TROY News Center

COLUMBUS, Ga.—The president of Columbus Technical College, J. Robert Jones, told Troy University graduates Friday night that life is not easy, or fair, but education can help them overcome challenges.

Jones delivered the keynote address during a joint commencement ceremony for the Phenix City Campus and the Columbus/Fort Benning Site on Friday, May 24, at the Columbus Civic Center. Some 314 students earned degrees this spring in Phenix City and Columbus/Fort Benning.

"When you were born, no one promised you an easy life," Jones said.

Life will throw you curves and obstacles, but the key is to learn from mistakes and pick yourself up from failures, Jones said.

"No matter what you do in life, there are consequences to your actions," Jones said. "You can't undo your mistakes, but you can learn from them."

There is no formula for easy success, but Jones challenged graduates to rely on their education and skills to overcome challenges.

"Life works great in theory, but you have to know how to think for yourself when the theory fails and the formula changes," he said.

As newly minted leaders, Jones challenged graduates to ask questions and innovate.

"Challenge the status quo," he said. "If you don't do that, we will never move forward."

Jones has been president of Columbus Technical College since 1999. His tenure has seen a threefold growth in enrollment, an expanded campus and a host of new degrees and programs in high growth areas.

J. Robert Jones, the president of Columbus Technical College, addresses Troy University graduates during a joint commencement ceremony for the Phenix City Campus and the Columbus/Fort Benning Site on Friday, May 24, at the Columbus Civic Center. (TROY photo/Kevin Glackmeyer)

TROY -- Clifford Levy, deputy editor of the Metro Section of the New York Times and a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner for his investigative reporting, will speak to Troy University students at 10 a.m. Wednesday in the Trojan Center Theatre on the Troy Campus.

Levy’s presentation is a part of the TROY’s partnership with The New York Times, which supports the University’s Quality Enhancement Plan to create a culture of engaged readers.

Levy also oversees investigative projects and specializes in social media. He has also served the Times as their Moscow Bureau Chief and secured one of his Pulitzer Prizes for a series of articles about human rights and freedom of speech in Russia.

Levy joined The Times in 1990 as a news assistant, was promoted to reporter in 1992 and has served various positions with the paper since that time. Before joining The Times, Levy was a reporter for the New York bureau of United Press International.

In addition to his Pulitzers, Levy is a three-time winner of the George Polk Award, presented annually by Long Island University to honor special achievement in journalism. He also has been honored with the 2008 Sigma Delta Chi Award for Foreign Correspondence, the International Print Winner for the RFK Journalism Awards in 2009 and a 2009 Eppy Award from Editor & Publisher.

Born in New Rochelle, N.Y., on June 15, 1967, Mr. Levy graduated from Princeton University in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in public policy and international affairs.

Mr. Levy is married with three children and lives in Brooklyn.

DOTHAN—Troy University will host a pair of lectures at the Dothan Campus by a history professor who will provide insight into Islamic culture through his experiences as a traveler and resident in the Muslim world.

Presented by Auburn University professor Dr. Matt Malczycki, the two-part “Muslim Journeys” series aims to explain the historical and theological outlines of the Islamic faith in an informal and non-confrontational manner.

The first lecture, “An Arkansas Traveler’s Perspective on Islam,” will be held on Sunday, March 24, at 2 p.m. inside the Harrison Room in Malone Hall. The lecture attempts to explore Islam in a way that will foster greater understanding.

The second lecture, “Of Burkas and Honey Boo-Boo,” will be held on Sunday, April 7, at 2 p.m., also in the Harrison Room. This lecture will explore which society does a better job of protecting and respecting the rights of women and children: Islamic society or American society.

Both events are free and open to the public. The lectures are supported by a grant from the Alabama Humanities Foundation.

Dr. Malczycki, who received his doctorate from the University of Utah in 2006, is an expert in Islamic history who has also lived in Egypt.

The lectures are being held in conjunction with the National Endowment for the Humanities and America Library Association’s Muslim Journey’s Bookshelf grant, part of the Bridging Cultures program. The Muslim Journeys Bookshelf is a collection of 25 books, 4 DVDs, and other programming resources selected to help public audiences in the United States become more familiar with the people, places, history, faith, and cultures of Muslims around the world and within the U.S.

For more information contact Dothan Campus Library Director Chris Shaffer at (334) 983-6556, ext. 1320, or  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

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