TROY News Center

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.

Jonathan M. Miller, a Troy University alumnus and current member of the University’s Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences faculty, has won the Faculty Senate Excellence Award.

Miller, who earned both his bachelor’s degree in environmental science (2006) and his master’s in environmental and biological sciences (2009) from TROY, was presented with the award on April 15 from Faculty Senate President Dr. Scott Nokes during the University’s annual Honors Convocation on the Troy Campus. The award was created to salute the outstanding contributions of non-tenure track faculty and was presented for the first time in 2008.

As an adjunct lecturer, Miller teaches Principles of Biology and Biology Lab, Organismal Biology lab and ecology lab. He was nominated by Dr. Paul M. Stewart, professor of biological and environmental sciences and ALFA Eminent Scholar in Environmental Management and Agriculture.

“Based on his willingness to work hard and his eagerness to teach and help the students at Troy University, I consider Mr. Miller to be a most-deserving and qualified recipient for this award,” Dr. Stewart said. “I routinely see him working directly with his students, helping them and explaining how to write the laboratory reports. In addition, Mr. Miller continues our research collaboration and together we continue a high level of scholastic productivity. I’ve known him for 12 years, and I can describe him as one of the finest young people that I have ever known.”

As a research assistant, Miller has promoted student involvement in biological research, performed surveys on mussels and crayfish life history studies, aided in taxonomy of local mussels, fish and crayfish, written and edited papers for peer reviewed journals and presented studies at local conferences. As a graduate student, Miller performed aquatic habitat assessments and analyzed data in various aquatic studies, as well as assisted in collections and identifications of research specimens.

Jonathan M. Miller

Dr. Patricia Warren, assistant professor in the College of Education, is the recipient of the 2013 Ingalls Award for Excellence in Classroom Teaching at Troy University.

Dr. Warren received the award during the University’s annual Honors Convocation held April 15 in the Claudia Crosby Theater on the Troy Campus.

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 award consists of a statue of Socrates, a plaque and a check for $1,000.

Dr. Patricia Warren, who has been a full-time member of the TROY faculty since 2008, holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Athens State College (1984), a master’s in elementary education from TROY (1994) and a doctorate in elementary education with an emphasis in reading education from Auburn University (2008). Her career in education began in 1984, serving as a K-3 teacher, first in the Geneva city schools and later in the Ozark city schools. Prior to joining the TROY faculty full-time, she also served as a reading coach at an Ozark kindergarten and an adjunct instructor for both the Troy and Dothan campuses of Troy University.

“This award is the most beautiful, humbling thing that has ever happened to me because it was initiated by students,” Dr. Warren said. “Being a teacher is a noble profession. One day, when my students have a classroom of their own, they have to realize that any child sitting in that room might be a future leader, a successful businessperson, a teacher, a doctor, a lawyer or maybe even a future president. What you teach your students and how you teach them just might make all the difference in their lives.”

As Dr. Warren trains future teachers in the classroom at TROY, she frequently minds them that the role of teacher is a calling and not a profession.

“You teach because you have a passion within you to teach,” she said. “One of the greatest joys I have ever had as a teacher is when a former student comes up, speaks to me and thanks me for how I taught them. As a teacher here at TROY, I want to find that passion within all of my students. I want them to understand this calling.”

Dr. Patricia Warren, assistant professor in the College of Education, is the recipient of the Ingalls Award for Excellence in Classroom Teaching at Troy University. Dr. Warren received the award, which consists of a statue of Socrates, a plaque and a check for $1,000, during the University’s annual Honors Convocation held April 15 on the Troy Campus. Presenting the award to Dr. Warren were Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., Chancellor, and Dr. Earl Ingram (right), Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

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)