Clarksville, TN – Dr. Jennifer Thayer, professor of accounting, has been named to serve as the Austin Peay State University (APSU) new faculty athletics representative, APSU President Dr. Michael Licari announced Wednesday.
The FAR is critical in ensuring that the student-athlete experience reflects the University’s ongoing commitment to academic excellence and overall student success. The FAR represents the institution and its faculty in relationships with the NCAA and the ASUN Conference.
Internally, the representative serves as the liaison for student-athlete NCAA eligibility and academic success, as well as NCAA rules compliance —coordinating between the Office of the President, the faculty community, and the Department of Athletics. The representative also is a resource to student-athletes on all academic and student welfare issues.
Thayer, who graduated from APSU in 2000 and joined the Austin Peay State University faculty in 2015, becomes Austin Peay State University’s seventh Faculty Athletics Representative. She assumes the role following Dr. Cindy Taylor, who served as FAR since 2015.
“I have been impressed with Dr. Thayer’s deep concern for our students and her passion for Austin Peay State University athletics – including serving as an honorary coach for the spring football game,” said Licari. “I know she will serve as the FAR enthusiastically and thoughtfully.”
“I am excited to work with Jennifer in this capacity,” said APSU Vice President and Athletics Director Gerald Harrison. “She is a well-respected professor in the College of Business and has demonstrated a passion for caring about the life-long success of our student-athletes. I know she will represent Austin Peay State University well on the conference and national level. It’s always a great day to be a Gov, and today it’s also great to welcome Dr. Thayer.”
“I am thrilled and honored to serve as the Faculty Athletics Representative for Austin Peay State University,” said Thayer. “Student-athletes bring a dynamic energy to our campus, and I have had the pleasure to teach many of them in the College of Business. I am excited to expand my engagement to all student-athletes, collaborate with an incredible athletics staff, and represent APSU in the ASUN and NCAA.”
A well-respected member of the Austin Peay State University faculty, Thayer received the AJ Taylor Distinguished Professorship Award and the Carmen C. Reagan Outstanding Leader Award from the College of Business in 2020. She also received APSU’s Socrates Award for Excellence in Teaching, recognizing outstanding teaching for tenure-track faculty members, in August 2020. Thayer also has obtained recognition from Austin Peay State University’s student affairs division (2019), the military student center (2020), and the Clarksville Chamber of Commerce (2021).
Thayer leads APSU’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) site, which she has done since 2018. She previously served as co-chair of Austin Peay’s academic affairs strategic planning steering committee and is the chair of the faculty awards committee. Thayer also is a member of the City of Clarksville Audit Committee.
