CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University is Tennessee’s leading provider of higher education for military-affiliated students, and to many veterans among them, college would not have been possible without Shirley Conner.
Conner is the assistant director of the university’s Veterans Upward Bound program, which helps eligible veterans transition into higher education. Its federally funded support services include admissions assistance, financial aid guidance, career counseling, and more for at least 125 veterans each year.
“I really believe in our program for veterans, and I know it’s a one-stop shop for them,” she said. “We help a lot with the educational piece, but we also look at all aspects of our veterans. There’s a financial literacy component, and we’ll connect them with programs in the community that can help them get to wherever they need to go.”
As a first-generation college student from a military family, Conner finds that her work comes naturally. Her father was a Vietnam War veteran who served for 27 years in the Army, and she planned to join the Air Force before her parents encouraged her to try college for a year.
“I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do, which is something a lot of our veterans deal with,” she said. “I went to Western Kentucky University majoring in art, and my minor was going to be theatre. So I was sitting in a speech class I thought was about projecting myself out on the stage, but it was about communication disorders.”
Registering for that class ultimately inspired Conner to change her major and work for 17 years as a speech pathologist, including a job with Fort Campbell Schools. She started her career at Austin Peay more than 15 years ago with the Educational Opportunity Center, and supporting military families has been a constant part of her journey.
“I get so excited along with our veterans for their accomplishments, and I have a strong desire to help,” she said. “I always tell the veterans I’m working with that I know just enough to be dangerous, and if I don’t know something, I will find the person or program that can help. I’m learning something new all the time.”
Conner often shares her story with veterans who arrive at Austin Peay unsure of their next steps, encouraging them to focus on general education courses and discover their path.
“We have veterans across the spectrum, from younger soldiers coming out of Fort Campbell after a service contract to those who have put in 20 years and retired from the military,” she said. “No matter what, the most important thing is that they’re here and continuing their education.”
What students are saying
For Matthew Samuelson, a sophomore healthcare management major who served in the Army from 2005 to 2025, continuing his education meant furthering a career defined by service.
“I retired at 37 from the military,” said Samuelson, noting that he worked as an Apache helicopter mechanic. “I wanted to do something totally different—still helping people, but on a different level than the service, helicopters, or anything of that nature. My dream job is working in a hospital for the VA, because I like helping other veterans and being around my community.”
Samuelson applied for college to pursue that goal with encouragement from his girlfriend, but he struggled with the enrollment process and making sure his GI Bill was authorized.
The obstacles he faced nearly caused him to give up on higher education, until the Newton Military Family Resource Center referred him to Veterans Upward Bound. With Conner’s support, he persevered and is well on his way to graduation.
“She helped me with everything from logging onto the VA website and making sure I had coverage to setting up my classes and talking to a counselor,” Samuelson said. “If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be here right now taking classes. She knows to be patient, she’s kind, she looks after the veterans, and she follows up—she’s a fantastic person to have on this campus.”
Freshman computer science major Zoe Alvarez had a similar experience with what could have been an overwhelming transition into college without Veterans Upward Bound.
“When I first arrived at APSU, I was not only new to the university system, but also completely new to the state of Tennessee,” she said. “I had no experience navigating the APSU student portal, searching for classes, registering for courses, or understanding the many processes involved with enrolling as a student veteran. Tasks that may have seemed simple to others felt confusing and stressful to me at the time.”
Alvarez said Conner was especially helpful during the VA certification process, walking her through step by step to make sure she received all of her educational benefits.
“Ms. Conner is truly an invaluable asset to the APSU veteran community,” she said. “Her dedication, compassion, and commitment to helping veterans succeed deserve recognition and appreciation. I will always be grateful for the support she gave me as I began my journey at APSU, and I know many other veterans have benefited from her guidance as well.”
Although Conner and her coworkers have made a difference for hundreds of veterans, she said the students’ strengths are the most important part of their success.
“A lot of the veterans who have gone through VUB will pop in here now and then and say ‘Miss Shirley, I’m graduating,’” she said. “Sometimes they’ll even shoot me an email and say they couldn’t have done it without the program, but I always let them know, ‘I was just here behind you, and you did all the work.’”
