Accountancy School named for William Carr

The Sorrell College of Business named its School of Accountancy in honor of William Carr, founder and former managing partner of the accounting firm of Carr, Riggs & Ingram, LLC. Carr was honored in September during the school’s Accountancy Day festivities on the Troy Campus, when the school’s name was officially changed by Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., Chancellor.

Since its founding in 1997, Carr, Riggs & Ingram, under the leadership of Carr, has become one of the fastest-growing accounting and advisory firms in the nation, experiencing consistent year-over-year growth. The firm rose to become the 19th nationally ranked accounting and advisory firm in 2018 by Accounting Today.

Faculty Achievements

Dr. Priya Menon (’05), Professor of English, was selected to serve as a Fulbright Scholar Alumni Ambassador.

Dr. Fred Figliano, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Strategic Initiatives for the College of Education, was selected to participate in the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ 2022 Emerging Leaders Program.

Dr. Shirley J. Farrell, Assistant Professor in the Department of Teacher Education, was recognized by the Environmental Education Association of Alabama for her years of dedicated service to the organization with the “Soaring High Award.”

Dr. Shelley Reed (’07), Assistant Professor in the Department of Counseling, Rehabilitation and Interpreter Training on the Phenix City Campus, was honored for her outstanding contributions to the field of mental health awareness and counseling by the Sisters in Scholarship, Technology, Economics, Refinement and Services, Inc., in collaboration with the Gamma Tau Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority during the 15th annual Rosa Parks Women of Courage event.

Dr. Dee Dupree Bennett (’93, ’94), an Assistant Professor of Instructional Leadership and Administration on the Phenix City Campus and co-founder of the SHORT the Squirrel Literacy Initiative, was named to the “2022 Class of Women Who Shape the State of Alabama” by This is Alabama.

Nighttime ASN option added in Montgomery

Troy University expanded its Associate in Nursing (ASN) degree program on its Montgomery Campus to include nighttime classes in an effort to more effectively meet the demand for nurses in the River Region and provide greater opportunities for students.

The first nighttime ASN classes were offered in the fall with a second cohort beginning spring 2023.

Dr. John Garner, Dean of TROY’s College of Health and Human Services, said the change represents an expansion of the existing offerings on the University’s Montgomery Campus. “We believe the night classes will help us reach working students who are interested in pursuing a career in nursing, providing greater access to the program,” said Dr. Garner.

Dr. Garner said TROY’s reputation for putting quality, career-ready nurses in the workforce positions the University to help address a major shortage in the health care industry within the state.

Given that the ASN program is designed to be completed in five full-time semesters, the impact the expansion of the program will have on the workforce will be seen sooner rather than later.

New MBA focuses on the music industry

Troy University’s Sorrell College of Business teamed with the John M. Long School of Music in the College of Communication and Fine Arts to offer a groundbreaking program for students and working professionals in the music and entertainment industries.

TROY is the only university to offer the Music Industry MBA accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). The first cohort and classes began in August 2022. Offered in the University’s new Flex format, students will have the option to attend classes in person, live online or recorded online — or a combination of all methods.

On the business side, students will take classes in economics, finance, management, marketing and quantitative methods.

In addition, for teachers of music industry, the MBA will be considered a terminal degree, meaning no higher degree is offered.

TROY’s music industry program has stayed on the leading edge of the business as well. A new mix room was added that allows students to train in a “production facility of the future,” allowing production of songs and compositions by artists networked from various remote locations.

Michelle Richmond wins Hall-Waters Prize

Renowned author Michelle Richmond, a Mobile, Alabama, native whose recent novel, “The Wonder Test,” has been hailed as a “gripping thriller” and witty satire of “highstakes education,” received Troy University’s Hall-Waters Prize in April.

Richmond discussed the evolution of her career from her debut short-story collection, “The Girl in the Fall-Away Dress” (2001) through such bestsellers as “The Year of Fog” (2007) and “The Marriage Pact” (2017), in the Lamar P. Higgins Ballroom in the Trojan Center on the Troy Campus.

The award is endowed by the late Dr. Wade Hall (’53), an author, former member of the faculty at the University of Florida and Professor Emeritus of English at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky. Dr. Hall, a native of Bullock County, endowed the prize as a memorial to his parents, Wade Hall Sr. and Sarah Elizabeth Waters Hall. The award is presented regularly to a person who has made significant contributions to Southern heritage and culture in history, literature or the arts.