, including upcoming concerts and events, visit www.apsu.edu/music.

28/02/2022

APSU Student - Spanish-language short story published in Journal

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, Feb. 28, 2022

APSU student publishes Spanish-language short story in literary journal
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – It sounds like the setup to a joke – what happens when you combine surrealist artist Salvador Dalí with pop star Billie Eilish? For Austin Peay State University foreign languages student Valeria Méndez, the answer is a publishable, Spanish-language short story.
Méndez, a surprised smile still curling her lips, recently recalled the day last semester when she wrote her strange tale. That afternoon, Dr. Ozzie Di Paolo Harrison, professor of Spanish, showed the students in his Advanced Spanish Composition Class Dalí’s famous painting, “Swans Reflecting Elephants.” He then asked them to write a short story based on the surreal image.
“So, I saw the painting, and then I got up and went to the bathroom, and while I was walking, I just got all of the story in my head,” she said. “When I got out of the bathroom, I said, ‘I have the end of the story!’ I started thinking what to write and I started writing it.”
That night, Méndez went home to finish working on a story about a man having nightmares about his deceased daughter. To help set a sad mood for her writing, she put on Billie Eilish’s “When The Party’s Over.”
“Music is one of the most important parts; I can write when I’m quiet, but if there’s music, especially sad music, I can just go,” she said. “And I’m not a fan of Billie Eilish, but I know she sings slow and sad. When I heard the song, I thought, ‘Wow it’s so sad.’ I had that same song on replay.”
Méndez finished a four-page story, inspired by both Dalí and Eilish. Then she emailed it to Di Paolo Harrison, a notoriously strict grader.
“When I first read it, I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is awesome,’” Di Paolo Harrison said. “I said, ‘Why don’t we try to do something with it?’”
For the next few days, Méndez reworked parts of the story, based on her professor’s recommendations. They went back and forth over each sentence, with him asking her to be more vivid in her descriptions or tighten up the wording.
“We had to work really quickly,” she said. “He helped me make it more professional because he’s a writer.”
With the story almost finished, Di Paolo Harrison began looking for literary journals that published Spanish-language short fiction. He soon found “Azahares Literary Magazine,” a journal published by the University of Arkansas.
“They said they published in Spanish and English, related to Hispanic issues,” Di Paolo Harrison said. “The problem was that the short story was amazing but it didn’t have anything Hispanic. I said we need to adjust this story to make it fit this journal. I said, ‘How about including something related to immigration and all the perils of immigration we’re experiencing today?’”
Méndez’s story morphed into a tale about a man whose daughter died while attempting to immigrate to the United States. With that final change, she sent it off to the journal. It was her first short story.
“I love to read, and I feel like I always have stories in my head, but I don’t think I can make that,” she said.
Di Paolo Harrison, knowing how difficult it is for professional writers to get published, tried to temper her expectations. After all, she was only a sophomore.
“I told her, ‘You know chances are it’s not going to get accepted, but if it doesn’t, we’ll find something else, we’ll listen to what they say and we’ll fix it,’” he said.
The semester ended, and without classes to occupy her life, Méndez stopped checking her email. Then in January, she looked to see if she’d missed anything and found an old message from the journal.
“I was like, ‘Oh wait, I got accepted!’” she said.
A print issue of the journal will come out this spring. That’s when it will feel real to Méndez. For Di Paolo Harrison, the project fulfilled a long-held dream of his.
“In all the years that I’ve been teaching, I have always wanted to do this,” he said. “But I could never find a student that was willing. Some had the ability, but they didn’t have the dedication. And sometimes when you point out so many things to fix in a text, the student gets frustrated. She was very receptive about it. Instead of taking it like most people would take, no, she just kept going and going and going. She is an amazing student.”
For more information on foreign languages at Austin Peay, visit https://www.apsu.edu/langlit/foreignlanguages/.

04/02/2022

Gov. Lee's Statement on Vaccine Mandate Lawsuit

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 4, 2022
CONTACT: Casey Black
[email protected]

Gov. Lee Issues Statement on CMS Vaccine Mandate Lawsuit

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Today, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee issued the following statement regarding the
lawsuit filed today in the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana by Tennessee and 15
other states to vacate the CMS vaccine mandate:
"We are renewing a challenge to the CMS vaccine mandate in court so Tennessee health care workers have
the right to private health care decisions. While this mandate represents the worst of federal overreach, it also
threatens our ability to staff facilities and provide care for the elderly, disabled and other high-priority
populations."

11/01/2022

Clarksville continues to shine as one of the best places in the Country.

07/01/2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

APSU testing Alertus outdoor speakers Jan. 10-12

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Next week, Austin Peay State University will run several tests of its new Alertus High Power Speaker Array (HPSA) as part of synchronizing the system. The tests will take place Jan. 10-12. The speakers were installed this summer to provide clear, outdoor emergency alerts to campus.
Anyone on campus or in the downtown area will likely hear the sirens through the new speakers at Fortera Stadium, the Morgan University Center and Emerald Hill Apartments. These will be only test alerts. In the event of an actual emergency, the APSU community will also be notified by the University’s RAVE system through text messages and email.

07/01/2022

Happy New Year from the most desirable Zip Code in the USA.

A study by Opendoor.com found this Middle Tennessee city is the No. 1 destination in the country for people looking to relocate.

11/11/2021

APSU Open House Will Allow Community to See GIS Center

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021


Open house will allow community to see GIS Center’s community-centered work firsthand

When catastrophic flooding swallowed Waverly, Tennessee, on Saturday, Aug. 21, Doug Catellier of the GIS Center at Austin Peay State University drove to Humphreys County to pilot drones for the initial search and rescue effort.

Search and rescue “pretty much was what everybody was doing,” he said. “And we took the (drone-captured) images back to the command post, and they wanted maps (to help in the search). They had no internet, no mapping capabilities, nothing.”

GIS Center Director Mike Wilson immediately started turning the information Catellier sent to him into maps.

“I started getting any data I could, and we started making maps,” Wilson said. “We were there the rest of the week, and we basically made maps for them.”

The GIS Center at Austin Peay has responded to community needs for 23 years – including the 2018 manhunt for Kirby Wallace – but the center’s work extends well beyond emergencies, from creating a tactile map for students with low or no vision to surveying wetlands at Fort Campbell.

The community will get a chance to see that work firsthand on Wednesday, Nov. 17, when the center opens its doors to celebrate GIS Day. The open house is from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the center and will include tours, demonstrations and a free lunch (from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.).

“We’re going to invite the community to come visit us and see the new space,” Wilson said, referring to the GIS Center’s expansion and revamping of the building at 601 N. Second St. “I want to highlight the work that we’re doing here.”

Mapping after the Waverly flood

During the flooding in Waverly and its aftermath – which killed 20 people and destroyed hundreds of homes in Humphreys County – the GIS Center helped officials in several ways.

“We put together a mapping application that they could use on mobile devices to do damage assessments, and we trained folks and worked with them on compiling data,” Wilson said. “We made maps for law enforcement. We made maps of where they had supplies going into critical areas.

“Here’s a map that can show here’s a distribution site, here’s a shelter,” Wilson added. “Three weeks later, we were making maps for debris removal. We made, I’d say, a couple hundred maps, and we made several mapping applications.”

Students help with major projects

The GIS Center has been busy recently. In addition to responding to the flooding in Humphreys County, the center has:

• Created a brochure and story map to help tell the stories of African American veterans buried at the Mount Olive Cemetery.
• Partnered with the College of STEM and Fort Campbell in an ongoing project to survey wetlands.
• Led an effort to produce face shields for medical workers during the first months of the pandemic.
• Created a COVID-19 dashboard for Montgomery County.

Students help to lead these efforts. And Austin Peay students can bring their resumes to the Nov. 17 open house to apply for GIS Center jobs.

“We really try hard to get the students involved when we have the right project where we get them to sit down with the client and talk to them and figure out what’s needed,” Wilson said. “But I also want the students to learn.”

To see more of what the GIS Center has worked on recently, click on the center’s projects page.

11/11/2021

APSU Honors Carroll - APSU Presidential Medal of Distinction

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021

APSU alumnus Larry W. Carroll (‘76) honored with first APSU Presidential Medal of Distinction

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University alumnus Larry Carroll (‘76) was presented with the inaugural Presidential Medal of Distinction from APSU President Mike Licari during the University’s Military Appreciation Football Game at Fortera Stadium on Nov. 6.
“This recognition is certainly well deserved for Larry,” Licari said. “His expectations for Austin Peay are high, and we are better as a result. His commitment to supporting the University and especially our students has been transformational. Coupled with his distinguished career in business and his military service, he has truly brought honor to Austin Peay.”
The Presidential Medal of Distinction is the highest award presented by the APSU president, honoring outstanding individuals for their exemplary volunteer service and remarkable contributions to the University community. This award recognizes those individuals who demonstrate a strong dedication to Austin Peay’s mission by exemplifying the University’s abiding values of respect, trust, inclusion, discovery and excellence. The award also recognizes those achievements that bring honor to this University through intellectual creativity, civic engagement and national or international distinction.
“In my nearly 30 years in higher education, Larry has been one of the biggest advocates for students I’ve ever known,” APSU Vice President for University Advancement Kris Phillips said. “His expertise in financial planning is only matched by his passion to want every student achieve greatness and he has provided many with access to greatness.”
Also during the Nov. 6 game, Carroll, along with fellow APSU supporters Joe and Cathi Maynard and APSU Board of Trustees member Dr. Valencia May (‘86), was presented with a military coin from the University. The University’s military leadership commissioned these special commemorative coins. On one side of the coins, the APSU Governor logo is prominently displayed on a camouflage background. The other side features a specially made 50th Anniversary logo for the Governors Guard, including the dates of the program.
Larry Carroll is a North Carolina businessman who provided the lead gift to help finance the Larry Carroll Financial Trading Center in 2015, which is located in the lower level of the Kimbrough building accessible to the main floor.
Carroll is president and CEO of Carroll Financial Associates, Inc., which manages and supervises more than $5 billion in advisory and brokerage assets and employs 28 Certified Financial Planner practitioners. The firm’s success has led Carroll to be featured regularly in many of the country’s top financial publications. Carroll has also appeared on CNBC Street Signs and the NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw.
Carroll has been named on Forbes’ list of America’s Top 200 Wealth Advisors, as well as the Forbes’ list of Best-In-State Wealth Advisors for 2021, where he was specifically ranked #1 for North Carolina (West). Carroll has also been listed 12 times on Worth Magazine’s listing of The Nation’s Most Exclusive Wealth Managers, and he has been named on all of Barron’s annual lists of The Top Financial Advisors.
Carroll is also a past national chairman of the 24,000-member Financial Planning Association, and he has been a director of three publically traded companies. He has previously served on the boards of other community banks and educational institutions, including the APSU Board of Trustees. He is committed to numerous charities, including the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, the American Red Cross, Hospice and Palliative Care Charlotte Region, as well as his alma mater, Austin Peay State University. He has made several significant contributions to the APSU College of Business, including the gift he made to name the college’s first distinguished professorship, the AJ Taylor Distinguished Professorship, named after former marketing professor, Dr. Albert J. Taylor, who spent nearly four decades helping transform the college. Many years ago, he also established the Baggett Carroll Endowed Scholarship, which he co-named after Dr. Lawrence Baggett, who served as a faculty member at APSU for 39 years. The endowment is now worth more than $1 million and the funding benefits APSU accounting students.
“Larry Carroll is one of our most involved alumni supporters for the APSU College of Business,” Dr. Mickey Hepner, dean of APSU College of Business, said. “We cannot thank him enough for his service and continuous generosity. His contributions have and will carry a considerable legacy onward for our college for generations to come. We are proud to see him recognized as the esteemed first recipient of the APSU Presidential Medal of Distinction.”
Carroll also made a generous contribution to the APSU Foundation to establish the Larry W. Carroll Govs Fund. The fund is being used in conjunction with the Larry Carroll Financial Trading Center to allow students to explore their passions in finance and investments by enabling them to manage an investment portfolio.
“I am incredibly grateful for my time spent as the communications director for the Larry W. Carroll Govs Fund student-lead investment team,” Amanda Erdman (’19) said. “It gave me an intuitive understanding of how to construct and analyze a portfolio. It was a truly valuable experience at APSU, and I only wish that we had the opportunity to join sooner.”
To support APSU fundraising initiatives, contact the Office of University Advancement at 931-221-7127.