TROY News Center

MONTGOMERY—Major General Walter D. Givhan of Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base will deliver the keynote address to Troy University graduates on Monday, May 20, during the spring commencement ceremony for the Montgomery Campus.

The ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. inside the Davis Theatre for the Performing Arts. About 180 students will receive undergraduate and graduate degrees this semester at the Montgomery Campus.

General Givhan, a TROY alumnus, serves as Commander of the Curtis E. LeMay Center for Doctrine Development and Education and Vice Commander of Air University. The LeMay Center is responsible for the research, development and production of Air Force doctrine and input for joint and multinational doctrine development activities.

A native of Safford, Ala., General Givhan graduated from Morgan Academy in Selma and the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., where he was a National Merit Scholar. His postgraduate degrees include a Master of Science in interantional relations from Troy University in 1989.

He served as the U.S. air liaison officer to the commanding general, French ground forces, for operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and he led the effort to rebuild the Afghan air force as Commanding General of the Combined Air Power Transition Force. The general has commanded a combat training squadron, an operations group, an air base wing, an air expeditionary wing and the Air Force Institute of Technology.

His previous staff assignments include deputy military assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of the Congressional Action Division for the Air Force Legislative Liaison.

General Givhan is a command pilot with more than 2,500 flying hours in the T-37, T-38, T-1, AT-38, F-15 and A-10 aircraft.

TROY – Troy University has become the first university in America to be designated a “Purple Heart University.”

The move comes in an effort to honor veterans who have been given the award that was created by Gen. George Washington. The Military Order of the Purple Heart is granted to those service members who have been killed or wounded in battle.

“Our status as the first Purple Heart University in America is a natural extension of TROY’s long history of service to the men and women in uniform,” said Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins Jr. “We are proud of the thousands of our students and graduates who are serving in harm’s way and it’s with pride that we serve them and support them.”

One of the newest support efforts the University has undertaken is the creation of the Troy for Troops Center, a one-stop center for military students to access University services and problem resolution. In addition to the TROY for Troops Scholarship, given to dependents of TROY alumni killed in action, the University has established the TROY for Troops Military Tuition Discount Scholarship for each branch that will discount all tuition above that which is allowable by tuition assistance.

Currently, the University enrolls about 7,000 active-duty military personnel, National Guard members, Reservists or veterans, and 62 TROY alumni serve as general or flag-rank officers or as members of the Senior Executive Service of all four branches of the U.S. military. Over the past 30 years, 123 TROY alumni have retired as general or flag-rank officers from all branches.

The University’s tradition of military service has its roots in 1950, when it began offering extension courses at Fort Rucker. Later, these operations were expanded to Maxwell Air Force Base and these centers became the forerunner to what is known today as Global Campus, the division of the University that operates teaching sites outside the state of Alabama and internationally.

Headquartered in Troy, Ala., the University operates campuses in Montgomery, Dothan and Phenix City in Alabama, and sites in seven states and six nations.

Several members of the University’s senior leadership team are themselves veterans, including Chancellor Hawkins, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam. He has also served as chair of the Board of Visitors for Air University, housed at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery.

While no official lists of Purple Heart recipients exist, it is estimated that about 1.7 million Americans from all wars and conflicts hold the award. In Alabama, there are 718 members of the Military Order of the Purple Heart of Alabama, although that membership does not include all Purple Heart recipients, which number more than 7,600 since 1932.

University officials formally signed a resolution designating the University in March.

Troy University Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., center, receives a commemorative plaque designating the University as the nation’s first Purple Heart University from Col. Edgar L. Smith, III (ret.), left, and Commander K.T. Cole, of the Military Order of the Purple Heart J.R. Thomas Memorial Chapter #2205. (TROY photo)

TROY – Troy University officials today announced three new undergraduate scholarships designed to lessen the impact of nationwide cuts to the military tuition assistance programs.

The three scholarships will discount undergraduate per-credit hour tuition to $250 for active duty, Reserve and National Guard students who would otherwise be eligible for military tuition assistance.

“The University recognizes the hardship the sequestration has on service members, and this is our chance to make a difference,” said Dr. Lance Tatum, vice chancellor of the University’s Global Campus. “We are committed to supporting our military to the fullest extent possible.  Using one of these scholarships, a member of the military taking a full undergraduate course load of 12 semester hours will save up to $360.”

The Troy for Troops Active Duty Military Discount Scholarship, Military Reserves Discount Scholarship and National Guard Discount Scholarship will require service members to provide proof of eligibility on an application form available on the University’s website by clicking the Military Tuition Assistance Information button. Once eligibility is verified, the scholarships will discount any undergraduate tuition charges in excess of $250 per credit hour.

The scholarships are available to both full- and part-time undergraduate students through the final term of the 2013-2014 academic year, and apply to both in-classroom and online courses.

The University continues to research avenues to assist those military students who are pursuing graduate degrees.

TROY has a long-standing relationship with America’s Armed Services, with roots in a partnership program offered in the 1950s at Fort Rucker. Founded in 1887 and headquartered in Troy, Alabama, today the University operates four campuses in Alabama as well as sites in seven states and six nations. In January 2013, the University established the Troy for Troops Center that supports military and veteran students’ academic and career success. 

A pair of Troy University graduate students was recently awarded scholarships by the Council of College and Military Educators (CCME).

CCME offers $1,000 scholarships each year to U.S. service members, spouses of service members and veterans who are working toward the completion of higher education degrees at a CCME member institution.

Jennifer McCart, an eTROY student of Orlando, Fla. pursuing a Master of Public Administration degree, received the CCME Spouse Scholarship. Her husband, HM1 Shawn McCart has 10 years of service in the U.S. Navy. McCart is scheduled to graduate from TROY in March.

Danya McKinney, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, received the CCME Veteran Scholarship. McKinney is pursuing a master’s degree in counseling and psychology from TROY’s Fort Walton Beach location. She is scheduled to graduate in December 2013.

CCME includes strong membership from higher education institutions who have experience serving the military and those wishing to continually improve their programs and services for the military. Its mission is to promote educatonal programs and services to support the unique needs of service members, veterans and their families and to facilitate communication between the membership and the DoD educational support network.

In December, Troy University launched an initiative aimed at supporting military and veteran students’ academic and career success through the TROY for Troops Center. The center will serve as a one-stop center where military students, both online and in-classroom students, can access a variety of University services ranging from financial aid, advisement and counseling to problem resolution.