Austin Peay alumna Wilma Newton retired from a successful career in healthcare administration. She worked in information technology and was the chief financial officer of several hospitals. She earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from APSU in 1973. She has given back to her alma mater in numerous ways, most notably through scholarships, the APSU College of Business and the Aviation Science Program, and most notably, a transformative gift to fund the William E. & Sadako S. Newton Military Family Resource Center. The facility is named after her late parents. Newton’s father, William, met her mother, Sadako, in Japan when he was stationed there as part of military efforts to reconstruct the country following the end of World War II. The center provides seamless support to military-related students as they apply for admission, access financial aid, select their programs of study, register for their courses, progress toward graduation and secure employment after graduation. APSU has deep connection to the military, with one of every four students have some form of military affiliation.

Aside from this gift, Wilma has been faithfully serving Austin Peay for over a decade. She was a founding member of the College of Business Advisory Board in 2011 and served until 2017. During this time, she used her expertise from a career as a healthcare executive to advise the dean of the college on areas regarding curriculum development and career opportunities for students. In 2019, she agreed to serve on the steering committee for APSU’s “What If” Comprehensive Campaign. This was only the second campaign in the University’s history. As a volunteer on this committee, she helped recruit other volunteers and inspired financial support for the University from her friends and former classmates. The campaign went on to raise over $65 million.