TROY News Center

February 14, 2012

Troy University to offer "Instant Piano" course

DOTHAN—Troy University will offer a one-night piano class on Monday, Feb. 20, designed to get novice musicians playing instantly.

The class will be held from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Dothan Campus Continuing Education Center.

Perfect for anyone who has always wanted to play the piano but felt they did not have the time to learn, "Instant Piano for Hopelessly Busy People" will introduce participants to the basic techniques needed to make piano playing a part of their lives.

Instructor David Haynes focuses on chord techniques, and will teach participants the skills needed to play any song in any style or key.

Registration is $55 plus a $25 materials fee that covers a book and practice CD. Space is limited and preregistration is required.

For more information, or to register, call (334) 983-0005.

February 11, 2012

TROY announces more than $160 million raised to date in capital campaign

TROY—Troy University officials tonight revealed that the University has raised more than $167 million towards completion of a $200 million capital campaign that will support continued growth and development at TROY for years to come.

Launched in 2008, the Building Beyond Boundaries capital campaign is a fundraising initiative with the goal of helping the University attract the best and brightest students and faculty, excel in athletics, provide infrastructure to propel growth and lead the way in global education. To date the campaign has raised $167,925,923.

University officials made the public announcement of the campaign during TROY's 125th Birthday Gala Celebration at the Troy Campus on Saturday, Feb. 11. The event also recognized TROY donors including members of the Shield Society, the University's planned giving society, and the Circle of 125, a special group of donors who are supporting the University's yearlong 125th birthday celebration.

"When I agreed to chair the capital campaign about six years ago I knew it would be a rewarding experience," said TROY alumnus Dr. Manuel H. Johnson, chair of the Building Beyond Boundaries campaign. "During my career in higher education … I've observed that a great university can never have enough beautiful buildings and can never have enough outstanding students. We should always strive to make it better."

TROY Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., said the capital campaign is a vital investment in the future of TROY.

"The campaign is titled 'Building Beyond Boundaries' and it's not about money -- it's about lives changed. It's about giving these students every benefit and the very best that we can give them," Dr. Hawkins said.

Funds raised by the Building Beyond Boundaries campaign consists of both planned and current gifts to the University that will support various academic programs, scholarships, new technology and construction projects.

Among the completed projects funded by the initiative are the expansion of the Riddle-Pace Baseball Field, the renovation and expansion of Bibb Graves Hall, and the development of the University's first doctoral program, the Doctorate of Nursing Practice. Upcoming projects that will be supported by the capital campaign include the riverfront academic facility in Phenix City and a new academic building for the Dothan Campus.

Building Beyond Boundaries is only the second capital campaign in TROY's history. The first, the Quest for Excellence, was completed in February 2000 and raised almost $21.2 million.

For more information about the Building Beyond Boundaries campaign, contact the TROY Office of Development at (334) 670-3608 or visit www.troy.edu.

February 11, 2012

Coleman family gift paves way for new Dothan Campus building

TROY—A donation to Troy University from the James F. Coleman family of Dothan will help pave the way for construction of a new academic building at the Dothan Campus.

TROY alumnus Jeff Coleman presented the donation on behalf of the family to the University Saturday night during TROY's 125th Birthday Gala Celebration at the Troy Campus.

The new building will bear the name James F. Coleman Hall in honor of Coleman's father.

"We've been talking about this project in a silent period for a number of years now, and in December I thought of great way to get involved," Coleman said. "I went back to my family, and we thought this was a great way to honor a great man in my life, my father."

The building is expected to be approximately 40,000 square feet and will cost about $7 million. It will provide classrooms and offices for the Sorrell College of Business, along with the offices of Alumni Affairs and Development.

The building will allow the College of Business to expand at the Dothan Campus with the creation of a degree program in entrepreneurship, said Dr. Judson Edwards, Dean of the Sorrell College of Business.

"Dothan has a long history of successful entrepreneurs, which is exemplified by the Coleman family," Dr. Edwards said. "This donation provides a needed first step for the Sorrell College of Business to develop a robust entrepreneurship program in Dothan providing comprehensive academic, research and outreach activities that will contribute to the economic development success of the Wiregrass."

The Coleman family owns southeast Alabama-based Coleman World Group, one of the top 50 largest privately owned companies in the State of Alabama. Its two main divisions are Coleman American Moving Services and Covan Worldwide Moving. Jeff Coleman currently serves as the group's president/CEO.

"The new building will allow the College of Business to better serve its students in Dothan," said Dr. Skip Ames, associate dean of College of Business.

"This will bring all of the business faculty and classrooms together under one roof, building collegiality among the faculty and giving students better access to their professors," Dr. Ames said.

February 10, 2012

Free market economics and students futures aim for new center

TROY – A focus on protecting freedom and prosperity for future generations will guide the Manuel H. Johnson Center for Political Economy at Troy University.

The Center's namesake outlined the agenda Friday at the official dedication of the Center inside the newly completed 40,000 square-foot expansion of Bibb Graves Hall, home to the Sorrell College of Business on the Troy Campus.

Speaking before about 200 community, business, government, student and University leaders, Dr. Manley Johnson said that while the center for the study of free-market economics bears his name, its creation was due to the collaboration of many individuals, educators and business leaders.

"It's wonderful, and I am honored, that this is named for me, but it's really about the efforts of many people and institutions," he said. "Governments and buildings do not learn, people do. That's what this is really about."

Dr. Johnson is a Troy native and an alumnus of the University who served as vice-chairman of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, and served as an assistant secretary of Treasury, among other posts. He pulled together a coalition between the Koch Charitable Foundation and BB&T, one of the nation's largest banking institutions, to fund the development of the Johnson Center, which includes five economists on its faculty. Dr. Johnson currently serves on the Troy University Foundation Board of Directors.

"What we see today will make a large contribution to our philosophy of servant leadership," Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., Chancellor of Troy University, said. "There's no better example of servant leadership than Dr. Manley Johnson. Today is a testimony to Dr. Johnson's commitment to service."

Dr. Johnson said his vision for the Center's primary role was to educate future generations of Americans about their freedoms and individual rights to prosperity that made the nation great.

"These are the things that created the wonderful country we live in today," he said.

In addition to unveiling Dr. Johnson's portrait, State Sen. Gerald Dial (R-Lineville), who serves as President Pro-Tem of the University's Board of Trustees, presented a resolution from the Alabama Legislature commending Dr. Johnson's service to the University, state and nation.

Also making remarks during the opening were Center executive director Dr. Scott Beaulier and Dr. Judson Edwards, Dean of the Sorrell College of Business.

"With Dr. Johnson's example, our students can see the opportunity to reach the highest levels of business and the Center will provide a solid foundation for future generations," Dr. Edwards said.

February 10, 2012

Moral argument is key in preservation of free enterprise system, economist says

TROY, Ala. -- The fight for the free enterprise system is not an economic struggle, but rather a moral imperative, a leading U.S. free-market economist told students and guests at Troy University on Friday.

Arthur C. Brooks, president of the American Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI), lectured at TROY in conjunction with the dedication of the University's Manuel H. Johnson Center for Political Economy and called the center's development "an important achievement for Troy University and America."

Dr. Brooks said the battle for free enterprise is being lost because free-market proponents are failing to make the moral argument.

"There are three explanations for why the free enterprise system is losing ground – the liberal explanation, the conservative explanation and the correct explanation," Brooks told a standing-room-only crowd in the University's Trojan Center Theatre. "The liberal argument is that the American people don't love the free enterprise system. The conservatives say that we need more data. The correct answer for why we are not succeeding in our arguments for the free enterprise system is that we are approaching a moral argument with materialistic tools. If we don't make the moral argument, we are going to lose the free enterprise system."

Dr. Brooks said the moral argument for free enterprise lays within the principle of "earned success."

"Earned success is the belief that you have the opportunity to succeed and make a difference," Dr. Brooks said. "It is the moral promise of freedom; the moral promise made by the founders of our country. And, it is just as true today as it was then."

Dr. Brooks said the level of dissatisfaction with the government is at an all time high among the American people, noting that recent surveys have put it at 81 percent. He pointed to two driving forces behind the dissatisfaction – big government and the practice of crony capitalism in which the worst possible behavior is rewarded rather than punished.

"The problem with government today is that it is lessening our ability for earned success," he said. "We need a system that affords negative consequences when we screw up and rewards us when we take initiative, work hard and do well. Instead, government is perpetuating learned helplessness which detaches rewards from merit. In a system that detaches rewards from merit, people are encouraged to give up, get depressed and blame their circumstances on others. "

Dr. Brooks said "patriots of courage" are needed in each generation to ensure the country does not lose the fight for the free enterprise system.

"We must make the moral case first," Brooks said. "We must have people willing to stand up and speak truthfully about what is written on their hearts about this country and what it has done for them. And, we must demand earned success for all people. A fair economy is one that gives people the right and the opportunity to rise."
Until 2009, Dr. Brooks served as the Louis A. Bantle Professor of Business and Government Policy at Syracuse University, where his research focused on the intersections of economics, entrepreneurship and philanthropy. Dr. Brooks is the author of nine books, including his latest, "The Battle: How the Fight Between Free Enterprise and Big Government Will Shape the Future."

The lecture was presented by the Manuel H. Johnson Center for Political Economy. Named for TROY alumnus Dr. Manuel H. "Manley" Johnson, former vice chairman of the Federal Reserve System Board of Governors, the Center promotes teaching and research efforts that examine the role economic freedom plays in economic development and human prosperity.