TROY News Center

MONTGOMERY—Local families are invited to take a closer look at the night sky during the annual Astronomy Day celebration at the W.A. Gayle Planetarium on Saturday, April 20.

The event is held in partnership with the Auburn Astronomical Society and is designed to introduce families to the fun of astronomy. Admission is free and open to the public. Visitors are encouraged to bring their own telescopes or binoculars as well.

Starting at 3 p.m., early visitors will be able to view the seven-day-old moon and the sun in the light of hydrogen-alpha with PST Solar Scopes. Members of the Auburn Astronomical Society will conduct a “Telescope Clinic” starting at 5 p.m. in which guests can bring malfunctioning or disassembled telescopes for repair.

At 6 p.m., Dr. Rodger G. Morrison, a TROY assistant professor of information systems, will give the presentation “Astrophotography:  Taking Good Pictures of Cool Stuff with Amateur Equipment,” inside the planetarium auditorium.

Following the presentation, Planetarium Director Rick Evans will lead a “Tour of the Night Sky” inside the planetarium, and after sunset, visitors will step outside for telescopic viewing of the night sky. There will be several telescopes available for viewing courtesy of the Auburn Astronomical Society, and participants will get the chance to view Jupiter, the moon and several binary star systems.

The W.A. Gayle Planetarium is located in Oak Park, across from Jackson Hospital and is operated by Troy University for the City of Montgomery. Opened in 1969, it is one of the largest planetariums between Atlanta and New Orleans.

For more information, call (334) 241-4799, or visit the W.A. Gayle Planetarium on Facebook.

TROY – A Fox News contributor, WSB talk radio host and blogger urged student journalists to know their facts, understand historical context and “tell the story” when they report the news.

Erick Erickson provided the keynote address at Friday’s M. Stanton Evans Symposium on Money, Politics and the Media at Troy University. The annual event is co-hosted by the University’s Hall School of Journalism and Communication and the Manuel H. Johnson Center for Political Economy.

“There are three things to being a great journalist: One, know what the facts really are. What is the truth? Remember, truth can change. A few years ago, science told us we had nine planets and, today, we only have eight. Know the truth at the time of your writing,” he said. “Two, What is your historical perspective? What happened before? Three: Tell the story. Build the human element around the facts. People want to be drawn to something more than themselves -- they are hungry for intellectual pursuit.”

Erickson, who is editor-in-chief of the Washington blog RedState.com, practiced law for six years, has managed political campaigns and spent three years as a CNN contributor before joining Fox News. He has co-authored “RedState Uprising,” and writes “Morning Briefing,” a daily email widely read by conservative pundits and activists. A graduate of Mercer University, he lives in Macon, Ga., where he is a former city councilman.

His speech to the symposium, named in honor of TROY faculty member Stan Evans who is a national columnist, commentator and book author, and former editor of the Indianapolis News, spoke on “Insta-Journalism and the Need for Slow.” He opined that “modern journalism has turned into a drive to be first, not accurate.”

“There is a need for slowness in news to allow for time to remove personal bias and consider all sides of the facts,” he said, calling on reporters to tone down sensationalism.

“It is common for reporters to think that somehow the world began in 2000. They have no sense of history and this means every new crisis is ‘the greatest crisis ever’ even when, historically, it's most likely not anywhere close,” he said.

Fox News contributor, conservative blogger and author Erick Erickson addresses journalism students at the annual M. Stanton Evans Symposium on Money, Politics and the Media at Troy University. (TROY photo)

Troy University students will be recognized for their achievements during the University’s annual Honors Convocation at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 15 in the Claudia Crosby Theater on the Troy Campus.

Milton Jones, President of Christian Relief Fund, will serve as the keynote speaker for the convocation, which recognizes student achievement for the academic year.

Among the awards to be presented are the Ingalls Award for Excellence in Classroom Teaching, presented to an outstanding faculty member, and the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Awards, given to a senior male and female student and to a distinguished faculty or staff member.

The Ingalls Award is given annually to the teacher on the Troy Campus who has “most diligently, effectively and cheerfully conducted his or her classes during the current academic year.” Students nominate faculty members for the award, and a committee of students and faculty advisors selects the recipient.

The Sullivan Award, which is presented at select colleges and universities throughout the United States, recognizes recipients for their excellence of character, humanitarian service and spiritual qualities. The award has been presented annually at TROY since 1981 with nominations for the awards coming from students, faculty and staff.

In addition, students from each of the University five colleges will be recognized for their achievements, including those inducted into various honor societies.

In his work as Christian Relief Fund president, Jones has focused on the care of AIDS orphans in Sub-Sahara Africa. He has also served as a preacher and campus minister in both Texas and Washington.

Jones has authored eight books including a touching tale of one of his heroes with Cerebral Palsy, Sundays with Scottie. He is married to Barbie Jones and has two sons, Patrick and Jeremy.

Founded in 1971 by Amarillo businessman and preacher Baxter Loe, Christian Relief Fund is a non-profit relief organization based in Amarillo, Texas with a focus on rescuing orphans and vulnerable children from poverty. CRF operates child sponsorship programs that are dedicated to providing food, clean water, education, spiritual training, health care and disaster relief to the glory of God worldwide.

TROY – Representatives of more than 24 universities will attend the ninth annual Sport Management Conference at Troy University Wednesday through Friday.

Hosted jointly by the University and the Southern Sport Management Association, the conference will focus on emerging scholars and student development, and more than 30 presenters will lecture, said Dr. Michael Martinez, an assistant professor of kinesiology and health promotion who is coordinating the conference.

“Our practitioner sessions will be looking into the current landscape of the sport industry, and our students will have the opportunity to talk with professionals in the field and recent graduates who are in the sport industry,” he said.

Academic presentations for regional faculty on topics of sport law, marketing, motorsports, organizational management and other areas are also scheduled.

In addition, the Association will honor two with its lifetime achievement awards: Ken Blankenship of the Central Alabama Sports Commission will be honored as a practitioner, and Dr. David Stotlar, University of Northern Colorado, will receive the lifetime scholar award.

Major sponsors for the conference include Troy University’s College of Health and Human Services, TROY Athletics and IMG College Sports.

MONTGOMERY—Troy University will take part in the worldwide celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” on Tuesday, April 16, by hosting readings of the letter in Montgomery and Dothan.

Organized by the Birmingham Public Library, the worldwide celebration marks the 50^th anniversary of the day King began writing his famous open letter. Public readings of the letter are scheduled around the world at schools, museums, churches and other locations.

Troy University will join the celebration with readings inside the Rosa Parks Museum auditorium on the Montgomery Campus and on the steps of the Library/Technology Building at the Dothan Campus. Both events start at noon and are open to the public.

Written from a Birmingham jail cell after King’s arrest during a non-violent protest, the letter was a response to a letter by eight concerned white pastors who felt it was not an appropriate time for King to lead demonstrations.

For more information on the TROY readings, contact Georgette Norman at the Rosa Parks Museum at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  or Dr. Marty Olliff at the Dothan Campus at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

For more on the worldwide celebration, visit http://www.bplonline.org/programs/1963/Letter.aspx.