Troy University News Press Release

October 4, 2004

 

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Tom Davis or Andy Ellis : (334) 670-3196; tomdavis@troy.edu

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ADO Director to speak at Troy University international event Oct. 8
   Neal Wade, Director of the Alabama Development Office, will be the keynote speaker at Troy University ’s annual international flag-raising ceremony scheduled for Friday, Oct. 8, beginning at 11:15 a.m.
   The event will be held outside Pace Hall/Rotary International Center.  Following Wade’s address will be a ceremony raising the flags of the 10 foreign countries that send the most students to Troy University . The day’s events also include a special meeting of the Troy Rotary Club and other area Rotary Clubs beginning at noon at the Stadium Club. The Troy Rotary Club is a longtime supporter of international education efforts at Troy
   Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., chancellor, said the recently announced partnership in Heidelberg , Germany between Troy University and the Alabama Development Office makes Wade’s visit even more meaningful. The University’s teaching site in Heidelberg is also the ADO ’s European office, the center of the State of Alabama ’s economic development efforts in Europe .
   “ Troy University is dedicated not only to building a strong international program, but we are also committed to making a difference in economic development,” Chancellor Hawkins said. “We are pleased to be in this partnership with ADO and we are pleased that Mr. Neal Wade is going to join us on this special day.”
   Wade previously served as vice president for economic development of the Florida-based St. Joe Company, a real estate operating company and the state's largest private landowner. While with the company, he also served as founding chairman of the board for Florida ’s Great Northwest Inc., which was responsible for bringing all economic development organizations within a 16-county region from Pensacola to Tallahassee under one marketing and research umbrella.
   In Alabama , Wade is best known for his nine-year service as president and chief executive officer of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, a consortium of the state’s leading companies that is dedicated to industrial recruitment. Under his leadership, the EDPA helped bring more than 40 companies, including Mercedes-Benz, Boeing and Honda, into Alabama resulting in more than 40,000 new jobs.
   For several years, Wade was employed by Alabama Power Company serving as director of corporate communication. In that role, he was responsible for the company’s media affairs, consumer affairs and other areas.
   More than 400 students from almost 60 nations attend school at Troy University . The 10 nations sending the most students to Troy University are 1. The People’s Republic of China 2. Korea 3. India 4. Turkey 5. Japan 6. Kenya 7. Nepal 8. Canada 9. Nigeria 10. Saudi Arabia .