TROY News Center

TROY – Dr. John R. Dew will provide the keynote address at Troy University’s commencement exercises Sunday, May 19 on Saint Simons Island.

About 50 students from Brunswick and Savannah sites will participate in the event, which begins at 3 p.m. at Strickland Auditorium, Epworth By-the-Sea.

Dr. Dew serves as Senior Vice Chancellor of Student Services and Administration at the University, after having served as Associate Vice Chancellor for Institutional Research, Planning and Effectiveness from 2007 until 2010.

Prior to joining the University, he was Director for Continuous Quality Improvement and Planning at the University of Alabama. From 1974 until 1998, he worked for Lockheed Martin Corp. as a quality and strategic planning professional in Oak Ridge, Tenn. and Paducah, Kent., including work at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

He earned his Doctorate in Education from the University of Tennessee and is the author of five books, including co-authoring Continuous Quality Improvement in Higher Education with Molly McGowan Nearing, published by the American Council on Education and Praeger Press in 2004. His scholarly publications include Managing in a Team Environment and Empowerment and Democracy in the Workplace, both published by Greenwood Press. In 1997 he published a trade book on strategic planning with Quality Resources Press, Quality-Centered Strategic Planning. In 2001 he co-authored Diagnosing and Preventing Adverse and Sentinel Events, a handbook on preventing and investigating medical errors, with Meri Curtis, published by Opus Press.

Dr. Dew was appointed by the Undersecretary of Education to serve on the Department of Education’s Rulemaking Process in 2006. He was a founding member and chair of the National Consortium for Continuous Improvement in Higher Education, and has served as the Chair of the Education Division and the Energy and Environmental Division of the American Society for Quality. Dr. Dew is a Fellow in the American Society for Quality and held an appointment from the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to serve as one of the twelve Judges for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award program for 2008-2011. In 2009 Dr. Dew was elected to membership in the International Academy for Quality, which is the international body of academics engaged in research and publication related to quality sciences.  In 2011 Dr. Dew was named to the Board of Directors of the National Consortium for Continuous Improvement in Higher Education (NCCI). 

Dr. John Dew

TROY – Nearly 1,000 athletes with intellectual and functional disabilities and about 350 of their coaches and chaperons will compete May 17-19 in the Special Olympics Alabama State Games at Troy University.

This year’s event marks the seventh year Special Olympians have competed at TROY.

Competitions will include 11 sports conducted both on the Troy Campus and at venues in the city of Troy and Montgomery, beginning with the opening ceremonies at 7 p.m. May 17 in Trojan Arena. The ceremony will include a parade of athletes and entertainment.

The opening ceremonies are preceded by the Special Olympics Torch Run by law enforcement officers state wide. In Troy, the run will begin at 2 p.m. Friday at the City of Troy Police Department. The route will take runners south on South Brundidge Street and onto University Avenue, arriving at Sartain Hall about 2:15 p.m.

Sporting events begin on May 18 at 9 a.m. at various venues. Sport events include swimming, gymnastics, equestrian, bowling, track and field, softball, bocce, power lifting, cycling, flag football and golf. A Victory Dance will be held Saturday night.

Closing ceremonies will be conducted May 19 and will include a memorial service for those athletes who have died in the past year.

“The athletes are very excited to be returning to TROY,” said Dean of Students Herb Reeves. “Not only would we extend an invitation for students and community members to participate in the special ceremonies, but volunteers are very important in order to make this event a success,” he said.

To volunteer, contact Reeves at 334-670-3202 or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. "> This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

“We invite you to visit, cheer or volunteer to assist the athletes in having the best time ever.  Your interest and help is greatly appreciated,” he said.

ALBANY – Troy University has named Albany resident Keith Gaines its Albany Area Coordinator.

Gaines, who previously served as the assistant director of TROY’s Albany operations, had served as executive director of The Anchorage, Inc. since Oct. 2011. Under his leadership, the Albany site will serve southwestern Georgia.

“I am excited to, once again, work for my alma mater. I look forward to continuing to grow the strong relationship between Troy University and the Albany area,” said Gaines, who holds a Master of Science degree in counseling and psychology from the University. “The Albany and Southwest Georgia area is home to a large number of Troy University alumni and I look forward to adding even more in the years to come.”

Gaines has lived in the Albany area since 1991, and previously worked for Albany’s First Baptist Church and Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital. He currently serves as part-time pastor of Edison Baptist Church.

“We are very pleased to have Mr. Gaines at the helm of our Albany area location. As a long-time resident of Albany, an alumnus and a former employee, he is a perfect fit to grow and lead our Albany location well into the future,” said Bill Glisson, TROY’s Atlanta district director.

TROY’s Albany Site is located at 321 William Jr. Street, in the building formerly occupied by Owens Sporting Goods. It is one of 23 locations in seven states outside Alabama. In addition to its four Alabama campuses, TROY also operates in six locations in southeast Asia and the Middle East, and serves students online through its eTROY campus.

“I encourage adults in the area who are either considering going back to school to finish a degree they started years ago, continuing their education beyond a two or four-year degree, or contemplating  going to college for the very first time to checkout TROY,” Gaines said. “TROY is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and offers both undergraduate and graduate degree programs. We are able to offer some classes here at the Albany site in addition to the convenient option of our on-line classes.”

For more information about Troy University or to enroll in classes, visit www.troy.edu, call the Albany Site at 229-639-0303 or toll-free at 866-288-2097.

Keith Gaines

TROY – In an effort to make college more affordable and to encourage students to complete their academic programs quickly, Troy University is making 500 new scholarships available to new students.

Under the program, qualified students – 400 seeking bachelor’s degrees and 100 seeking graduate degrees – will receive a refund of the application fee and credits for tuition valued at approximately $3,000.

“The University is trying to help students stretch their money to make a college degree more affordable,” said Dr. Lance Tatum, Vice Chancellor of Global Campus. “The scholarship will help our adult students to stay on track with their programs once they’ve begun.”

To be eligible, all students must enroll at either a Global Campus site, Dothan, Montgomery, Phenix City campus or online through eTROY between Aug. 1 and Dec. 31, 2013 and not receive any other University-funded scholarship during their time of attendance.

Incoming students may apply for scholarship online at www.troy.edu. Priority for awards will be based on the date application packages are completed and will be announced in August 2013. Recipients will be issued certificates indicating their awards and application fee refunds.

Additionally, for those seeking a bachelor’s degree, students must be unconditionally admitted and have a 2.5 high school grade point average, or, for transfer students, a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or a GED score of at least 550. Bachelor’s degree students must successfully complete 18 semester credits per year, and complete their degree program no longer than five years from start. They must complete a minimum of 48 hours at TROY.

Those seeking graduate degrees must be unconditionally admitted to a graduate degree program, successfully complete 15 semester credits per year and complete their degree in two years.

Tuition for the final nine hours of the bachelor’s degree, or the final six hours of the graduate degree, will be covered by the University upon verification of eligibility by providing an official academic evaluation to the scholarship coordinator. This process must be completed prior to registration for the final credit hours.

Students seeking associate degrees or certificates are not eligible.

“This is a way to reward successful adult students who work hard and stay on track to complete their degree programs, as well as an opportunity to fill a void for financial assistance to those students who otherwise have no scholarship opportunities,” said Dr. Earl Ingram, Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

“We want to reward hard work and dedication to degree completion,” he said.

For more information regarding applying to TROY, contact the Office of Admissions at 800-414-5756, or visit online at www.troy.edu.

Access the form at:  https://forms.troy.edu/forms/scholarship/admissions/horizonscholarship.html.

TROY – Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley will provide the keynote address to Troy University’s largest-ever spring commencement exercise on May 10.

This spring’s graduating class includes some 915 students who have filed intents to graduate, among those some 825 from the Troy Campus alone. In all, about 650 students representing 27 states and 14 countries will take part in the ceremonies.

Commencement exercises will begin at 10:30 a.m. in Trojan Arena, and will require a ticket for entry. Graduating students will receive instructions on how to obtain tickets for families and friends.

Gov. Bentley was elected Alabama’s 53^rd governor in 2010 on his promise not to accept a salary until the state reached full employment, calculated to be a 5.2 percent unemployment rate. As a result, his administration has keyed on new job creation and has seen a drop from 9.3 percent in January 2011 to 6.9 percent in January 2013. Gov. Bentley surpassed his goal of creating more than 10,000 new jobs for Alabamians in his first year in office. As a result of his efforts and his leadership, more than 17,200 new, future jobs were announced by the end of 2011. In 2012, companies in Alabama announced 20,847 new jobs, bringing the total number of jobs added to more than 38,000 in the first two years of the Administration.

Gov. Bentley has led legislative efforts to increase incentives for new businesses and industry, to protect consumers by controlling the rising cost of homeowners insurance in the state, to reform the state’s pension system and to streamline government services and reduce spending. 

Gov. Bentley is committed to saving Alabama taxpayers $1 billion over the next four years by “right-sizing” state government.

Prior to becoming governor, Dr. Bentley served two terms in the Alabama House of Representatives, serving from District 63. He was born and reared in Shelby County and graduated from the University of Alabama School of Medicine. He established a dermatology practice in Tuscaloosa in 1974, and, under his leadership, Alabama Dermatology Associates grew to become one of the largest such practices in the Southeast.

Gov. Bentley co-chairs the Governor’s Task Force on Prescription Drug Abuse through the National Governor’s Association. He also serves on that organization’s Economic Development and Commerce Commission. He is the incoming chair of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission.

He and his wife of 47 years, Dianne, have four sons and six granddaughters.

Gov. Robert Bentley