In 1887, our motto was written: "Educate the mind to think, the heart to feel and the body to act." These words are as true today as the day they were written. As we prepare to celebrate our 125th birthday in 2012, I am proud these are our founding principles, the rock we stand on as we educate our students.
It is worth noting that approximately 100 colleges were founded in the United States in 1887, the year Troy University came into being. Of these, 27 failed to survive. I would like to think that TROY has not only survived, but thrived, because we have never wavered from our founding mission of service to those we teach.
We value our traditions but we are not frozen in the past when it comes to academics and student service, as recent institutional honors attest. Recently, Troy University was named to the "Best in the Southeast" list by Princeton Review, a noted college rating service. This was our seventh consecutive year to earn this designation. We were also named to the top tier of master's degree granting institutions in the Southeast by U.S. News and World Report, probably the best known of the college rankings.
Academic excellence on many fronts
While we are proud of our rankings, we are even prouder that we have plenty of good academic news to report. Here is a sampling:
- Almost 90 percent of our students in pre-health professions were accepted into medical, dental or other graduate programs in the health professions.
- A team representing the University's Surveying and Geomatics Sciences Program, bested other universities in the National Society of Professional Surveyors 10th Annual Student Competition in Las Vegas to take top national honors.
- World-renowned ballet master Elie Lazar, former artistic director of the Montgomery Ballet, has joined our faculty in the Department of Theatre and Dance. We fully expect Professor Lazar to take our growing dance program to a new level.
- Our Sport and Fitness Management program became one of only five universities in the nation to achieve specialized accreditation from the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation.
- We have made several organizational changes designed to enhance two major areas that attract many students, as we are creating a Department of Criminal Justice and a Department of Computer Science.
- At the request of the Student Government Association, wireless internet access has been extended to all academic buildings on the Troy Campus, enabling our students to study online wherever they happen to be on campus.
New facilities, improvements enhance service
Our level of service to students took a giant step forward with the opening of our new Trojan Dining facility on September 24. The twostory building provides 80,000 square feet of dining, food preparation and mechanical space and seats 1,070 diners, or about twice the capacity of our old dining hall. It is one of the most beautiful facilities of its kind in the nation, and I am proud of this wise investment in our service to students.
This fall also marked the opening of another new structure on the Troy Campus, our renovated Bibb Graves Hall. The renovations include a new 63,000 square-foot wing on the backside of the existing building, which was built in 1929. The building houses the Sorrell College of Business and the Confucius Institute, dedicated to providing educational programs on Chinese language and culture to Alabama. It is a beautiful addition to a historic building. We are planning a dedication ceremony of the new building during spring semester.
This fall also marked the opening of another new structure on the Troy Campus, our renovated Bibb Graves Hall. The renovations include a new 63,000 square-foot wing on the backside of the existing building, which was built in 1929. The building houses the Sorrell College of Business and the Confucius Institute, dedicated to providing educational programs on Chinese language and culture to Alabama. It is a beautiful addition to a historic building. We are planning a dedication ceremony of the new building during spring semester.
In 2012, we will begin construction on a new residence hall that is a first of its kind for Troy University. We are entering into a partnership with the Roman Catholic Church to build a Newman Center, a residence and ministry center, on the Troy Campus. Newman Centers can be found across the nation on campuses such as Ohio State University, Texas A&M, the University of North Carolina and the University of Illinois. The Newman Center will be an exciting addition to our campus and we plan to break ground on its construction in 2012.
Tobacco ban to promote student wellness
This summer, our Board of Trustees took a bold step designed to improve the health of our students, faculty and staff by banning tobacco use on all Troy University campuses. This new policy, which will go into effect on August 13, 2012, will prohibit smoking and the use of all tobacco products within all University buildings, parking lots, structures, walkways, indoor and outdoor athletic facilities, University vehicles, worksites and grounds and any vehicles on campus regardless of ownership. This policy applies to all Troy University employees, students, contractors, vendors, recruits and visitors. Currently, more than 300 other colleges and universities in the United States have tobacco-free policies in place. I salute our trustees for making this move to promote the health and well-being of the members of the Troy University family.
The tobacco-free initiative complements our ongoing initiative we call "The Trojan Way" which is designed to emphasize standards of behavior on which we can all agree. We expect students to:
- Respect others;
- Be well-spoken;
- Dress properly for the occasion;
- Take on responsibility; and
- Adhere to university policies.
Taking on responsibility includes striving to live a healthy lifestyle of exercise, proper diet and abstention from tobacco and other harmful drugs. Developing good habits during college years can pay huge dividends later in life.
License plates sales fund scholarships – TROY ranks #3 in car tag sales!
Another initiative that can pay big dividends is our Trojan Pride Scholarship Program, which is funded by sales of vehicle license plates. The gift of $50 is tax-deductible, and $48 goes to scholarships. If you buy the tag for your student's vehicle, we also waive the campus parking fee. If you are an Alabama resident, please join almost 7,000 other Trojans who support their University trough the car tag program. Since its inception, the sale of license plates hasgenerated over $1.6 million for the Trojan Pride ScholarshipProgram! This includes a 16% increase in 2010. Only the University of Alabama and Auburn University exceed TROY in the number of license plates sold each year.
Fall sports update
Fall sports are in full swing at Troy University. The Trojans football team, five-time champions of the Sun Belt Conference, are in a rebuilding year, but we earned a home-opening win over Middle Tennessee followed by a home win over in-state rival UAB. The home opener was meaningful beyond the final results, however, as we held a brief pre-game ceremony to christen the playing surface at Veterans Memorial Stadium "Larry Blakeney Field." It is a fitting tribute to an outstanding coach and gentleman.
Other Trojan Teams are enjoying success this fall, as well. Our women's rodeo team opened the season with a win at the competitive Viking Stampede in Marshall, Missouri. The women's golf team won its second consecutive Fred Marx Invitational tournament in Monroe, Louisiana. Our soccer team took the Trojan Classic tournament and at this writing is undefeated at home. Not to be outdone, our volleyball team swept the "Bear Brawl" tournament at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, and is also unbeaten at home as of this writing.
I am also proud to report that our new arena is taking shape and will open next year. It will be a beautiful home for ourbasketball and volleyball programs, but it will also serve us well at commencement time and onthose occasions whenwe need to accommodate crowds of 5,500 or more. The new arena will also house the newly created Troy University Sports Hall of Fame, which will showcase the great tradition of Trojan athletics.
As we approach the season of thanksgiving, I am reminded what an honor it is for our University to serve your students and how thankful we are for them. As I said at the outset, we will never change our founding principle of putting students first! Sincerely,
Jack Hawkins, Jr., Ph.D.
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Welcome to Troy University!
Selecting a university tailored to your education needs and requirements is a challenging and very personal choice. Troy University can make that choice easier, as we serve a broad range of students on four campuses in Alabama and on more than 60 campuses outside of our home state in 17 U.S. states and 11 nations. We also serve thousands of students who choose to study through distance-learning methods, primarily the Internet.
The Troy Campus offers all the "extras" that define the traditional college experience such as social organizations, Division I athletics, a strong fine arts program of music and theater, and many opportunities to assume campus leadership roles. We are also committed to international education, as students from 60 nations study with us in Troy.
Our other Alabama campuses, in Dothan, Montgomery, and Phenix City, as well as TROY campuses outside Alabama, primarily focus on the needs of the adult learner. In addition, Troy University is proud that it has served the men and women of the U.S. military for more than 50 years. Today, TROY continues to operate more than 30 campuses on military bases both at home and abroad.
Troy University would like to be part of your journey through life, whether you are a high school senior looking for a traditional undergraduate experience, an adult learner looking to earn a graduate degree to enhance your career, or you live outside the United States and want the value provided by American higher education.
We invite you to come grow with us as a student and later as an alumnus. Our goal is to help guide your development and prepare you for success in life. All the best!
Jack Hawkins, Jr., Ph.D.
Chancellor
Office of the Chancellor
216 Adams Administration Building
Troy, AL 36082
Phone: (334) 670-3200
