Alumni chapters endow scholarships

Three Troy University alumni chapters endowed scholarships in 2022 — the Trojan Tailgaters Chapter, the Pensacola Chapter and the T-Club Chapter.

Proceeds from the Trojan Tailgaters annual Scholarship Ball, held each year at Homecoming, helped make the endowment possible, said Freddie Thomas, the chapter’s President.

The Pensacola Chapter, along with the family of one of its long-time members, worked together to endow the Pensacola Chapter Lon Wise Scholarship. Wise, a decorated World War II veteran, played football at TROY in the late 1930s and was a lifelong educator. He passed away in 2013.

The T-Club Chapter endowed the Eric Mizell Memorial Scholarship, supported largely through a golf tournament hosted by the Lettermen T-Club Chapter, which Mizell helped establish. Mizell, a 1993 graduate who played football at TROY, passed away in 2016. He was a member of the Alumni Association’s Board of Directors and led the Letterwinners T-Club Chapter.

The chapters join a growing list of those that have endowed scholarships, including the Archer, Alumni Band, Clipson, Conecuh, Elba and Emerald Coast chapters.

TROY named among the ‘Best in the South’

Troy University was recognized among the best regional universities in the South by U.S. News & World Report’s 2022-2023 Best Colleges rankings. TROY ranked 44th among all regional universities in the South and 17th among public regional universities in the South.

The rankings, which were released in September, take into account a number of factors of academic quality, including graduation and retention rates, social mobility, graduation rate performance, undergraduate academic reputation, student-faculty ratio, faculty resources and graduate indebtedness, among others.

TROY’s undergraduate nursing programs also were recognized among the publication’s Best College rankings — nursing programs.

Online programs recognized by U.S. News & World Report

Troy University’s online degree programs in psychology, business and criminal justice are among the nation’s best, according to the U.S. News & World Report’s “2022 Best Online Programs” rankings.

TROY’s online bachelor’s degree in psychology was ranked 12th in the nation, while online master’s programs in business and criminal justice were ranked high nationally for their service to veterans and military-affiliated students.

The online master’s program in criminal justice ranked 31st overall and 16th in the “Best Online Master’s in Criminal Justice for Veterans.” The master’s program in non-MBA business programs ranked 34th best of such programs for veterans. TROY’s service to veterans was also recognized in the categories of “Online Bachelor’s Degree Programs for Veterans,” and “Online Master of Business Administration Programs for Veterans.”

Those programs were among several of the University’s online offerings that received recognition in the annual rankings that are based on indicators such as student services and technology, faculty credentials and student engagement. Only degree-granting programs that are offered primarily online by regionally accredited institutions were considered, and the programs that score the highest are those applying educational best practices specific for distance learners. These rankings assessed

1,733 and ranked 1,651 online bachelor’s and master’s degree programs, the most in the rankings’ 10-year history.

TROY was also recognized among the nation’s best in the “Online Bachelor’s Degree Programs,” “Online Bachelor’s in Business,” “Online Master of Business Administration Programs,” “Online Master’s in Business Non-MBA,” “Online Master’s in Education” and “Online Master’s in Nursing” categories.

Abound names TROY among ‘Top 100 Online Colleges’ in the nation

In March, TROY was named one of the “Top 100 Online Colleges” nationally in 2022 by Abound, a college guidance system for degree-seeking adults.

Recognized among the leaders in online education, Troy University was one of only two universities in Alabama to receive the recognition.

Universities recognized by Abound are determined by the institutions’ success in four areas — accessibility, affordability, acceleration to degree completion and advancement of students’ long-term success. Factors considered included the number and diversity of online degree options, the university’s record of providing online learning options, affordability and availability of financial aid options, service and support of military students, academic and career counseling services, retention rates, graduation rates, percentages of full-time faculty and career services offered. Abound recognitions only include accredited institutions.

Fortune ranks TROY’s MSN program among the nation’s best

The online Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program was ranked among the nation’s best by Fortune Education in August.

TROY’s program came in at 36th in the “Best Online Master’s in Nursing Programs” 2022 rankings, which examined three components — selectivity, success, including examination of retention and graduation rates, and demand.

The MSN program is designed to provide graduates of baccalaureate programs in nursing the opportunity to develop the advanced knowledge and clinical skills required for leadership positions in nursing. The program prepares nurses for advanced practice roles in health care informatics, nurse leadership and family practice.

Military Times names TROY among the ‘Best for Vets’ rankings

Troy University was the only four-year, public university in Alabama to be named to the 2022 Military Times “Best for Vets” rankings.

Now in its 11th year, the Military Times “Best for Vets: Colleges” rankings are based on the results of Military Times’ annual survey — the most comprehensive schoolby-school assessment of veteran and military student services and rates of academic achievement — as well as a detailed review of public data collected by federal agencies such as the Department of Education and Department of Veterans Affairs. More than 300 colleges took part in this year’s survey. Metrics such as completion, retention, persistence and GPA, along with military-specific resources provided and financial assistance offered were considered in the rankings. Admissions and registration policies also were factored into the scoring.

Rosa Parks Museum named one of the top museums in Alabama

Troy University’s Rosa Parks Museum has been named one of the top museums in the state of Alabama by Stacker, an online newsroom distributing data-driven journalism to the world’s news organizations. Utilizing Tripadvisor and independent research, Stacker ranked the museum as the sixth best in the state. Located on the University’s Montgomery Campus on the spot of Parks’ historic 1955 arrest, the museum opened Dec. 1, 2000, with the mission of interpreting the story and lasting legacy of Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott for future generations.

Troy University ranked 13th in the Southeast among “Best for Vets: Colleges” and 41st in the nation among public colleges and universities.

Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr. named finalist for Armed Forces Merit Award

Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., Chancellor, was named as a finalist for the 2022 Armed Forces Merit Award presented by the Football Writers Association of America.

Created in June 2012, the award honors an individual and/ or a group with a military background and/or involvement that has an impact within the realm of college football.