TROY News Center

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 University MathFest 2013, a one-day undergraduate mathematics conference, will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 6 in Hawkins Hall on the Troy Campus.

Made possible by Troy University funding and a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant through the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), TROY MathFest, created in 2004, allows students from around the region to take part in presentations and discussions covering all areas of mathematics. The event is an initiative of the University’s Department of Mathematics, chaired by Diane Porter, in the College of Arts and Sciences.

“The purpose of the conference is to have a common mathematics forum accessible to all undergraduate students in the Southeast and beyond,” said Dr. Vijaya Gompa, professor of mathematics on the University’s Dothan Campus who is serving in her second year as the event’s director.

Dr. Ken Roblee, professor of mathematics on the Troy Campus, former MathFest director and local coordinator for this year’s event, said the opportunity for students to present their research at the forum provides valuable experience.

“The importance of TROY MathFest is that it fills the need for giving regional undergraduate students in mathematics the opportunity to present their research projects in a formal, NSF-MAA (National Science Foundation and Mathematical Association of America) supported conference, as well as the opportunity to meet and learn from undergraduate students and faculty members in mathematics from other universities and colleges,” Dr. Roblee said.

Participants will also have the opportunity to hear Dean G. Hoffman, professor of discrete mathematics at Auburn University, present on the topic “A Packing Problem from the Arithmetic Mean – Geometric Mean Inequality.”

Hoffman is a renowned graph and design theorist with more than 100 publications to his credit. He co-authored the textbook “Coding Theory and Cryptography: The Essentials,” and also has been awarded the College of Science and Mathematics Dean’s Research Award.

The Troy University Sexual Assault and Violence Education (S.A.V.E.) Project will play host to a campus-wide campaign during April in observance of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

As part of the April campaign, the S.A.V.E. Project will place posters, banners, and safety and prevention flyers around the Troy Campus, as well as sharing statistics and information on Facebook and Twitter.

On April 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the S.A.V.E. Project will hold its annual “These Hands Don’t Hurt” event on the Bibb Graves Quad. Students, faculty and staff are invited to come place their handprints on the event banner to signify their commitment to a violence-free campus. Once complete, the banner will display in the Trojan Center.

“Through the sharing of this information and our ‘These Hands’ event we hope to educate the campus community about the occurrence of sexual violence and hopefully prevent it from happening,” said Jennifer Duncan, assistant coordinator for the S.A.V.E. Project. “We also hope to make students aware of the services offered through the S.A.V.E. Project in the event they are ever exposed to sexual violence.”

 Identifying and preventing bullying will be the topic of an April 4 Civic Issues Forum at Troy University.

The forum, presented by the University’s Office of Service Learning and Civic Engagement in conjunction with the David Mathews Center for Civic Life, will be held in room 212 of the Trojan Center beginning at 5 p.m. on Thursday. It is the second of four forums in which students from First-Year Learning Communities will lead discussions about topics of importance in today’s society.

Students from the Healthy Futures Learning Community will lead the discussion on identifying and preventing bullying.

“Each year the Mathews Center, through which these forums are funded, takes on a different civic concern. This year’s focus is on bullying,” said Jonathon Cellon, coordinator of learning initiatives in the University’s Office of First Year Studies. “When you look at the statistics dealing with the instances, as well as the consequences of bullying it is pretty mind-blowing. Through these forums we hope not only to bring awareness to the issue but also form strategies for dealing with the problem throughout our community.”

The series of forums kicked off on March 28 as students examined what role communities play in preparing children for tomorrow’s jobs. The forums will continue on April 11 examining the topic “Shaping Our Future: How Should Higher Education Help Us Create the Society We Want?” and wrap up on April 18 with the discussion “Sustaining Ourselves: How Can We Best Meet the Needs of Today and Tomorrow?”

Support for this Civic Issues Forum series comes from a grant from The David Mathews Center for Civic Life, a non-profit, non-partisan, tax-exempt corporation based in Montevallo that seeks to foster infrastructure, habits and capacities for more effective civic engagement and innovative decision making. 

Troy University will host a Global Open House and Career Chat on Tuesday, April 16 to assist prospective students in the areas of academic strategy for career development, financial assistance and admissions and credit transfers.

Events will be held at the University’s four Alabama campuses and 22 of its Global Campus locations, as well as online. Those wishing to participate can register by location online at http://www.troy.edu/openhouse. Registration deadline for the events is April 12. Times vary by location.

Application fees will be waived for those who apply for admission to TROY during a Global Open House event at a location or online on April 16.

The University will host two virtual open house sessions that day – one at noon and the other at 8 p.m., according to Buddy Starling, Dean of Enrollment Management.

“Participants in the virtual open house will get an overview of Troy University and our Call Center will conduct live chats with those who have questions or seek specific information,” Starling said.

Starling said the Global Open House concept fits well with the University’s geographic structure.

“Troy University is uniquely positioned through our geographic structure for substantial outreach,” Starling said. “It made sense to have these events on the same day to share information about the opportunities available through TROY while maintaining some local uniqueness for each site.”

In addition to open house events on TROY campuses in Troy, Dothan, Montgomery and Phenix City, events also will be held at eight locations in Florida, seven locations in Georgia, one each in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee and two each in Texas and Virginia.

Locations by state are:

Florida

Eglin Air Force Base

Fort Walton Beach

Hurlburt Field

Orlando

Panama City

Pensacola

Tampa Bay

Tyndall Air Force Base

Georgia

Albany

Atlanta

Augusta/Ft. Gordon

Brunswick

Columbus/Ft. Benning

Covington

Savannah

North Carolina

Fayetteville

South Carolina

Sumter

Tennessee

Clarksville

Texas

El Paso

San Antonio

Virginia

Arlington

Hampton Roads