TROY News Center

TROY – Dr. Kenneth Blankenship, executive director of the Central Alabama Sports Commission, has been awarded the Sport Management Lifetime Achievement Award by the Southern Sport Management Association at its conference at Troy University.

The award came on April 11 during the ninth annual Southern Sport Management Conference, and recognizes Blankenship for his significant contributions to the Sport Management industry.

A native of Wetumpka, Blankenship began his career as a coach, teacher and athletic director at schools in Macon County and Selma. He was one of the founders of the Bryant-Jordan Student-Athlete Scholarship Program, serving as its executive director for 20 years. He served as executive director of the Alabama High School Athletic Directors and Coaches Association from 1996 until 2004.  From 1992 until 1994, he served as Director of Athletics at TROY, successfully leading the University’s transition  from Division II to Division I athletics.

Dr. Blankenship completed his undergraduate and master’s programs at TROY, and completed a doctorate in educational administration and supervision from Auburn University.

The Association also honored Dr. David K. Stotlar, of the University of Northern Colorado, with its Sport Management Scholar Lifetime Achievement Award, during a special awards dinner on April 11.

Dr. Stotlar, who teaches sport management and sport marketing, has authored more than 90 professional journal articles and has written more than 50 textbooks and book chapters in the field. He was selected by the U.S. Olympic Committee as a delegate to the International Olympic Academy in Greece and the World University Games Forum in Italy and has served as a venue media center supervisor for the 2002 Olympic Games. Additionally, he has conducted international seminars in sport management and marketing for numerous national and international Olympic meetings.

Among Dr. Stotlar’s contributions to the profession is his service as president of the National American Society for Sport Management, and was an initial NASSM Research Fellow. His a founding member of the Sport Marketing Association.

Three Troy University students also won accolades during the conference. Riley Montgomery, a graduate student from Montgomery, and Jessica Lynch, a graduate student from Oxford, Miss., took home a second-place award for their poster presentation entitled “Measuring the Sponsorship Effectiveness at a Mid-Major Conference Football Program.”  Santiago Pinzon, a graduate student from Colombia, earned second-place honors with his oral presentation entitled “An Exploration of the Impacts and Needs of Brand Identity Campaigns within Divisions of the NCAA.”

The Association recognized Dr. Colby Jubenville, a sport management faculty member at Middle Tennessee State University, and Dr. Ben Goss, an association professor of entertainment management at Missouri State University, with service awards.

The conference, which brought together students from more than 24 universities and professionals from throughout the region, concluded Friday, April 12. Sponsors for the conference included TROY’s College of Health and Human Services, Troy Athletics and IMG College.

Dr. Kenneth Blankenship, executive director of the Central Alabama Sports Commission, was presented the Southern Sport Management Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award by Dr. Fred Green, an associate professor of kinesiology and health promotion at TROY, during its ninth annual conference at Troy University. (TROY photo)

Dr. Kenneth Blankenship, executive director of the Central Alabama Sports Commission, provided comments to the Southern Sport Management Association’s annual conference as Troy University Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins Jr. listens. Blankenship received the association’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to high school and university athletics. (TROY photo)

MONTGOMERY—A Troy University English professor will hand out free books in Montgomery on April 23 as part of the annual World Book Night celebration designed to spread the joy of reading.

Dr. Kirk Curnutt, chair of the English Department at the Montgomery Campus, was selected to represent World Book Night in Montgomery. Curnutt will be handing out copies of Walter Mosley’s “Devil in a Blue Dress” at Chris’ Hot Dogs, located at 138 Dexter Avenue, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Accompanying him will be Ashley Gordon, owner of Mockingbird Publishing in Fairhope. She will be offering patrons copies of Alexander McCall Smith’s “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency.” 

World Book Night is dedicated to spreading the love of reading, person to person. Each year on April 23, tens of thousands of people go out into their communities and give half a million free World Book Night paperbacks to light and non-readers.

“The program aims to improve literacy by extending the culture of reading beyond traditional sites associated with books such as campuses, schools, and libraries,” Dr. Curnutt said.

Curnutt and Gordon were selected in part because they co-host a monthly television show, “Reading for the Rest of Us,” produced through Troy University’s Capital City Connection TV. As an effort to celebrate the pleasures of reading, the show takes a lively, informal look at genres and topics of books of all varieties. In addition to being broadcast on CCC-TV, the program’s eight current episodes are available on YouTube.

Curnutt said he and Gordon specifically chose to give out the Mosley and Smith novels because they dedicated an episode to mystery fiction that has proved one of their most popular installments.

The date of World Book Night coincides with the UNESCO International Day of the Book, as well as the birthday of William Shakespeare. It was also chosen in honor of Miguel de Cervantes, who died on April 23, 1616 (the same day as Shakespeare). In the Catalan region of Spain, the day is celebrated by giving a book and a flower to a loved one.  World Book Night was first celebrated in the UK and Ireland in 2011; in 2012, it was also celebrated in the USA and Germany.

In addition to supporting World Book Night, Curnutt and Gordon, will also serve as volunteers and organizers for the Alabama Book Festival on April 20. Troy University is a co-sponsor of the Festival along with Old Alabama Town, the Alabama Writers’ Forum, the Montgomery County-City Public Library, and several other organizations.

Dr. Milton Jones, president of the Christian Relief Fund, encouraged Troy University students to be grateful for what they have and to make a difference in the lives of others.

Speaking to the annual Honors Convocation Monday night in the Claudia Crosby Theater on the Troy Campus, Dr. Jones told the audience that he was amazed at the students he had met during his time on campus and was thrilled by their academic accomplishments and their caring spirit.

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.

Speaking from his own experiences in working with AIDS orphans in Sub-Sahara Africa, Dr. Jones said he was once challenged by one child to wear the color orange every day because “orange is the color of hope.”

“I tell you here tonight that there is hope,” Milton said. “No matter if you are an AIDS orphan in Uganda or no matter what you circumstances may be, there is always hope. Hope is the joyful anticipation of the future.”

After speaking with students on the Troy Campus during his visit and seeing the academic successes, Dr. Jones said he had a “joyful anticipation of the future” for what TROY students and the impact they would have as they ventured out into the world.

“I’m afraid sometimes that we get mixed up about what success is,” he said. “Success is about using your gifts and abilities and making a difference in the world. I feel a joyful anticipation about the impact you students here at TROY will have on our world.”

Dr. Milton Jones, president of the Christian Relief Fund, speaks during Monday night's Honors Convocation on the Troy Campus. (TROY PHOTO/Cass Davis)

While the ways in which today’s consumer chooses to receive news is changing, journalism’s role as the “watchdog” remains a constant, a New York Times deputy editor told Troy University students on April 10.

Clifford Levy, deputy editor of the Metro Section of the New York Times and a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner for his investigative reporting, spoke to classes and to a gathering of students, faculty, staff and the public in the Trojan Center Theatre on Wednesday as a part of TROY’s partnership with The New York Times. The partnership supports the University’s Quality Enhancement Plan to create a culture of engaged readers.

Pointing to recent examples of the scandal involving Rutgers University’s head basketball coach’s treatment of his players and a grade-changing scandal in public schools in and around Atlanta, Levy said the role of the investigative reporter is as important as ever.

“These situations were brought to the attention of the public all because of the work of a journalist,” Levy said. “It shows us the role journalists, as watchdogs for the public good, can have in society by bringing to light things that people would rather not have revealed. None of these situations would have been exposed had investigative reporters not done their jobs.”

Levy said the future of journalism is facing numerous challenges, the greatest of which is being driven by the almost-continuous technological advancements in the area of communication.

“Newspapers are struggling as an industry to make the transition from print to digital and competition is a huge problem,” Levy said. “For us, at the New York Times, that transition is freaking us out. From a purely business standpoint, there is a tremendous amount of competition on the web and that drives rates for advertising down, which certainly impacts the bottom line.”

The challenges don’t stop with the transition from print to digital formats for news delivery, Levy said.

“Up to 50 percent of all internet traffic the New York Times receives is through smart phones or tablets,” he said. “So the challenge from a business perspective is now we have to find how to make money from that small screen.”

Levy admits that he sees both the positives and negatives that have resulted from these advancements.

“We try to take advantage of the positive aspects provided through instant communications and advancements in technology while dealing as best we can with the negative aspects that come along with that,” Levy said. “This is both one of the most exciting and terrifying times in our business. However, one thing is for certain: if you remain in place, someone else will zoom right past you.”

Cliff Levy, two time Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for the New York Times, spoke to classes and the general public on the Troy Campus on April 10. Levy's presentations were part of the Troy University-New York Times partnership which supports the University's Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) to create a culture of engaged readers at the University. (Photo by Jonah Enfinger)

Dr. John Mascia, president of the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind, will deliver the 18^th annual Helen Keller Lecture at Troy University on April 23.

The lecture, which will begin at 10 a.m. in the Claudia Crosby Theater on the Troy Campus, is designed to promote awareness of people who excel in their chosen fields despite physical and/or mental limitations. Admission is free and the event is open to the public.

Dr. Mascia will be joined by TROY alumnus Donovan J. Beitel, an instructor in AIDB’s Business Enterprise Program since 2010, and Patrick Robinson, director of AIDB’s Talladega Regional Center. Malia Thibado, a second grader at AIDB and the daughter of Paul and Karen Thibado of Pell City, will present the musical piece, “Who I Was Born to Be,” for the entertainment portion of the lecture.

Dr. Mascia was named AIDB’s 17^th president, succeeding Dr. Terry Graham who retired on Feb. 1. Dr. Mascia previously served as vice president of adult programs, a position he held since 2009. He joined the senior management team at AIDB in 2005 as executive director of the Gentry Facility and Regional Centers and was later promoted to the role of vice president of adult programs to include oversight of the Alabama Industries for the Blind. One of his first tasks after arriving at AIDB was the successful retooling of the Gentry Facility that provides rehabilitation and training for deaf, blind and deaf-blind adults.

Before joining AIDB, Dr. Mascia worked as a supervising and chief audiologist and as an assistant professor in New York. In 1989, he joined the Helen Keller National Center where he served as coordinator of audiological services, supervisor of the Speech and Hearing Department, coordinator of professional services and then finally as national director of field services. As a senior administrator he was responsible for the supervision of regional representatives, national training programs, community placement services and 45 affiliate programs.

Dr. Mascia holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in audiology and speech pathology from Hofstra University in New York and a doctorate in audiology from Pennsylvania College of Optometry, School of Audiology. He received his certificate of clinical competence in audiology from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and is a licensed audiologist. He has made numerous presentations and served in leadership roles with professional organizations and is widely published.

Dr. Mascia has received leadership and service awards from consumer organizations and is involved in numerous professional and community activities including the board of directors for Talladega’s Red Door Kitchen, advisory committees for the Troy University Interpreter Training Program, State Mental Health Deaf Services Group and the Department of Rehabilitation Services Older Blind Services. He has served as president of the Talladega Lions Club, the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visual Impaired, Easter Seals Talladega County chapter and is a member of the American Council of the Blind, National Rehabilitation Coalition and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

He and his wife, Nancy, have three children – Katie, Christopher and Annie.

The Helen Keller Lecture is sponsored by Troy University, The Helen Keller Foundation for Research and Education, the Alabama State Department of Education, the Alabama State Department of Rehabilitation Services and the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind.

Dr. John Mascia