TROY News Center

ATLANTA – Troy University will open its doors to Atlanta-area students and prospective students for a free seminar on the importance of accreditation in higher education.

Led by Dr. Hal Fulmer, the University’s dean of undergraduate and first-year studies and associate provost, the seminar begins at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 2 in Sandy Springs at 1117 Perimeter Center West, Suite N101. Seating is limited and registration is recommended online at http://trojan.troy.edu/globalcampus/sites/atlanta/. The event will be streamed online for those who are interested but are unable to attend. Registration for the online event is also available at the same address.

“Given the current economic climate and job market, many are turning to higher education as a way to improve their own marketability,” said Bill Glisson, district director for TROY’s Atlanta District. “With the recent influx of collegiate options in Atlanta, many are unaware of the various accrediting bodies, what they mean, and how it affects the education they may receive at a given school. More importantly, many are unaware of the outcomes they may face if they pursue an education at a school that does not hold accreditation by a recognized accrediting body.”

Dr. Fulmer has extensive experience in the area of accreditation, having served as a member of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) leadership team for the University’s successful reaffirmation of accreditation in 2007 – 2010, and a member of the University’s SACS steering committee 2002-2003.

“Understanding accreditation in higher education is an important part of earning a college degree.  What accreditation means, how it happens and why it is so significant are questions that any prospective college student—and college graduate—needs to understand.  Accreditation is all about the integrity and value of a student’s higher education,” Dr. Fulmer said.

TROY – Troy University’s efforts at sustainability reach even downed limbs on the Troy Campus.

The University is highlighting Earth Week 2013 with a series of events designed to promote environmental awareness and recycling, in cooperation with KW Plastics and City of Troy.

Many efforts – from lighting considerations, to construction to grounds management – include specific steps aimed at reducing the campus’ carbon footprint, said Mark Salmon, director of the University’s Physical Plant.

“We are working to look at ways we can be more sustainable in every process we have,” he said.

One of those processes deals with limb debris removal on the campus, and has become a boon to fireplace owners in the city.

“We’re cutting and stacking firewood. It’s incredible to see the reduction in our waste stream caused simply by cutting debris into firewood length, stacking it and putting up a small sign that says ‘Free Firewood’,” he said.

For the past several years, the University has chipped limbs under six inches, stockpiling the results for use as mulch in flowerbeds on the campus. What was too big for the chipper was hauled away.

“Not only is the University saving transportation costs and landfill costs, its reducing the waste stream going into landfills,” Salmon said. “Everybody loves firewood, and we’re finding better uses for the debris than what we were before.”

Other shifts in debris management include using some of it in erosion control measures around the campus.

“We’re reclaiming this for use on campus and its finding its way back into the ecosystem rather than being dumped in a landfill,” he said. “It’s a move that makes sense financially and ecologically.”

TROY – An internationally acclaimed Chinese martial arts troupe from Beijing will bring their kung fu show to Montgomery and Troy this week, hosted by the Confucius Institute at Troy University.

The group will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 25 in Sartain Hall on the Troy Campus, and at 7 p.m. Friday, April 26 in Davis Theatre on the Montgomery Campus. Both shows are free of charge, but tickets are required for the Davis Theatre performance. They may be acquired at the theater.

Tickets are also available at the Confucius Institute office at 307 Whitley Hall; King Buffet at 2727 Bell Rd., Seoul Market at 1841 Eastern Blvd., and at Hibachi Sushi Buffet at 181 Eastern Blvd.

No admission tickets are required for the Sartain Hall performance.

The Confucius Institute at Troy University is the only such institute in Alabama with a state-wide mission to promote language, cultural and economic development exchange.

TROY – Troy Campus students will have an opportunity to put their Lego skills to the test in the Hungry for a Change campaign's Can Castle Contest on Wed., April 24.

Eighteen of this year's Office of Student Services and Civic Engagement Civic Scholars will lead a Can Castle Contest on the Quad from 12 p.m. until 2 p.m., as the culmination of a number of service learning activities seeking to address hunger these past few months.

Student teams involved in the event will bring their group's collected canned goods and build can the castles, which will then be judged on soundness of structure, creativity, use of materials, theme and overall appearance. Three teams will be chosen as Best Overall, Runner-up, and Collecting the Most Cans awards. All winning teams will receive a plaque and have items donated in their name.

The students are hoping to collect at least 6,000 canned food items to deliver to local food banks. Currently, 27 business and community partners have pledged to donate at least 100 cans apiece and the students say they hope to more cans at Wednesday's event, said Jonathan Cellon, a coordinator of learning initiatives who’s helping with the event.

On Friday, the collected food items will be sorted by local middle-school students during TROY’s annual Civic Leadership Day. The items will then be delivered over the course of next week to six Pike County food banks, including the Salvation Army, the Salem-Troy Baptist Association, Christian Mission, Head-Start and St. Mark’s Episcopal Church.

Alabama is the nation’s seventh poorest state, and the nation’s second hungriest state. In Pike County, 30 percent of families - and 38 percent of children - live below the poverty line.

Anyone interested in donating to the drive should bring canned food donations to the Quad on Wednesday, or call Jonathan Cellon at 334-808-6349 by Thursday, April 25 to arrange for pickup.

TROY – Troy University students, faculty and staff are going green for Earth Week 2013 and taking a bite out of the University’s waste stream through a major recycling drive.

While recycling is encouraged on a daily basis – University offices, for example, are provided recycling containers which are emptied by the University’s Physical Plant staff, and some 38 permanent recycling stations are located on the campus – officials say Earth Week provides an opportunity to reinforce the issue.

“We want to emphasize recycling and waste reduction, and Earth Week is a great time for us to focus on sustainability and environmental awareness,” said Jonathan Cellon, coordinator of Learning Initiatives in the Office of First-Year Studies, who is coordinating the week with the City of Troy, the University’s Physical Plant Department, other University offices and KW Plastics to complete the drive.

Throughout next week, students, faculty and staff on the Troy Campus are being asked to collect recyclable items such as waste paper, plastics, cardboard and metal.

The City of Troy, that has operated an aggressive recycling program for many years, is providing blue recycling bags to the university community. Volunteers will pick up the bags at 9 a.m. for on-campus residents and 10 a.m. for university employees on Friday, April 26, or the bags can be placed in one of seven blue recycle trailers on locations throughout the campus. Additional temporary recycling stations are being provided by KW Plastics to augment the effort.

Once collected, recyclables will be transported to Tailgate Terrace, where students, faculty and staff volunteers will conduct a waste stream sort from 12 p.m. until 4 p.m. Monday, April 29.

“Recycling is an economic engine for the city and our area, and we can make have an impact on that by expanding our efforts on campus,” Cellon said.

KW Plastics agrees. In addition to additional recycling containers, the company is providing advice and assistance to the University in its drive to become a more sustainable campus.

“The KW companies are proud to call Troy, Alabama home. Recycling saves money, saves landfill space and expense, saves energy and can generate revenue while supporting industry and creating new jobs,” said Stephanie Baker, KW’s director of market development.

“While our hearts are definitely cardinal, we simply want to help Troy University become a little more green,” she said.

While the recycling drive is a major part of the Earth Week observance, a number of activities are also being undertaken during the week – largely organized by the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences’ Environmental Club.

A campus issues forum entitled “Sustaining Ourselves” kicked off Earth Week on Thursday.

A “Native Snakes of Alabama” demonstration will take place from 9:30 a.m. until noon on Monday, April 22 on the Quad and the Environmental Club will have an information booth Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday where tie-dye shirts, games, prizes and Earth Week giveaways will be hosted.

Dr. Steven Kolmes, who holds the Molter Chair in Science and is director of the University of Portland’s Environmental Studies Program, will conduct two seminars.

“Setting Water Quality Standards in the USA” will be from 12 p.m. until 1 p.m. on Monday in Math and Science Complex Room 212. This seminar will explore U.S. EPA surface water contaminant standards for human health and how states implement the standards, and specifically explore the state of Oregon’s decade-long process of setting water quality standards.

Dr. Kolmes’ second seminar, scheduled for 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 23 in Math and Science Complex Room 326, focuses on “The Sustainable Campus” and examines actions the University of Portland has taken to become more sustainable, reduce its carbon footprint and “in general become better citizens of the planet.”

Troy Mayor Jason Reeves, right, hands off one of the city’s blue recycling bags to TROY Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins Jr. on the Quad to kick off the University’s Earth Week 2013 initiative, and a campus-wide recycling campaign. (TROY photo/Kevin Glackmeyer)