And they lived happily ever after: Alumni to marry on campus, with professor officiating
Sherry Collins and Michael Clark attended APSU, graduated from APSU and on Sept. 13 will be married at APSU. The ceremony will take place in front of Harned Hall with Professor of English Barry Kitterman officiating.Harned Hall is a special place to Collins, who graduated in May with a degree in English and literature and now works in the APSU Department of Languages and Literature as a secretary.
Sherry Collins and Michael Clark attended APSU, graduated from APSU and on Sept. 13 will be married at APSU. The ceremony will take place in front of Harned Hall with Professor of English Barry Kitterman officiating.
Harned Hall is a special place to Collins, who graduated in May with a degree in English and literature and now works in the APSU Department of Languages and Literature as a secretary.
Harned Hall is the oldest building on campus, which in 1988 was saved from the wrecking ball by a concerted effort of faculty, students and townspeople. Formerly a women's dormitory, Harned was converted into a state-of-the-art showpiece brimming with the newest technologies. Today, it is the home of the history, languages, and literature departments.
Though some may consider a college campus an unusual site for a wedding, Collins defends her choice saying, 鈥淭he faculty here are more than faculty to me, they are family.鈥 What better place to be married than with your family.
Collins met Kitterman as a student in his creative writing class. She had the opportunity to get better acquainted with the professor through accompanying him to workshops in Atlanta and New York. For her, the choice for him to officiate her wedding was an obvious one. 鈥淭here is no one else I'd rather have doing it,鈥 she says.
Collins' fianc茅e, Michael Clark obtained his degree in computer science. The two met in the year 2000 at a freshman get-together and have been together ever since. Both have long-term plans to stay in the Clarksville area and work with the University.
When asked why she chose to attend APSU, Collins says, 鈥淭he school's size makes you feel at home. Also, and I may be a bit partial, the people in the English department were very welcoming and went out of their way to help me. No one ever pulled the 鈥榯hat's not my job' card. If I had questions, I got answers.鈥
The languages and literature department is one of the largest departments at the university, and offers students small classes and a diverse, experienced faculty including many award-winning teachers. The department provides composition, world literature and foreign language classes for all students as components of the general education core curriculum.
For incoming students, Collins has this advice, 鈥淚f you are going to go to school, you might as well be really, really involved with the school.鈥 She notes that this philosophy has been instrumental to her success.
Collins has no qualms about recommending the University to those wishing to continue their education. 鈥淎ustin Peay is a wonderful school. You get a real sense of community here, there is plenty of one-on-one time with the teachers and the school's size doesn't overwhelm you. It's just a good learning environment. Oh, and the campus is simply beautiful.鈥 -- Barry Williams