As a freshman, Patrick Armstrong started his career at The All State in 2006 as a photographer. He applied because a member of his home church in Lebanon, TN was then Editor-in-Chief. It would be an understatement to say he has had an illustrative and award-winning career here at APSU.

As the Editor-in-Chief of The All State, Armstrong produced a publication that won numerous awards. In 2008, Armstrong was the first editor of the APSU yearbook project published under the name of “The Monocle.” He was the first at a lot of things. His credo, he says, “is to live life with no regrets.”

This spirit of carpe diem is partly why October 9, 2019 will be his last day here as the Coordinator of Student Publications and Marketing. He has accepted a position as a graphic and web designer for The College at Brockport just outside of Rochester, New York.

Leaving APSU is a step forward professionally and socially for Armstrong. “Being a person who is gay here in the State of Tennessee,” he said, “we have zero percent protections within state law. Whereas up there, we have 100% protections.”

He also expressed his enthusiasm for fewer humid summer days in the nineties and more affordable housing options.

Armstrong’s absence on campus will be felt in a number of areas, including his service as staff advisor for Kappa Alpha, presiding over the board of the Wesslyn Foundation and the immense talent he has invested into the campus as a graphic designer.

Asked about the design he leaves as an artifact here on campus, he was quick to call out the logo he created for the Military Student Center.

As the staff advisor to The All State, he brought credentials that will be hard to match. From his humble start as a photographer, he took responsibility after responsibility, having filled photo and page editor roles, rising to Managing Editor and then Editor-in-Chief for three years.

Armstrong studied hard while he was a student at APSU, getting both his BA in Mass Communication and his Masters in Marketing degrees as a Governor.

Armstrong’s impact on campus as a professional was even more impactful.

He is known by many who work with him as somebody who knows all the nooks and crannies of the campus and its history. It could be the result of his careful curation of the Student Handbook and Calendar (which he migrated to the web this year). If you want to know most anything about the campus, it is in there.

Or it could be that he is the type of person others trust and “love to spill the tea” with … or it could be that he is the old-fashioned journalist that knows most everything about his community but only prints what is the news.

The staff at the All State have come to rely on Armstrong, who was as much a mentor and supporter as he was a person who would listen and advise if asked.

“Patrick is such a kind and generous person. I cannot imagine my college career without him,” Ashley Thompson, The All State’s Editor-in-Chief said. 

Thompson also expressed her happiness that Armstrong has such a “great opportunity in New York.”

Tammy Bryant, Director of Student Affairs, has been Armstrong’s friend, supporter and recently, his supervisor. Bryant cannot put to words her feelings at Armstrong’s departure.

“I have been working with him since he was an undergraduate,” she said. “His leaving is a great loss to our institution and yet, I am very happy for his new opportunity. I am confident he will make us proud.”