TROY News Center

DOTHAN—Troy University will celebrate its ties to the Wiregrass region with a number of special events during the annual Heritage Week celebration on the Dothan Campus April 15-19.

For more than 20 years the Dothan Campus has celebrated its history in the Wiregrass with the Heritage Week festivities, which include several free events that are open to the public.

Activities during the 2013 Heritage Week will include:

Monday, April 15

The Troy University Community Band of Dothan will perform at 6 p.m. inside Sony Hall. Admission is free and open to the public.

Tuesday, April 16

The annual Health and Wellness Fair, featuring free information and screenings from local healthcare providers, will be from 9 a.m. to noon inside the Harrison Room in Malone Hall. Free and open to the public.

The Continuing Education Center will preview upcoming courses during an Open House from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. inside Adams Hall, room 200.

Wednesday, April 17

The spring picnic on the quad for faculty, staff and students will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The College of Arts and Sciences will present the annual Woodham Lecture Series at 11 a.m. inside the Sony Hall auditorium. History professor Dr. Robin O’Sullivan will present a lecture entitled “Breakfast of Champions: A History of the American Morning Meal—and Why it Matters.”

Friday, April 19

The Outstanding Student Honors Convocation will be from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. inside Sony Hall.

For more information about Heritage Week events, contact Dean of Students Bob Willis at (334) 983-6556 or  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Troy University students will be recognized for their achievements during the University’s annual Honors Convocation at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 15 in the Claudia Crosby Theater on the Troy Campus.

Milton Jones, President of Christian Relief Fund, will serve as the keynote speaker for the convocation, which recognizes student achievement for the academic year.

Among the awards to be presented are the Ingalls Award for Excellence in Classroom Teaching, presented to an outstanding faculty member, and the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Awards, given to a senior male and female student and to a distinguished faculty or staff member.

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 Sullivan Award, which is presented at select colleges and universities throughout the United States, recognizes recipients for their excellence of character, humanitarian service and spiritual qualities. The award has been presented annually at TROY since 1981 with nominations for the awards coming from students, faculty and staff.

In addition, students from each of the University five colleges will be recognized for their achievements, including those inducted into various honor societies.

In his work as Christian Relief Fund president, Jones has focused on the care of AIDS orphans in Sub-Sahara Africa. He has also served as a preacher and campus minister in both Texas and Washington.

Jones has authored eight books including a touching tale of one of his heroes with Cerebral Palsy, Sundays with Scottie. He is married to Barbie Jones and has two sons, Patrick and Jeremy.

Founded in 1971 by Amarillo businessman and preacher Baxter Loe, Christian Relief Fund is a non-profit relief organization based in Amarillo, Texas with a focus on rescuing orphans and vulnerable children from poverty. CRF operates child sponsorship programs that are dedicated to providing food, clean water, education, spiritual training, health care and disaster relief to the glory of God worldwide.

DOTHAN—Local high school students will put their public speaking skills to the test during the annual “Yes We Can Speak Out” competition on Friday, April 12, at Troy University’s Dothan Campus.

The competition will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. inside the Sony Hall auditorium in the Library/Technology Building.

A group of 20 Dothan City Schools students will participate in the competition. The students will present original speeches of 5 to 8 minutes in length in either an informational, persuasive, humorous or storytelling style.

The contest is meant to be a learning opportunity for students to express their thoughts on a variety of national and international issues said Dr. JeeHae Lee, a TROY assistant professor in the College of Education.

“Our hope is that the Yes We Can Speak Out contest will not only challenge Dothan City Schools students to improve both their writing and speaking abilities, but also give an opportunity for educators and parents to learn about what our high school students are really interested in and passionate about,” Dr. Lee said.

Students who wanted to take part in the competition submitted 3-5 page essays on their speech topic, with the top essays being selected to advance.

For more information, contact Dr. Lee at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

TROY – Representatives of more than 24 universities will attend the ninth annual Sport Management Conference at Troy University Wednesday through Friday.

Hosted jointly by the University and the Southern Sport Management Association, the conference will focus on emerging scholars and student development, and more than 30 presenters will lecture, said Dr. Michael Martinez, an assistant professor of kinesiology and health promotion who is coordinating the conference.

“Our practitioner sessions will be looking into the current landscape of the sport industry, and our students will have the opportunity to talk with professionals in the field and recent graduates who are in the sport industry,” he said.

Academic presentations for regional faculty on topics of sport law, marketing, motorsports, organizational management and other areas are also scheduled.

In addition, the Association will honor two with its lifetime achievement awards: Ken Blankenship of the Central Alabama Sports Commission will be honored as a practitioner, and Dr. David Stotlar, University of Northern Colorado, will receive the lifetime scholar award.

Major sponsors for the conference include Troy University’s College of Health and Human Services, TROY Athletics and IMG College Sports.

2013_SSMC-Schedule.pdf