S P RI NG /SUMMER 201 8
OH, BABY! Amid rising flood waters, one TROY alumnus helps save the lives of a woman in labor and her unborn son
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT Hollywood, comedy, electronic gaming, table-top business franchises—there’s nothing stopping these four Trojans from their dreams
“RUN TO THE ROAR” A season full of wins—cheering fans usher TROY’s football team to another bowl win
MONTGOMERY VISIT. WORK. LIVE.
• • • • • • • •
#1 in Alabama for Attracting New Jobs - AL Department of Commerce 2016 Among the New York Times Top 52 places to visit in the world in 2018 (Top 9 in U.S.) USA’s 4th Most Affordable City – wallethub.com 2017 Tech Hub with 100 GB Montgomery Internet Exchange (MGMix) and Smart City innovations Named a Top 4 Alabama City to Launch Your Startup by hubstaff.com in 2017 New Non-stop Direct flights to Orlando in May 2018, Washington DC in June 2018 Vibrant Riverfront District, 200+ sunny days, 90 city parks, 7 colleges/universities Home to Biscuits Baseball, ESPN Raycom Media Camellia Bowl, ESPN Guardian Credit Union FSC Kickoff Classic, and Championship Caliber Sporting Venues
VISIT D R E A M M O N T G O M E R Y. C O M TODAY
KNOWLEDGEABLE TO COMPETE "I learned great lessons from the faculty in the Sorrell College of Business that taught me I had to believe in myself and that proper preparation instills confidence." - DeMarcus Ware remarks to the graduating class of 2017
Knowledgeable to Compete is one of the
foundational mission initiatives embodied within the Sorrell College GEEKS
program. GEEKS is a simple way to bring our strategic plan to life—graduating business students that are:
Globally Aware Engaged with the Business Community Ethical Decision Makers Knowledgeable to Compete Successful
DEMARCUS WARE (‘05) INFORMATION SYSTEMS FOOTBALL LEGEND
TROY UNIVERSITY troy.edu/business
2
TROY TODAY
Troy University Marketing and Communication Spring/Summer2018
From the desk of the Chancellor The longer I serve as Chancellor, the more I realize that success for TROY, in large part, boils down to building strong relationships. We have seen this phenomenon bear fruit in the international realm, as we have approximately 135 formal partnerships with universities and colleges across the globe. This edition of TROY Today Magazine features several stories about exciting partnerships that provide us with new opportunities to serve students and the citizens of Alabama. Here is a recap of some of the stories featuring partnerships that you will find inside these pages: Through a partnership with Troy Bank & Trust, we are converting a historic bank building in downtown Troy into a center that will assist student entrepreneurs in starting businesses of their own. Called the IDEA (which stands for Innovation, Design and Entrepreneurship Accelerator) Bank, this new center will help unlock the potential in our students. In December 2017, we announced the construction of the Coleman Center for Early Learning and Enrichment on our Dothan Campus. This center will serve as a “lab school” to enable our College of Education faculty to research ways to better serve pre-K students. We owe our thanks to Jeff Coleman, CEO of Coleman Worldwide Group, for providing the funds to bring this project to fruition. We are also receiving funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation for this important initiative. Beginning in August of 2018, our Montgomery Campus will be home to the students of Valiant Cross Academy, an all-male private school. The students will benefit from spending their middle-and high-school years on a college campus, and TROY students majoring in education will gain valuable experience working with these young men in a practical lab setting. Finally, we feature coverage of the groundbreaking of our new student fitness center, which may be the ultimate partnership, as our students are paying a $100-per-semester recreation fee to fund the construction. The new center will not only serve current students, but it will also be an attraction for potential students. Moreover, research has shown that physical fitness can lead to academic success. This issue also recaps an exciting fall for Troy University football, including the signature win over LSU, the Sun Belt Conference title and the win over North Texas in the New Orleans Bowl. As an aside, I must say I heard as many positive comments about the graduation ceremony we held for football players and members of the Sound of the South in New Orleans. You will find coverage of that event inside, as well. Last, but certainly not least, this edition includes coverage of our first student to earn a doctor of philosophy degree at TROY. Our first Ph.D. program—in sport management—was an exciting milestone when announced in 2014. It is rewarding to see that program bear fruit. As I said at the outset, the common thread among all these stories is that relationships led to partnerships that have made great things happen for TROY. I am reminded of the words of the great Alabamian, Miss Helen Keller, who said, “Alone I can do so little, together we can do so much.” Sincerely,
Executive Editor Donna Clark Schubert Editor Samantha Johnson Art Directors Rob Drinkard ('09) Mark Moseley ('97, '99) Copy Editors Andy Ellis Emily Price ('09) Contributors Reba Allen ('75) Tori Bedsole Matt Clower ('04) Tom Davis ('81) Andy Ellis Bill Hopper ('72, '77) Buddy Johnson ('75) Brent Jones Clif Lusk Jane Martin ('97, '99) Sam Moody Greg Phillips ('06) Adam Prendergast Emily Price ('09) Nathaniel Rodriguez Jonathan Sellers ('07, '11) Josh Yohn ('07, '14) Photographer Mark Moseley ('97, '99)
Chancellor Jack Hawkins, Jr., Ph.D. Senior Vice Chancellor, Advancement & Economic Development Maj. Gen. Walter D. Givhan, USAF, Retired ('89)
Jack Hawkins, Jr., Ph.D. Chancellor
Associate Vice Chancellor, Marketing & Communication Donna Clark Schubert Associate Vice Chancellor, Development Becky Watson Director, Alumni Affairs
TROY Today Magazine welcomes comments, ideas and suggestions from readers. Editors reserve the rights to determine if letters to the editor will be published and to edit submissions for content and length. Copyright 2018 by Troy University, all rights reserved. Troy University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate, baccalaureate, master’s, education specialist and doctoral degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Troy University. The Commission is to be contacted only if there is evidence that appears to support an institution’s significant non-compliance with a requirement or standard.
TROY Today Magazine is published for alumni members, donors, students, parents and friends of Troy University.
Faith Ward ('81, '87) Director, Marketing
For more information, contact the office of Marketing and Communication at: 256 Adams Administration Building Troy, AL 36082 Phone: (334) 670-5830 E-mail: troymagazine@troy.edu Find us on: troy.edu/social and at www.troy.today Advertising : Contact Buddy Johnson at 334-670-5830 or see the media guide at troy.edu/advertising.
Samantha Johnson Director, University Relations Matt Clower ('04) President, Troy University Alumni Association Bill Hopper ('72, '77)
CHANCELLOR'S GOLF TOURNAMENT
SAVE THE DATE
Golf lovers, grab your clubs and join TROY Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., on September 26 in Prattville, Alabama, for the 2018 Troy University Chancellor’s Invitational Golf Tournament. By registering yourself or a team for a day of fellowship, sport and prizes at Prattville’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail – Capitol Hill course, you will support TROY’s athletic ministries. With approximately $28,000 raised at last year’s tournament, TROY celebrated as the Dr. John Schmidt Athletic Ministries Fund passed the $500,000 milestone.
To register for this fall's tournament, call 334-670-5924 or email events@troy.edu.
T ROY T ODAY
Spring/Summer 2018
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On The Cover
The TROY Trojans football team wrapped up an exciting season by bringing home a New Orleans Bowl win.
NEWS
FEATURES
STUDENTS
2 From the desk of the Chancellor
24 Totally eclipsed
42 AOÎ welcomes charter members
6 TROY's IDEA Bank
Whether or not you were able to experience the total solar eclipse for yourself, you don't have to put on any special glasses to take in these snapshots of history in the making!
44 Tragedy to triumph
8 A Valiant partnership
46 Students promote mental health 47 FarmHouse funds cancer research
PERSPECTIVES 48 Lessons from Cuba
9 1,700 best students 10 Water war continues 12 New fitness center 13 Social Work and Human Services 14 Cummings donation 16 Coleman Center 17 Long rotunda
FACULTY & STAFF 18 STEM grant 20 Living shorelines 22 Universal experience 23 Kellogg grant
ATHLETICS
26 Oh, baby! A city flooded. People stranded. One man's rescue mission intensified by a woman in labor. If it sounds like a movie plot, it's not. Read about alumnus Chauncy Glover's heroic actions.
28 That's entertainment From Hollywood to the friendly neighborhood game shop around the corner, meet four TROY Trojans pursuing their dreams in the entertainment and gaming industries.
ALUMNI 52 S.O.S. fund established to help students 54 Alumni of the Year Society launched
32 Day of honor At TROY, we celebrate our troops. That's why, every year, we invite men and women in uniform to Veterans Memorial Stadium for a day of "thank yous." Join us as we take a look back at 2017's Military Appreciation Day.
34 "Run to the Roar" 55 First Ph.D. graduate 56 Burks wins Ms. Senior Alabama USA 58 Golf tournament raises $13,000 38 IMPACT recruit joins TROJANS 39 A graduation to remember 40 Soaring support
BE IN THE KNOW. FOLLOW THE BLOG.
www.troy.today
59 Alum Notes 65 Remembering Kevin Glackmeyer
TROY TODAY
NEWS
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TROY INVESTS IN IDEA BANK A historic bank building in downtown Troy, Alabama, will
The IDEA Bank will house the new Troy Bank & Trust
soon house a new kind of bank—one dedicated to investing in
Entrepreneurship program, an interdisciplinary
student entrepreneurship.
entrepreneurship minor designed to provide students with a
Purchased in 2017 by the Troy University Foundation,
strong understanding of business and entrepreneurship theory,
the former bank building on Troy’s downtown square
practices and applications.
will soon house the IDEA Bank, an initiative of the Sorrell
“We’ve been inspired by what we’ve seen from our students in
College of Business aimed at cultivating and supporting
terms of energy and desire to start their own businesses, and
student entrepreneurs who will launch business ventures in
we want to be sure they are getting the support and assistance
collaboration with faculty, fellow students and mentors from
they need,” said Dr. Judson Edwards, dean of the Sorrell
the community.
College of Business.
The IDEA Bank is yet another example of the close “town and
The program will be supported by a $500,000 donation from
gown” relationship between the city, local business and the
Troy Bank & Trust. “We are very happy to be associated
University, said Chancellor Jack Hawkins, Jr. “This is truly a
with Troy University and to be a funding partner for the
vision of collaboration between the University and community
establishment of the Troy Bank & Trust Entrepreneurship
in an educational venture that will yield tangible benefits,”
Program in the Sorrell College of Business,” said Jeff Kervin,
Hawkins said.
Troy Bank & Trust president and chief executive officer.
T ROY T ODAY
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With the support of Troy Bank and Trust, TROY’s IDEA Bank will become a place for entrepreneurs to find resources they need to build strong, successful businesses. Pictured from the left: Troy Mayor Jason Reeves, Dean of the Sorrell College of Business Dr. Judson Edwards, Chancellor Jack Hawkins, Jr., TB&T President Jeff Kervin, President & CEO of the Alabama Bankers Association Scott Latham, Senior Vice Chancellor for Advancement & External Relations Maj. Gen. Walter D. Givhan, USAF ret.
“This will help numerous students learn first-hand about
The move not only lets the University support the continued
business, capitalism and entrepreneurship, which is what future
growth of downtown, Givhan said, but it also puts students
generations of business leaders need to know.”
in proximity to local business leaders whose mentorship will
The IDEA Bank (which stands for Innovation, Design and
be an important component of the IDEA Bank’s efforts. “This
Entrepreneurship Accelerator) will streamline the process for students who need help with a business venture. The Small Business Development Center will move there, making it more accessible to both students and members of the community. The IDEA Bank will house classes, special events and provide a flexible, collaborative space for students to work together. “We were eager to find a way to connect the University and downtown in a very concrete way,” said Walter D. Givhan, Senior Vice Chancellor for Advancement and Economic Development. “Everybody saw that this could be a win-win for the University, community, businesses and students.”
very much aligns with our philosophy of hands-on, experiential learning,” he said. “Let’s make the community their classroom.”
“We’ve been inspired by what we’ve seen from our students in terms of energy and desire to start their own businesses, and we want to be sure they are getting the support and assistance they need.” Dr. Judson Edwards
TROY TODAY
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From left: Vice Chancellor of Montgomery Campus Dr. Lance Tatum, Valiant Cross Director of Development Kimberly Baker, Chancellor Jack Hawkins, Jr., Valiant Cross Head of School Anthony Brock, Valiant Cross Director of Operations Frederick Brock, Valiant Cross Chairman of the Board Eddie Welch and Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange.
A VALIANT PARTNERSHIP
Eighth- and ninth-grade students at Valiant Cross Academy
example to other universities to show how they can reach out
in Montgomery, Alabama, will have more resources and
to make a difference in the lives of all Alabamians.”
opportunities than ever before thanks to a new partnership
Valiant Cross plans to add an additional grade each year
between the school and TROY. Through this partnership, Valiant Cross, an all-male private academy currently serving sixth and seventh grades, will lease space in Building 136 on the Montgomery Campus beginning in August. This partnership clears the way for collaboration to pursue public and private grants to enhance educational opportunities for both TROY and Valiant Cross, as well as providing academic opportunities for students in the University’s College of Education. “Our goal in creating this partnership is centered on the success of students, both students from Valiant Cross and our students at TROY,” said Sen. Gerald Dial, president pro-tem of Troy University’s Board of Trustees. “Enabling the success of all of our students is what we are about at Troy University. This partnership will serve as an
through the 12th grade. Anthony Brock, head of school for Valiant Cross, said he believes the partnership will be historic in the life of the school. “This is an awesome opportunity for Valiant Cross to enable these young men the opportunity to be on a college campus during their high school years,” he said. “We want this to be the norm for our scholars— to have the opportunity to know what it is like to be on a college campus and to take advantage of all the opportunities that TROY is making possible to us through this partnership. Our scholars are excited about it … It is a historic day in the life of Valiant Cross Academy.”
T ROY T ODAY
NEWS
9
CONVENTION BRINGS 1,700 "BEST STUDENTS IN THE COUNTRY"
Troy University’s Troy Campus was a bustling hub of activity
and Australia, and it’s the largest classical organization in
in July as 1,700 people participated in the 64 National Junior
the world with more than 50,000 members. Its purpose is to
Classical League Convention.
encourage an interest in and an appreciation of the language,
th
Middle and high school students from around the country
literature and culture of ancient Greece and Rome.
gathered to celebrate their love of classical civilizations
Every year, the athletic events, called Ludi, consist of sports
through games and workshops that were both academic and
such as track and field, soccer, basketball and swimming, while
athletic in nature.
the Certamen serves as the convention’s quiz bowl game, with
Dr. Peter Howard, who serves as the chair of the Department
finals held at the end of the week.
of Modern Languages and Classics, was integral in bringing the
“The goal is to further the study of ancient Greece and Rome
convention to TROY.
and other classical civilizations, to make it more popular,
“It’s a wonderful and fun opportunity for the students,” said Howard, who has worked with the NJCL on a state and national level for more than four decades. “It's a camaraderie, a gettogether of literally the best students in the country." Formed in 1936, the National Junior Classical League is comprised of local and state chapters across the U.S., Canada
make people aware that this is still a topic to study and to help them realize it’s still something we can learn from,” said Bob McDonald, president of the National Senior Classical League, which helped in facilitating the convention.
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TROY TODAY
THE WATER WAR CONTINUES! NEWS
CONFERENCE FOCUSES ON MULTI-STATE BATTLE FOR WATER
Every year, professionals from Alabama, Florida and Georgia come together in Phenix City to take part in a water conference to discuss recent developments and legal issues concerning the region’s waters and successful interstate developments from other river systems around the eastern United States.
Water resource planning experts in Alabama, Florida and
leadership among water professionals in Alabama, Florida
Georgia gathered in the Phenix City Riverfront Campus in
and Georgia,” she said. “We hope this will become an annual
October to discuss legal issues surrounding the region’s
tradition of conversation among water colleagues in our states.”
waterways and learn from best practices in other states.
During the conference, Brad Currey, Jr., former chief executive
The fourth annual conference was co-sponsored by TROY’s
officer of Rock-Tenn Corporation, now known as West Rock,
Center for Water Resource Economics, the Tri Rivers
was awarded the Don Hines Award. Named in memory of the
Waterway Development Association and the Georgia
former dean of the University’s Sorrell College of Business, the
Association of Water Professionals. In addition to receiving
Hines Award recognizes outstanding contributions to water
updates on recent developments such as changes in
resource management and planning and is presented annually
hydropower operations, participants devoted the final
at the conference, which is now in its fourth year. Hines was
day of the conference to discussing the functional and
instrumental in forming the state’s Water Resource Council.
structural changes necessary to improve the ability of the
“Your recognition of my participation and commitment to
Alabama-Chattahoochee-Flint River system to meet its mission and goals.
solving water problems means a lot to me, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Currey said as he received his award.
“We are grateful to GAWP Executive Director Pam Burnett
“This conference is really wonderful because we have heard
and her board for their willingness to join with TROY and the
about solutions to problems that have bedeviled us for some
Tri Rivers Waterway Development Association in hosting
time. This is very special to me, and it is a pleasure to be here
a conference that brings together the interests of all three
with all of you.”
states,” said Billy Turner, director of TROY’s Center for Water Resource Economics. Burnett said the conference helps to create ongoing dialogue about the area’s water issues. “We have a refreshing opportunity to open the door for future collaboration and
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BREAKING GROUND T R OY P R E PA R E S F O R N E W F I T N E S S C E N T E R
Spearheaded and funded by students, TROY’s new Trojan Fitness Center will be completed in approximately a year and a half and will feature special aerobic rooms, a multi-activity court and an outdoor swimming pool.
TROY officials broke ground in January on the Trojan Fitness
this will add so much value, and there is a strong link between
Center, a new $25 million student recreation center. The
physical fitness and academic success.”
78,000-square-foot facility will be located in the former
Construction is expected to take 18 months on the facility,
Sartain Hall parking lot, near George Wallace Drive. “This is the gateway of Troy University,” said TROY Board of Trustees member Lamar P. Higgins, who also serves as chair of the Student Services Committee. “It’s large, it’s diverse, and it’s making us ready for the future.”
which is funded by a $100-per-semester ($50 for the summer) student recreation fee recommended by the Student Government Association and implemented in fall 2016. “To the students of Troy University, I want to express how thankful we are, because it was the students who brought this idea to us
Once completed, the building will house a multi-activity court,
and said, ‘We want to make this happen,’” Higgins said.
a basketball court, a free-weight training area, a circuit weight
Current SGA President Ashli Morris said the Trojan Fitness
training area, special aerobic rooms, an outdoor swimming pool, a multi-level walking track and four offices. “Not only will it be instrumental in serving those who are currently enrolled, but it will also be an attraction for those who are considering where they want to spend their next four years,” said Chancellor Jack Hawkins, Jr. “As we talk about recruitment and retention,
Center will be a centerpiece for generations of students. “On behalf of the student body, I want to offer my sincerest gratitude and thanks to our administration, which has made this dream of ours a reality,” she said. “This facility will undoubtedly bring so much value to our campus and will be enjoyed by Trojans for generations to come.”
NEWS
T R OY W E LCOM E S
T ROY T ODAY
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SCHOOL OF S OCI A L WORK A N D HUMA N SE RVI C ES
The growth and recognition of TROY’s social work program has
services, it is important to provide the academic title of ‘school’
sparked the creation of a new school within the University’s
to reflect these changes.”
College of Health and Human Services. In July, TROY's Board of Trustees approved a resolution that created the School of Social Work and Human Services, replacing the previous Department of Human Services and Social Work.
Created more than 50 years ago as a unit of the University’s Department of Psychology, TROY’s social work program was formed while the college’s human services program originated from federal grants. TROY added the Masters of Social Work,
Dr. Denise Green, dean of the College of Health and Human
a terminal degree in the field, in August 2014. “This important
Services and chair of the program, said the move to the higher
status illuminates the extraordinary work of the faculty, staff
status of “school” was fitting given the growing stature of the
and students that built this school and made it the number one
social work program. “This department has evolved over the
program in Alabama and a top 50 in the United States,”
last 50 years from a very small and important aspect of health
Dr. Green said.
care to a significant footprint in Alabama and the world,” she said. “Now with the Master of Social Work and new laws improving the professionalism of social work and human
PHENIX CITY CHARITY BALL PROVIDES OPPORTUNITY TO STUDENTS When Phenix City Mayor Eddie Lowe and his wife, Deborah,
Bill Hopper, president of the TROY's National Alumni
held their first charitable ball, they hoped the event would be
Association, is focused on reducing the number of students
a success—what they experienced was overwhelming. The
who experience the heartbreak of being unable to attend
event sold out in its first year and has done so every year since
college due to financial constraints. [The Lowes’] willingness
despite moving to larger venues.
to endow a scholarship at Troy University demonstrates their
To date, the Phenix City Mayor’s Annual Education and Charity
commitment to providing deserving students an opportunity to
Ball has raised more than $300,000 for college scholarships and
continue their education.”
local charitable organizations. TROY is the latest beneficiary of the annual charitable event with $15,000 presented to the University by the Mayor’s Education and Charity Ball Committee—a gift that was also matched by TROY’s Alumni Association. This money will be used to endow a scholarship that will help Phenix City residents attend TROY. “We have a great partnership with TROY,” Mayor Lowe said. “This is something that will benefit the city and the community.” Mayor Lowe said the money raised has helped students from Phenix City attend college—many of whom might not otherwise have been able to attend. “This has been one of the most intrinsically rewarding things that I’ve been a part of,” he said. “Who knows? One of these young people may save our lives.”
Phenix City Mayor Eddie Lowe (far left) and his wife, Deborah (second from right)
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Lewis and Mary Cummings, and their daughters Kinsley and Marian, met with Dr. Felicia Bell to donate a portrait of Rosa Parks to the Rosa Parks Museum.
CELEBRATING
A LEGACY
A new portrait hangs within the Rosa Parks Museum thanks
the journey. It has been a long journey, and we still have a long
to the generosity of Mary and Lewis Cummings, III. Exhibited
way to go.”
outside the museum’s gallery, the portrait of Rosa Parks,
Chancellor Jack Hawkins, Jr., said it is important to maintain
created by the artist Nall, was given to the museum in honor of the couple’s daughters, Kinsley and Marian.
the legacy of Mrs. Parks for future generations. “This museum has great meaning for the city of Montgomery, our country
“Rosa Parks had strong character,” Mary
and the world,” he said. “Mrs. Parks recognized
Cummings said. “She was an excellent example for all of us. We hope this portrait will serve as a challenging reminder to always stand for what is right, even if you are standing alone.” Lewis Cummings said he hopes the painting will inspire others to learn more about and advance the Civil Rights Movement. “We see Rosa Parks as such a powerful, strong role model, and we want our daughters to be able to do anything they put their minds
that true leadership is about pulling people
“This is a powerful painting. It encompasses so many things from the incident on the bus up to today. I hope people can see the journey. It has been a long journey, and we still have a long way to go.”
to,” he said. “We want them to understand
- Lewis Cummings
history and hopefully move history forward. This is a powerful painting. It encompasses so many things from the incident on the bus up to today. I hope people can see
together rather than dividing them, and it is important we continue to maintain and share her legacy with all who visit here.” Dr. Felicia Bell, the museum’s director, said the museum was grateful for the generosity of the Cummings family. “We are always looking for ways to challenge our visitors to think critically about how to uphold the legacy of Rosa Parks and her lifetime of activism,” she said. “I
hope this new portrait will add to our visitors’ museum experience and encourage them to be active in their communities.”
"A listener supported service of Troy University"
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CO LE M AN CENTE R CO M I N G TO DOTH AN Families of young children within Alabama’s Wiregrass area received an early Christmas present as December marked TROY’s announcement of plans to create the Coleman Center for Early Learning and Enrichment. A collaboration between the College of Health and Human Services and the College of Education, the Coleman Center will be located at the University’s Dothan Campus and will enhance the University’s support for the Dothan and Wiregrass community in the area of early childhood development. “This is a great day for our area,” said Dothan School Board Chairman Mike Schmitz. “This center marks an extraordinary opportunity to address a serious need in the area of early childhood development.” The facility is named after James F. Coleman, the longtime chairman of Coleman Worldwide Moving, whose family’s donation is helping make the project possible. Although originally announced to concentrate on business and entrepreneurship, the growing need for early education support in the Wiregrass sparked a shift in focus. The city of Dothan, Houston County, the city of Ozark, the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce and numerous private donors are helping make the Coleman Center a reality. “There’s a huge need for children to get a smart start, and this
Coleman World Group CEO Jeff Coleman (pictured) said he believes the Coleman Center for Early Learning and Enrichment will provide children with access to pre-K education to help them get an early and smart start on their education.
center will provide an environment where we can prepare teachers for the classroom,” said Jeff Coleman, CEO of
“I think this will create a domino effect that will begin with the
Coleman World Group. “This will provide children with greater
Coleman Center but has the potential to ripple through this
access to pre-K education in the area and all the surrounding
community, this state and this nation,” said Dr. Jack Hawkins,
counties. There is a great need and a lot of work to do.”
Jr. “There are three goals we will focus on. First is to serve the
The ground breaking for the 12,000-square-foot facility has been set for spring 2018. The facility will cost between $2 million and $3 million and will feature classrooms for 3-year-old children, classrooms for 4-year-old children, conference and meeting spaces for workshops, assessment rooms, counseling spaces and more.
children. Second is to, in the process, serve the teachers and prepare them for their careers, and finally, to create a model that evolves. It’s that model that will truly be of lasting effect, because not only will it affect what we do here, but it will go well beyond that.”
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T ROY T ODAY
In Fall 2017, Mary Lynn Long, educator and wife of TROY’s Director of Bands Emeritus Dr. John M. Long, was recognized for her dedication to TROY. Made possible through a gift from the Adams Foundation, the Mary Lynn Long Rotunda was dedicated to Mrs. Long for her service to Troy University. From left Sam Adams, Mary Lynn and Dr. John M. Long and Senior Vice Chancellor Maj. Gen. Walter D. Givhan USAF ret.
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TROY TODAY
FA CU LTY / S TA FF
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STEM GRANT SEEKS SUCCESS FOR
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES A TROY professor is taking part in a project aimed at increasing opportunities for people with disabilities in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines. Dr. Zhiyong Wang, assistant professor and associate chair of the Department of Chemistry and Physics, is working with Dr. Overtoun Jenda of Auburn University on the project, the Southeast Alliance for Persons with Disabilities in STEM— a project funded through the National Science Foundation’s NSF INCLUDES program. TROY is one of several universities throughout the Southeast involved in the project. “The National Science Foundation has been
OLLIFF CELEBRATES A L A B A M A H I S TO R Y WITH NEW BOOK
intentional in recent years about encouraging collaboration and alliances of different universities to widen the impact of efforts to increase diversity in STEM disciplines,” Dr. Wang said. Some of the project's objectives include increasing the quality and quantity of persons with disabilities
A new book by a TROY professor shows the growing influence of the middle class in Alabama during the Progressive Era of U.S. history. “Getting Out of the Mud: The Alabama Good Roads Movement and Highway Administration, 1898-1928” by Dr. Marty Olliff uses the Good Roads Movement as a lens through which to view the rise of the middle class as an influencer in Alabama during an often-overlooked period. “I’ve tried to write it in a manner that a regular history buff would enjoy, but at the same time, academic historians can get to the meat of it as well as the story,” said Olliff, a history professor and director of the Wiregrass Archives at the University’s Dothan Campus. In his book, Olliff traces how the Good Roads Movement developed in Alabama and effected a shift in the burden of road building from counties onto states, and eventually, the federal government. He also uses this journey to highlight the growth of a new socio-economic class in the state. “Getting out of the mud means not only getting out of the mud of crummy roads, but it also means using roads to uplift all of society out of this bog, this impasse that this war between capital and labor over industrialization had spawned,” he said. Interested parties can buy the book through the University of Alabama Press website or through online retailers such as Amazon.
completing associate, undergraduate and graduate degrees in STEM disciplines and entering the STEM workforce; increasing the quality and quantity of post-doctoral fellows and junior faculty with disabilities in STEM fields; improving academic performances of students with disabilities in secondary-level and mathematics courses and enhancing communication and collaboration among post-secondary institutions, industry, government, national labs and community in addressing the education of students with disabilities in STEM disciplines. The pilot phase of the project at TROY received $16,480 in funding to provide stipends for student participation. “The purpose of the program is to help students with disabilities be successful in the STEM fields,” Dr. Wang said. “The STEM fields are challenging for anyone, but this program will help us better understand the challenges encountered by students with disabilities and help develop strategies that enable them to succeed. We are recruiting students to participate in the program.”
"My father always said, ‘You might be able to make a lot of money, but you could lose it. But what you learn in the classroom, you’ll never lose.’ … I hope the recipient will be able to go out into the future and serve society, and I’m sure some of them might be teachers. That would be wonderful.” - Jim O'N eal
YO U R P R ES E N T .
T H E I R F U T U R E. During his four decades at TROY, retired mathematics professor Jim O’Neal poured his knowledge and care into thousands of students. Today, through the creation of a planned gift honoring the lives of his mother and father, the retired professor is shaping Troy University and generations of Trojans to come. O’Neal’s scholarship will set students majoring in mathematics, math education or computer science on the road to success. No matter your age or income level, you, too, can plan today to give tomorrow to make a difference in the lives of TROY students, faculty and staff members.
troy.edu/donor or call 334-670-3608
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TROY TODAY
FAC ULT Y/ S TA F F
TROY RECEIVES $519,853
IN FIGHT TO SAVE LIVING SHORELINES
Troy University researchers have been awarded a two-year,
Bay, Florida, where a similar living shorelines suitability model
$519,853 grant from the NOAA RESTORE Science Program
is currently being developed.
that will identify where living shorelines are the most
According to Boyd, the support tool will allow the user to
appropriate erosion control solution to protect tidal shorelines at various sites along the Gulf of Mexico. A living shoreline is an infrastructure technique that makes use of native vegetation alone or in combination with offshore structures to stabilize shorelines, providing a natural alternative to the use of stone or bulkheads. The use of living shorelines provides numerous benefits including erosion control, reduction of pollution, providing essential fish habitats and providing a natural buffer to protect shorelines from waves and storms.
identify the best living shoreline options available for particular areas through the use of an interactive series of questions. “Coastal waterfront property throughout the U.S. is typically built on eroding shorelines,” Dr. Boyd said. “In order to combat erosion, traditionally, homeowners have installed hard structures such as bulkheads and revetment. As of 2014, Mobile Bay is 38 percent armored using predominantly hard structures. This has led to a loss of coastal wetlands and bottom habitat needed by aquatic nursery species. Over 90 percent of commercial fisheries are estuary dependent. Installing living
Dr. Chris Boyd of TROY’s Department of Biological and
shorelines is considered a more environmentally friendly
Environmental Sciences is the lead investigator on the project,
option because, when designed correctly, they maintain coastal
while Dr. Xutong Niu from the Department of Mathematics and
processes without impacting wetlands.”
Geomatics is among the co-investigators. The project, “Living
The application of this model and tool to other water bodies
Shoreline Site Suitability Model Transfer for Selected Water Bodies within the Gulf of Mexico: A GIS and Remote SensingBased Approach,” will customize an existing living shoreline suitability model developed by the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences to work in Perdido Bay/Wolf Bay/Ono Island complex in coastal Alabama, Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, and Galveston Bay, Texas. In addition, an interactive decision support tool will be created for these areas, as well as Tampa
within the Gulf of Mexico region will help promote living shoreline protection options to federal and state agencies, homeowners, marine contractors, natural resource managers and city planners. The project team will conduct a series of workshops to assure the model and tool reaches decision makers in order to ensure its use throughout the Gulf region.
TROY UNIVERSITY IS “CALLING” ON ALUMNI, FRIENDS Troy University is “calling” all alumni and friends to support
Annual Fund donations can make an impact immediately by
colleges within the university, scholarships or other areas of
providing students with scholarships or helping faculty, staff
the institution where financial resources are needed with the
and students attend academic conferences. Gifts can also have
help of a new Phone Bank.
a long-term effect by helping purchase equipment or other
Established last October, the new Annual Giving Phonathon
needed resources.
Phone Bank is the home base for a team of student callers who
“Donors have the opportunity to designate their gift to
are reaching out to alumni and other potential donors. Funds
whatever cause is most important to them, whether it be
raised through the Phone Bank go to the Annual Fund, one of
scholarships, a specific college or athletics,” Watson said.
the most important avenues of support for the University, said
The Phone Bank is located on the third floor of the Adams
Rebecca Watson, Associate Vice Chancellor for Development. Money raised for the Annual Fund impacts virtually everything at Troy University. Annual gifts enable Troy University to provide resources not covered by tuition or state funding. No student at the University graduates without having been touched in some way by annual gifts from alumni and friends.
Administration Building and is staffed by a team of 12 students. Next time the phone rings, it may be TROY calling with a great opportunity to support future generations of Trojans. To find out more ways to help future TROY students, visit troy.edu/donor or call 334-670-3608.
FA CU LTY / S TA FF
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TROY TODAY
UNIVERSAL OPPORTUNITY
A summer workshop designed by a TROY professor brought
said. “I combined all parts of my life and all parts of what they
hands-on movie making experiences to high school and college
do, and we created this sound design workshop. If you’re a
students at Universal Orlando Resort. Sound Design: Music and
band, choir or orchestra, you can go to Universal, take over a
the Art of Foley is a workshop designed by Robert W. Smith,
sound stage just as if you were in Los Angeles about to score a
coordinator of TROY’s music industry program, and aimed at
new movie.”
giving students around the country an opportunity to explore
The program started three years ago, and so far, Smith has
music and sound design in films.
given students three films to work on—the original silent
“Universal Studios was looking for additional attractions,
“Frankenstein,” “Despicable Me” and “The Lorax.”
additional reasons for groups to come down to the Universal
Each year, the groups arrive at the studio, choose their
Orlando Resort,” Smith said. “They needed somebody who understood their business, understood movie production and the entertainment side of what they do, but also somebody who had their foot in the education door and would know what would appeal to musical groups, bands, choirs and orchestras.” While Smith is well known among the Universal family, it was one of his former students—a Universal employee—who recommended Smith as a potential resource. A workshop for visiting students was created to give students a chance to score a movie from the ground up, complete with professional production and a full sound stage.
film, then go into a sound stage with a full video production crew, professional audio engineering crew and a producer in the room. “These kids can walk in the room and know what it’s like to be a working musician in the movie industry,” Smith said. “They record the soundtrack, and they have to record it to a very specific tempo so that everything will sync to the action on the screen. Once they’re done with that, they get into the sound design—sound effects, everything from the closing of a steel door in Frankenstein’s dungeon to a firefly that’s buzzing through the air in ‘The Lorax.’ They get to
“It’s really an attraction, a reason for someone to come to
actually be sound designers.”
Universal Orlando outside the normal entertainment,” Smith
The students are even cast in roles for automatic dialogue replacement, a system of re-recording dialogue by the original actors. When the workshop ends, a professional production team edits the film and sends the group links to a version of the film with their sound included, along with all their names added to the credits. Smith said the workshop has grown in popularity each year since it was enacted, and future plans include adding “Jurassic Park” and “King Kong” options. As coordinator of the music industry program, Smith teaches courses aimed at guiding TROY students into a professional music career – whether on stage
Long School of Music professor Robert W. Smith spent his summer helping high school musicians learn about creating their own movie soundtracks and sound effects.
or behind the scenes. He also heads POPulus, the University's pop music ensemble.
FA CU LT Y / S TA FF
TROY-KELLOGG
T ROY T ODAY
23
PARTNERSHIP BENEFITS DOTHAN PRESCHOOLS
A TROY program aimed at helping Dothan area preschoolers
books, supplies and technology to help the children learn.
better prepare for kindergarten is doubling in scope thanks to
“This increase will help us reach twice as many children and
a funding increase. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has increased
families, to go in and provide the same types of things we
funding for Project Pre-K to K Transition, a three-year program
provided in our initial year, but doubling the reach,” said
that offers training, supplies and hands-on support to child care
TROY Education Reading Specialist Dr. Cynthia Hicks.
centers in the Dothan area.
According to Dr. Tonya Conner, assistant professor of
The funding increase allows TROY to expand the scope of
leadership development and professional studies, the first
Project Pre-K to K Transition from two facilities last year
year of the program, which provided certified teachers and
to four facilities this year. Child care centers Little Rebels
supplies to Eastside Childcare Learning Center and Pal-A-
Daycare, Ashford Christian Development Center, Southeast
Roos Daycare, was a major success based on test scores and
Alabama Medical Center Child Development Center and
parental feedback. “We tested the students, and all of the
Honeysuckle Childcare & Preschool were selected to
students showed significant improvements,” she said. “Then we
participate in the program. Kellogg increased funding for
surveyed our teachers that participated in the project, and we
the project from $363,000 to about $600,000 due to
surveyed our parents, and everybody had positive comments.
remarkable results after the first year of the program, which
Most of the comments quoted things like, ‘We’re now reading
began fall 2017.
every day with our child at home,’ ‘Our child is more confident.’
In addition to hiring part-time certified teachers to work at
One mother said she wished her 6 year old had a chance to go
the child care centers, TROY also provides support including
through this program.”
P H OT O F E ATU RE
TOTALLY ECLIPSED PHOTOS BY: MARK MOSELEY
T ROY T ODAY
On Aug. 22, 2017, more than 1,000 students, faculty and staff at the Troy Campus took to the quad for a chance to experience history. Equipped with special eclipse glasses, spectators watched as the moon passed in front of the sun creating a dramatic effect not seen in the continental United States since 1979.
25
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TROY TODAY
O H, BAB Y! Alumnus s ave s woman i n l abor
F E AT UR E STORY
f rom floo d wate rs WRITTEN BY: GREG PHILLIPS
As flood waters rose in Houston, Texas, in 2017, men and women from all backgrounds were called into action to help save lives.
C
Photo courtesy of Texas National Guard
hauncy Glover is a man of faith. And on Monday,
said. “We were watching our friends and viewers hurt. It was
Aug. 28, 2017, he proved he’s also a man of action.
instinctual. Before being a journalist, I’m a human. I would like
Glover, a 2007 graduate of Troy University, has
to think anybody who saw someone in dire need would step up
spent the last three years working as a news
and help. We were in boats because there was so much water
reporter at ABC13 in Houston. When breaking news occurs in
and so many trapped. You want to help these people just as a
the area, he’s often the first on the scene. But no experience
human being. At the same time, there were so many people we
could have prepared him, or his city, for the devastation of
could not help.”
Hurricane Harvey, a Category 4 storm that rolled through
On that particular Monday morning, Glover and his camera
Texas and Louisiana during the summer, causing dozens of deaths, nearly $200 billion in damage and historic flooding in the Houston metropolitan area.
operator were out rescuing people on a boat when his life changed forever. “I had just loaded up some people from a church, an elderly man who had just had open heart surgery
“It was like nothing I’d ever seen before, and I’ve covered my
and three or four other elderly people,” he said. “We’re headed
share of big stories, breaking news, even big weather events,
out of this neighborhood in a boat. Suddenly, this woman comes
but nothing like this,” Glover said. “It was devastating. The
from out of nowhere, wading in the water, screaming, ‘My sister
damage was widespread, with so many homes flooded—east
is in labor!’”
side, west side, the suburbs. Harvey didn’t have a rhyme or
Ignoring concerns that the boat couldn’t fit more people,
reason, and it devastated this city. Nobody could believe what was happening.”
Glover dove out into the water and made his way to the house where the pregnant woman was trapped. It quickly became
As a reporter, Glover’s job was to cover the story, but he and
obvious she was going into labor. “She was literally already
his colleagues quickly found themselves assuming an additional
in labor, having contractions,” he said. “My heart was beating
role—as rescue workers. “My colleagues and I found ourselves
fast, I was so nervous. The young lady was in a lot of pain, and
trying to rescue people instead of telling their stories,” he
of the people around her, no one knew what to do. I said, ‘I’ve
RE GISTER NOW
TROY alumnus Chauncy Glover is a new godfather after rescuing baby Joseph’s mother from flood waters while she was in labor. got to do what I can.’ I was able to calm her down, time out her
SUMMER MATTERS
contractions, and that’s when I knew—we’ve got to get her out of here or she’s going to have this baby right here.” Carrying the woman through the water, Glover navigated
Take a step closer to graduation and a load off your
his way to a city vehicle that happened to be passing by, then
fall schedule by enrolling in TROY’s summer courses.
helped navigate an ambulance to a meeting point. “I was afraid the whole time we were out there, just worried about her and the baby,” he said. “I was afraid, but there was nothing in me that would allow me to leave that young lady in her home.”
SUMMER SESSIONS AT TROY ALLOW YOU TO:
Glover accompanied her to the hospital, where they arrived just in time. “She had the baby a minute and a half after she got through those hospital doors,” he said. “I was just glad and
•
Schedule upper-level classes to complete
thanking God that, number one, I was there and able to help,
your degree.
and number two, that the mother was okay and the baby boy,
•
Sign up for courses that are in high demand
baby Joseph, was okay and happy.” Where there could have been darkness, there was light. Later,
during other semesters. •
Earn credits through TROY Online.
family asked Glover to become Joseph’s godfather, an honor
•
Explore new interests and possible majors.
he accepted. “In a worst-case scenario, the best thing possible
•
Take that last general education class you need.
happened: a baby was born, and he and the mother were happy
•
Focus on one course at a time.
and healthy,” he said. “I’m a Christian, and every day I say a
•
Complete a developmental course in english
or math.
•
Choose the session that works best with your summer schedule.
the mother called Glover and wanted him to meet Joseph. The
prayer and say to God, ‘I’m a vessel, so use me to be a blessing to others.’ In that moment on that day, God had me in the right place at the right time to help that family. ” In the weeks following Joseph’s birth, Glover partnered with the Houston community to collect all the essential items baby Joseph needed, and he continues to have a close relationship with the family.
TROY.EDU/SUMMER
FEAT U RE U S TOR FEAT R E SYTOR Y
TH AT ’ S EN T E RTAI N MENT T RO Y Tro jans find t h e i r n i che i n pop c ul t ure
WRITTEN BY: GREG PHILLIPS AND EMILY PRICE
T ROY T ODAY
A
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Photo courtesy of Netflix
cross the country and around the globe, TROY
my face,’” she said. “I did pretty well [during my set], and I
Trojans are influencing their communities and
thought, ‘That’s done. It’s off the bucket list, and that was really
the world. While the University continues to
something. Thank you, God.’ Then I get a call three weeks later,
produce qualified and prepared graduates
‘Do u want to go with Louis to Chicago? You need to be at the
who become leaders within their career fields, 2017 was a
airport in two hours.’ Meanwhile I’d kind of been broke. I was
year in which TROY graduates and students took pop culture
freaking out—‘Thank you, God.’” Later, while opening for Louis
by storm. From starring in a Netflix standup comedy
C.K.’s Netflix special, she caught the eye of executives in the
special to owning the city of Troy’s only gaming shop, TROY
audience. “[One of the executives] said his wife was at the show
alumni and students are leaving their mark on today’s
and turned to him during my set and asked, ‘Why isn’t Lynne
entertainment scene.
on Netflix?’ There aren’t middle-aged women doing specials on
Divine comedy When Lynne Koplitz (’89, ’91) graduated from TROY with her degree in theatre arts, she set out with the dream to entertain others and bring happiness and laughter to audiences around the country. After years of honing her craft as a comedian, the TROY alumna was approached with an opportunity that resulted from the culmination of hard work and divine intervention. “I was coming back from a horrible gig when I got a call saying, ‘You’re being asked to open for Louis C.K. at
Netflix. They were looking for some spice or variety. He called me and said, ‘We really want to do this with you.’ I said to God, ‘You're so funny.’” Koplitz’s resulting standup set, “Hormonal Beast,” is now available on Netflix and reflects on topics such as age and relationships. “The real major theme is that, in a stylish and fun way, I’m reporting the truth as I see it about men and women and life, and giving little pearls of wisdom about these things,” she said. “… I think I’m just a straight shooter and say what people know about ourselves and the other sex.”
[Madison Square Garden].’”
Taking Hollywood by storm
Standing backstage at the Garden, Koplitz said a conversation
For years, TROY alumnus D. Scott Lumpkin’s name has been
with God served as the beginning of a whirlwind of opportunities. “I said to God, ‘I told you if you opened the doors, I’d walk through them, but please don’t let me fall on
featured on the golden screen with some of Hollywood’s most notable actors. With films such as “Den of Thieves,” “The Foreigner” and “Masterminds” under his belt, the 1995 TROY graduate has continued to build off of his bachelor’s in
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TROY TODAY
With successful movies playing in theatres around the country, movie producer and alumnus D. Scott Lumpkin took time out of his schedule to share his knowledge and tricks of the trade with TROY theatre students.
speech and theatre to make a name for himself in the movie industry. In October, Lumpkin stopped by the Troy Campus to offer words of encouragement and direction and impart his knowledge of the film industry to dozens of TROY theatre
watch out world,” Lumpkin said, “The whole thing about being a filmmaker or being an artist is getting an audience, and you’ve got every outlet in the world right here.”
students. “I’m working on a film right now, and the challenge for
Leveling the playing field
me is I want Hollywood to say, ‘How the hell did he do this for
For many video game enthusiasts, college football games
that much money?’” he said. “That’s sort of the challenge or the
haven’t been the same since 2013 when EA Sports abandoned
Rubik’s Cube for me. … I break down all the elements, hire the
its decades-running “NCAA Football” series due to lawsuits
cast, negotiate a deal with the director and put [the film] in the
and legal concerns. But Alex Lewis, a 2015 TROY graduate, and
model that I have designed.”
his cousin Kameron Lewis are working together to bring back
Even today with more than 50 films to his credit, the Mobile
the feelings those games elicited in fans. In 2016, the cousins
native still vividly remembers spending his summers on movie
formed their own company aimed solely at bringing their new
sets where he began his career loading film into cameras and
college football game, “Gridiron Champions,” to life.
was, in time, asked to do more behind the scenes. His first time
The cousins threw themselves into their mission and formed a
working as a producer was at age 19 when a director asked him
limited liability corporation, iMackulate Vision (IMV) Gaming,
to hire the crew for his next film. “That’s when it kind of clicked
LLC. Over the course of their licensing research, they learned
and I thought, ‘I could do this,’” he said.
the chances of obtaining licenses were slim due to the cost and
In his discussion with students, Lumpkin encouraged those
legalities of dealing with individual schools and conferences.
interested in a career in art or filmmaking to stay committed
Lewis said they made the decision to create a generic model
to their dreams even when facing hardships. Recalling his early
for the game to speed up the game’s development and avoid
financial struggles, Lumpkin said he once took a “real job” for
licensing and copyright infringements and potential lawsuits.
a few months, but quickly realized that money was not worth
Instead, they chose to focus on a game that replicates the
sacrificing his happiness. “Once I got the mentality that this is
college atmosphere while allowing players to customize the
what I was going to do and this is how I’m going to do it, nothing
game world—from jerseys to names and everything in
was going to stop me,” he said. “It was cruise control.” For
between. “[The licensing companies] approved of that, said it’s
anyone interested in making movies, Lumpkin had one simple
fine and goes along with NCAA rules,” Alex Lewis said. “From
piece of advice—just do it. In the age of social media, aspiring
there, it became about raising money and figuring out how to
filmmakers have no shortage of ways to get their work in front
fund development.”
of an audience. “If we had YouTube when I was in college,
T ROY T ODAY
31
After wrapping up a Kickstarter campaign that lacked the support needed to fund “Gridiron Champions,” the cousins joined forces with Big Ant Studios out of Australia. Today, Big Ant has pledged to pay half of the $5 million in production costs if IMV can raise the rest. “Ideally we want to get the project [finished] at some point in 2019, but we have to secure the funding first,” he said. “I think we will be able to obtain the funding. We just have to get something visual, and I think we’ll garner a lot more attention. We simply need 7,000 people to sign up for a package in our program [found at imackulatevisiongaming.com], and we’d have the funding we need to start production today.”
Alex Lewis, a TROY alumnus, envisions a new era of digital gridiron glory.
A new game in town It’s not easy to maintain a 4.0 GPA while running your own retail business. It’s even harder to do those things while trying to build a community. Yet, Hiram Faircloth, a graduate student
to Philip, he was on board, and everything kind of snowballed
in Troy University’s clinical mental health counseling program,
from there.”
is doing just that with Fanatix, Troy’s only comic book and gaming shop that Faircloth opened last fall. Growing up in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, Faircloth’s father, who works as a TROY professor, instilled in him a love of comics and games
Since September 2017, Faircloth has helped create a community of customers who enjoy congregating to set up games, have conversations and even observe others playing. “I wanted to create a community, a place where you feel
of all kinds—video games, card games, board games and
warm and welcome and safe,” he said. “I think we’re starting
tabletop games.
to succeed at that. The people who are regulars here are very
For him, it was as much about the sense of community as it
inviting to everyone who comes in. I’m just happy I can provide
was the products themselves. So, when he arrived in Troy to
a space for the community and the community enjoys the space
pursue his graduate studies, he was shocked to find no gaming
enough to give back to us in that same way.”
community existed. “I grew up playing roleplaying games when I was younger in Michigan, and I didn’t have that here,” he said. “There wasn’t a way to find and engage people with those interests.” Eventually, Faircloth began making trips to a comic book and gaming shop in Enterprise known as Fanatix—itself an offshoot of the original Fanatix store in Dothan. With some urging from his dad, an idea began to form for Faircloth, one that materialized once he met Fanatix founder Philip Chalker. “My father and I had talked about possibly opening up a gaming store eventually, and he [mentioned that] it’s a college town, so there’s got to be a lot of people here who play, and this would be a great place to put a store. I pitched the idea
Graduate student and small business owner Hiram Faircloth has created a fun, creative space in Troy for gamers of all ages at his shop, Fanatix – Troy.
FEAT U R E S TOR Y
32
DAY O F HO N O R
TROY TODAY
T RO Y honors tro o p s wit h Mil ita ry A pprecia t ion D a y
T RO Y ho no r s troops wi t h Mi l i tary Apprec iat ion Day WRITTEN BY: GREG PHILLIPS AND EMILY PRICE
S
tanding at attention from his seat in Veterans
show of support. “It makes me proud to serve my country,
Memorial Stadium, Navy CM3 Brandon Grantham
because it shows that people recognize us,” Grantham said.
watched the gridiron below turn into a sea of red,
“We don’t get recognized much, so it’s really good to get
white and blue as an American flag unfurled to
support from the folks out here. It can seem like the things we
cover the entire field.
go through on a day-to-day basis may not be appreciated, so it
As a show of gratitude during TROY’s annual Military
makes morale better overall to see that we are.”
Appreciation Day, members of the military attended the
Beginning bright and early on September 23, Military
Trojans’ game against Akron for free. Grantham said the day’s
Appreciation Day featured numerous events designed to
activities and patriotic focus showed TROY’s appreciation for
honor the military, including an enlistment ceremony under
those in uniform, and he was appreciative of the University’s
the direction of Maj. Gen. Sheryl Gordon, who became the first
T ROY T ODAY
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WRITTEN BY: GREG PHILLIPS AND EMILY PRICE
female Adjutant General of the Alabama National Guard in
The military branches were also honored between the first
July 2017.
and second quarters of the game with the Sound of the South
Representatives from each branch of the military led the TROY
playing their respective service songs. U.S. Coast Guard Chief
football team on the Trojan Walk before the game, and pregame festivities included a flyover by two F-16 fighter jets from the 187th Fighter Wing of the Alabama Air National Guard. “To me, it means a lot,” said Senior Airman Jasmine Robinson, an Ozark native. “You’re honoring the people who put their lives on the line and spend time away from their families to support the nation, so it means a lot to see that civilians appreciate us.”
Petty Officer Wes Stigsell said this year’s Military Appreciation Game marked the first Trojan football game he’s ever attended. “This was my first time at Troy University, and it is an awesome event,” he said. “It does show an appreciation to all the military branches, and it’s an honor to be here for us, as well. It’s important to see a university do this.”
AT H LETICS
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TROY TODAY
TR OJAN S
" R U N TO THE R OAR " WRITTEN BY: ADAM PRENDERGAST PHOTOS BY: MARK MOSELEY
TROY’s 2017 football season culminated with the Trojans facing off against North Texas in the R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.
Coming off the most successful season in TROY’s Football Bowl
where it belongs? Or was it TROY’s total domination of C-USA
Subdivision (FBS) history, expectations were through the roof
West Division champion North Texas in front of a large Trojan
for the 2017 season with the majority of the offensive starters
contingent in the R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl?
returning and the core nucleus back on defense. Playing under
The Trojans headed to Death Valley 3-1 on the season and
the mantra “Run to the Roar,” the Trojans didn’t just meet those lofty expectations, they far exceeded what any TROY team had done before. The Trojans finished the season 11-2 setting the school’s FBS record for wins in the process. During this season, the Trojans brought home a record-setting sixth Sun Belt conference championship and perhaps the biggest upset of the college football season.
coming off a thrilling last-minute victory over MAC East Division champion Akron. Many TROY faithful still had visions of the last visit to LSU where the Trojans let a victory slip away in the fourth quarter. TROY set the tone on the first play of the game as Cedarius Rookard rocked LSU running back Nick Brossette with a punishing hit that jarred the ball loose. Kris Weatherspoon recovered the fumble, and just 100 seconds
The lasting images of the 2017 season are plentiful and many
later, TROY took a lead that it would never relinquish.
will debate which will stand as the best of the best. Was it
Jordan Chunn punched home one of his school-record 47
TROY’s stunning victory against No. 22 LSU that ended the Tigers’ 49-game home non-conference winning streak? Was it the Trojans’ thrilling come-from-behind win at Arkansas State in front of a nationally televised audience that dethroned the reigning Sun Belt champions and brought the trophy back home
rushing touchdowns on TROY’s opening drive of the second half to give the Trojans a 17-0 lead in front of a stunned Tiger Stadium. LSU clawed back to within three points, 24-21, but Blace Brown intercepted Danny Etling with five seconds
TROY Head Football Coach Neal Brown celebrates with his Trojans as the New Orleans Bowl champions ended a historic season.
remaining sending the Trojans and the large number of TROY
The matchup with the Red Wolves was almost a year to the
fans in attendance in to pure euphoria.
date of TROY’s disappointing loss at Georgia Southern in the
Following a heartbreaking loss to rival South Alabama the
finale of the 2016 campaign—a loss that deprived the Trojans
following game, head coach Neal Brown refocused his team on the idea of going 1-0 each week. Every television in the football building simply had 1-0 with that week’s slogan on it—Attack, Hungry, Focus, Play, Give, Finish and Uncommon. Brown’s Trojans did just that as they rolled off seven straight weeks of going 1-0 to close out the season. It started with a 24-point victory at Georgia State and continued with wins over Georgia Southern, Idaho, Coastal Carolina and Texas Tech to set up the de facto Sun Belt title game at Arkansas State on the final weekend of the season.
of a Sun Belt title. With redemption on its mind, TROY turned a 3-point halftime deficit into a 24-13 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Freshman Marcus Jones, who would go on to earn All-America honors, not only returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown in the game, but he also intercepted a pass and took it 100 yards for a score. However, the Red Wolves answered with a pair of touchdowns over an 88-second span to regain a 1-point lead. As they had done twice before in their careers, Brandon Silvers and Deondre Douglas had a flair for the dramatic as the duo hooked up for a game-winning
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TROY TODAY
With TROY fans outnumbering North Texas’ almost 4-to-1, the Trojans continued to “Run to the Roar” as they confidently moved the ball down the field at the MercedesBenz Superdome and into their final win of the season.
17-yard touchdown pass and catch with just 17 seconds
The entire Trojan football team also took part in community
remaining in the game to secure the Sun Belt championship.
service efforts while in town for the game, exceeding the
The reward and the end of the historic run was a trip to New
bowl-sponsored events scheduled for both teams. Players
Orleans for the R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, TROY’s fourth appearance in the game. Just like they did at the Vet where
read to local elementary school students, visited the Tulane Lakeside Hospital for Women and Children and spent time with
they set the single-season attendance record, TROY fans
residents at local assisted living facilities.
packed the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, outnumbering North
The highlight of the entire pregame festivities took place the
Texas fans 4-to-1.
night before the big game as Chancellor Jack Hawkins, Jr., and
Senior quarterback Brandon Silvers was named the MVP of the
the TROY Board of Trustees held a special commencement
game after throwing for four touchdowns and 305 yards, while Josh Anderson rushed for 113 yards and two touchdowns, and Damion Willis caught 11 passes for 135 yards and a pair of scores. TROY’s 50-30 victory over its former Sun Belt
ceremony for four Sound of the South members and seven football student-athletes. The ceremony took place on the balcony at Manning’s overlooking a courtyard packed with TROY fans. ESPN featured the commencement during the
Conference rival was the perfect exclamation point to a Trojan
game, and the NCAA also took special note of the ceremony.
takeover in the Big Easy.
What’s next for this group of Trojans? The 2018 season is
TROY cheerleaders made numerous visits all over New
closer than you think, and with the new Football North End
Orleans including fire stations, the Boys and Girls Club, police stations and much more distributing Community Hero Tickets purchased by TROY fans for local heroes in New Orleans to attend the bowl game.
Zone Facility on track to open this summer and No. 22 Boise State visiting the Vet for the season opener on Sept. 1, the excitement level will be at an all-time high.
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AT H L E TI C S
TOP TEAM IMPACT RECRUIT
JOINS TROJANS
TROY Head Football Coach Neal Brown (left) welcomed Team IMPACT recruit Kevin Crawford (right) to the TROY football team during a signing ceremony.
Kevin Crawford’s smile could light a room, and it did just that
Kevin and his brother on the sidelines of TROY’s practices. “I
within the Stadium Club at Veterans Memorial Stadium in
still have chill bumps to this day when I think about the signing
October as TROY Head Football Coach Neal Brown signed
ceremony and seeing his infectious smile when he got to put on
the 10 year old to be a member of the Trojan football team.
the TROY jersey with his favorite number.”
Crawford, a native of Andalusia, Alabama, joined the Trojans
Through Team IMPACT, children join athletic teams and the
as a member of Team IMPACT, a national nonprofit that connects children facing life-threatening or chronic illnesses with college athletic teams, forming lifelong bonds and lifechanging outcomes.
student-athletes join the child's support team—from draft day to graduation. Throughout the journey, the child gains strength, camaraderie and support while the student-athletes experience lessons of courage and resiliency they can't
A fifth-grader, Kevin has been battling acute lymphoblastic
learn in a classroom. "I picked TROY because it is one of the
T-cell leukemia since August 2016. Through Team IMPACT's
greatest teams ever," Crawford said at his introductory press
program at TROY, Kevin has become an official member of
conference in front of his new teammates and coaches.
the Trojan football team. As a part of the program, Kevin has
"Kevin is a once-in-a-lifetime blue chipper, and we couldn't be
attended practices, games, dinners, events and more.
more excited to have him join our program," Coach Brown said.
He spent practices with the Trojans throughout the fall
"He is tough, physical and plays with an edge on every single
learning the ins and outs of the TROY program. One of the
snap. Kevin brings a special energy with him every day, and we
players he quickly bonded with was sophomore quarterback
just got a whole lot better as a football program."
Sawyer Smith, who could frequently be seen playing catch with
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A GRADUATION TO REMEMBER Members of the TROY football team and Sound of the South marching band were treated to one of the most unique commencement ceremonies in the country on the eve of the 2017 R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. Led by Chancellor Jack Hawkins, Jr., and the Troy University Board of Trustees, four members of the Sound of the South and six football players were presented their degrees on the balcony of Manning’s as a packed courtyard of Trojan faithful watched the ceremony. The one-of-akind graduation was featured on ESPN during TROY’s 50-30 victory over North Texas in the R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl and by the NCAA.
Graduating seniors from TROY's football team and Sound of the South marching band experienced a once-in-alifetime commencement ceremony at Manning's sports bar in New Orleans.
SHOW YOUR TROJAN WARRIOR SPIRIT When you become a member of Troy University’s Alumni Association, you add value to your TROY experience. Join and enjoy access to fun tailgating events, travel discounts and a subscription to TROY Today Magazine. Annual dues are $35 for individuals, and members can save money over time by purchasing single lifetime memberships for $750 or lifetime couples’ memberships for $1,250. Payment plans are available for lifetime memberships. VISIT TROY.EDU/ALUMNI TODAY!
AT H LE TICS The 2017 season was full of history-making games and record-breaking crowds as fans turned out by the droves to support their TROY Trojans.
SOARING SUPPORT
TROY FOOTBALL BREAKS ATTENDANCE RECORD DURING 2017 SEASON WRITTEN BY: ADAM PRENDERGAST In three seasons under head coach Neal Brown, the TROY
TROY’s fans and students are as dedicated as they come, so
football program has experienced tremendous growth on
the turnout in the stands comes as no surprise to those around
the field, in the classroom, within the community and in the
the program. However, with three nontraditional game dates,
stands. The 2017 season was no different as TROY shattered
including one on Black Friday, a record-breaking attendance
the single-season attendance record at Veterans Memorial
season is one to celebrate by all involved.
Stadium for the second straight season en route to the sixth
"We were dealt with a challenging schedule from an
Sun Belt title in school history and a New Orleans Bowl victory.
attendance standpoint due to the pair of nationally
TROY played six home games at the Vet in 2017 and averaged
televised games on non-traditional days and a home game
a record 24,456 fans per game, which equals to 81.52 percent
on Thanksgiving weekend," McClain said. "We saw those
capacity, despite playing in a town of just 19,000 people. The
challenges as opportunities to engage and welcome new fans to
capacity percentage ranks among the Top 60 nationally and is
the Vet while also serving our core fan base."
fifth among Group of Five schools (min. 30,000 capacity).
The mid-week games didn't slow attendance down as TROY’s
"We are very thankful for our students and fans and how
Wednesday night game (8 p.m. kickoff) against South Alabama
they continue to raise the bar in their support of our football
was the third-highest attended mid-week game in Sun Belt
program," Director of Athletics Jeremy McClain said. "That
history and the highest on a Tuesday or Wednesday. The
support is a critical piece as we work to build a sustainable, top-
25,211 fans in attendance marked the second-largest crowd for
tier football program."
a Sun Belt game in school history and the eighth-largest overall.
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The Trojans have won 22 of their last 27 games dating back
defeat Akron in thrilling fashion—it was the third-largest crowd
to the 2015 season under Brown, and attendance is up 46
in school history.
percent from the season prior to his arrival. TROY averaged
"There is a lot of praise to go around for what is happening in
16,767 fans per game in 2015 and a record-breaking 24,456 this past season.
the stands," Brown said. "Our players, our football staff, our administration, our marketing and communication departments
"The Vet has become one of the most difficult places to play
and our fans all have played key parts in those numbers, and all
in the Group of Five because our students and our fans have
should feel a sense of pride."
created an energetic game-day atmosphere," Brown said.
With the state-of-the-art North End Zone Facility completed,
"There are a lot of stadiums where you have to create your own energy, home or away, but we know every time we take the field at the Vet we won't have that issue."
the Trojans will open the 2018 season in what will be one of the most highly anticipated contests in school history as Boise State comes to the Vet on Sept. 1. The teams have combined for
In addition to setting the single-season per-game and overall
44 wins over the past two seasons and could both be ranked in
(146,736) records, single-game records were also rewritten
the top 25 heading into the season.
in 2017. The home opener between TROY and Alabama State saw a Veterans Memorial Stadium record crowd of 29,278. Two weeks later, 27,324 fans packed the Vet to see TROY
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S T UD E N T S
STUDENT DEMAND LEADS TO GREEK SYSTEM GROWTH
With 95 charter members joining TROY’s Alpha Omicron Pi chapter, the sisters are working together to leave a legacy and shape the future of AOΠ on the Troy Campus. The sorority system at TROY grew a little larger in the fall with
were very impressed with the commitment the international
the welcoming of charter members to Alpha Omicron Pi (AOΠ).
organization has to the growth of a new chapter,” Patterson
According to Barbara Patterson, director of involvement and
said. “For example, the first two years the sorority will be
leadership, the sorority added around 95 new members during
on campus, two professional women will be on campus to
its September bid day event. “The addition of Alpha Omicron
help them develop the chapter. This type of commitment is
Pi adds another sisterhood to our campus and adds many
outstanding. … The most important experience they will get
wonderful leadership opportunities,” Patterson said. “These
will be sisterhood, the most important benefit of a sorority
two items alone add great value to the overall experience our
experience. Beyond that they will certainly take great pride
students will have.”
in being part of the development of a new sisterhood.”
Patterson said AOΠ impressed University officials and
Sydney Taylor, a senior multimedia journalism major from
Panhellenic during the process of choosing which sorority
Orange Beach, Alabama, said there were a multitude of
would be added to TROY. “The University and Panhellenic
things that drew her to AOΠ. “As a senior, I just kind of
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"I AM PROUD OF THE ADDITION OF AO Π AND BELIEVE THEIR PRESENCE ON THE TROY CAMPUS WILL ENRICH STUDENTS’ LIVES AND ADD VALUE TO THE COMMUNITIES THEY SERVE." - CHANCELLOR JACK HAWKINS, JR.
thought, it’s now or never,” she said. “It’s definitely one of the
Chancellor Jack Hawkins, Jr., said a healthy, growing Greek
best decisions I’ve made in college.”
system is a sign of the University’s continued growth. “The
Taylor said being able to serve was also a draw. “AOΠ’s
Greek system is at the heart of social life at Troy University,”
philanthropy is the Arthritis Foundation, and the work they do for the foundation is incredible,” she said. “The ability to serve this foundation with my new sisters was the most appealing thing to me.” The members will become the charter members of the sorority. “Chartering a new chapter is a really special experience,” Taylor said. “My sisters and I have the ability to create traditions and shape what AOΠ is at Troy University.”
he said. “Now, more than ever, there is a demand for increased extracurricular options for our students. This has led to the expansion of our Greek system. I am proud of the addition of AOΠ and believe their presence on the Troy Campus will enrich students’ lives and add value to the communities they serve.”
S TU D E N T S
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TROY TODAY
TRAGEDY
TO TRIUMPH
Each year, (left to right) Mac and Joan McLendon and Amy and Jason McLevaine pour over essays and conduct interviews with TROY students hoping to earn a Lance Robert McLendon Scholarship. The family hopes to share their passion for helping others with Amy and Jason’s sons Garrett (left) and Landon McLevaine (right).
At the heart of one particular Troy University scholarship
those students is Katie Little who graduated in 2017 with her
lies a story that celebrates one family’s determination to
B.S.B.A in accounting.
turn tragedy to triumph. Created in memory of a 2001 TROY
“The McLendon family has treated me like their own since the
business graduate who passed away shortly after completing his degree, the Lance Robert McLendon Scholarship was formed to give students in need of financial assistance the support they need to succeed.
day I walked into my scholarship interview,” Little said. “Thanks to their generosity, not only have I been able to graduate college, but I have also been able to gain the confidence I need to strive in future endeavors without self-doubt. They have
“We started with five scholarships at first,” Lance’s mother
guided and encouraged me more than I could have ever asked
Joan McLendon said. “They were not really large ones, but then
for. I owe so much to Troy University and to the McLendon
we really got into it. We read every single application that these
family. I hope one day I can pass on this blessing and help future
students send in, and they touch us. We realize every year after
TROY students by establishing a scholarship, as well.”
we come home [from interviewing students] how blessed we
As a McLendon scholar, TROY junior Jess Jacobson is working
are. We get more out of it than the [recipients] do. It makes us feel so good, and we’ve fostered friendships with a lot of them.”
toward two business degrees—one in economics and another in global business with a concentration in data analytics. “The
Since its creation in 2007, the family has helped more than 70
scholarship means a ton to me,” he said. “One of my personal
students work toward degrees and successful careers. One of
goals is to go through college without having to have my mom
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TROY graduate Katie Little (center) and current students Devante Brooks (left) and Jess Jacobson (right) are recipients of the Lance Robert McLendon Scholarship. fund it for me. I don’t want to be a financial burden when I still
Brooks said because of the example the McLendon family has
have two other brothers at home. That the McLendons would
set, he has plans to help others achieve their academic dreams
reach out to students like me who are willing to put in the extra
in the future. “I definitely want to start a scholarship foundation
work is incredible. I admire them, and when I’m in the position
for students who have barely made it to college financially
to create a scholarship of my own, I want to be able to help
because of their situation at home. I feel like nobody else is in
other students who may be in the same position as me.”
their corner, and they need someone there to invest in them.
Senior accounting major Devante Brooks said the McLendon
That’s what [the McLendons] did for me.”
family has been a God send to him and his family. Not only has their scholarship made it possible for him to take the classes needed to graduate on time, it’s also allowed him to spend more time with his 2-year-old daughter, Paige. “I was at my darkest point when they gave me this scholarship,” Brooks said. “At a point when I felt like I had just hit a crossroad, I wanted to just take a semester off because I wasn’t graduating on time, but they came through and gave me hope when I really didn’t have any. … During my interview, they heard what I was going through and they understood it. When I met the McLendons during my interview, I could tell they read my essay—every word. It was easy talking to them. … They’ve invested in me, and they care. They want to see me do well after school and in whatever I pursue. I just want to tell them thank you for seeing something in me that almost nobody ever has— no one really invested in me.”
Every year, students in need of financial assistance apply for the Lance Robert McLendon Scholarship. To date, the McLendon family has awarded scholarships to more than 70 TROY business majors.
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S TU DENTS
D OT H A N ST UD ENT S H E L P P RO MOTE M E N TAL H EALTH
CROW NED TROY graduate students are volunteering their time to help those dealing with mental health issues. Students from the master of social work program at the Dothan Campus are volunteering weekly at the New Day Mental Health Information and Support Group in Marianna, Florida, helping local residents in need of counseling, support and information. The group, founded by Marianna attorney Lisa Brogdon in 2016, meets weekly and features speakers from the mental healthcare community. TROY students then lead smaller group discussions after the presentation.
Sharon Neal is among the social work graduate students volunteering to help a mental health support group in Marianna, Florida.
“The vast majority of our graduate students have participated,” said Dr. Jeff Waller, director of the master of social work program. “Lisa set up this support group because she had observed a need for it and saw there was not a resource to give people with mental health issues and their relatives any kind of support. Our students help facilitate these discussions and connect people to resources after the invited speaker talks about their area of expertise.”
Neal said the trips have the double benefit of helping her fellow veterans and giving her valuable real-world experience in her field. “As a social worker, you want to learn all you can, but you also want to make sure you have a grasp of the job you were sent out there to do,” she said. “I want to be effective when I’m out there, so this was a great opportunity for me. We assist
Sharon Neal is one of those students who has volunteered her time and knowledge. Neal, who retired after 21 years in the Army, finds herself drawn to the group because of the number
with facilitating the group meetings once the speaker puts out their information. We answer questions. We have that speaker there to fill in and answer what we don’t understand.”
of veterans who take part. “It’s meant a great deal,” she said. “Yes, I’m a social worker, but what I noticed is there are a lot of veterans that attend the class. That’s my environment. A lot of them are young, and they do their service and get out and don’t understand a lot of the (help) medically that they can get. I keep resources with me when it comes to veterans. Certain subjects a lot of the veterans are dealing with—namely PTSD and anxiety—when they were offering those classes, those were the ones I made sure to attend.”
For the people who attend the group, the information often makes an immediate difference. “I think the biggest impact is the information that’s put out, the resources,” Neal said. “A lot of people have issues or disorders and don’t know what resources are out there. The presenters also bring a lot of resources to help that community. They bring those tools with them for people who may not know that those resources are out there.”
ST UD E N T S
T ROY T ODAY
FARMHOUSE
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FUNDS CANCER RESEARCH
The brothers of TROY's FarmHouse Fraternity have joined the fight against Hodgkin’s Disease through their $25,000 donation to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Troy University’s chapter of FarmHouse Fraternity has become
research portfolio that will support multiple projects leading
the first known school-based organization to endow a research
research to help us eradicate blood cancers.”
grant for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to study
“Through this research grant, sponsored by our fraternity, we
Hodgkin’s Disease.
hope to save lives through cancer research. We are blessed as a
“Cancer has impacted each of our brothers’ lives in some way,
brotherhood to have the opportunity to work with LLS to help
whether it be a friend or loved one,” said Andrew Dearing, the
make a difference,” Dearing said.
chapter’s president. “When we work
Dearing said that Hodgkin’s was a
hard every semester to help LLS find a
particular draw for the men of the
cure, we personally connect with our
chapter because one of its members
cause and know that our hard work is going to good use.” Adopted as the international fraternity’s philanthropy, the TROY chapter raised $25,000 through various effort– including its annual Crawfish Boil–and presented the funds to the LLS of
“...every penny we donate helps researchers take one step closer to saving lives." - Andrew Dearing
had faced a battle with the blood-borne cancer. Because of the chapter’s work, the endowed grant that now bears the organization’s name will continue to fund research into the future. “Hodgkin’s is most common in college-aged men, and as men who are blessed with good
Alabama/Gulf Coast this fall.
health, we have a duty to serve those less
“This is an amazing feat,” said TROY alumna Tricia Center,
fortunate. For years, LLS has fully utilized
who serves as the Society’s student series campaign manager
our service to help cure blood cancer and every penny we
in Alabama. “With this money, they are now sponsors of a
donate helps researchers take one step closer to saving lives,” he said.
P E RS PE CT I V E S
LESSONS FROM CUBA WRITTEN BY: NATHANIEL RODRIGUEZ, TROY SENIOR
El Capitolio, Cuba’s former national capitol building based in Havana, is a main attraction for students studying abroad.
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When you go to another country to study abroad, you are exposed to a different perspective. When you study abroad in Cuba, you enter a different world where the archaic and the modern inhabit the same space. Imagine streets filled with people dressed in modern fashions, driving vibrant cars from the fifties or riding horse-drawn carriages to work. Imagine the street’s buildings as fifties-era apartments and homes that are crumbling with decades’ worth of wear and tear. That’s Cuba. Our study abroad group under Dr. Johanna Alberich, assistant professor of Spanish, was in Cuba to learn about the language, culture and history of the island. We worked with an international school called Estudio Sampere, located in Havana’s Barrio Vibora. Our trip was from May 19 to May 28, 2017, with our group stopping at cities throughout the western and central parts of the island. As such, it was my goal to learn as much as I could each day. This desire to learn about how Cuba’s society works stemmed from a more personal place. Being from Puerto Rico, I wanted to see what total separation from the United States looked like compared to my homeland’s existence as an American commonwealth. The first two days in Havana were uneventful, as we mostly toured through the neighborhood and Old Havana learning more about the Spanish-era buildings and some of the buildings frequented by Americans before the revolution. To be honest, Old Havana is an architectural marvel with so many of the buildings carrying a rich history from before the country’s independence all the way to the present day. One can wander for hours through crowded streets and find the places where people like Ernest Hemingway and Frank Sinatra frequented during their heydays. On May 22, we had our first lecture on Cuban history, which was probably when the real learning began. During the lecture, we discussed how things were before Fidel Castro took over versus how things are in Cuba today. Learning about how awful the conditions were for most of the people before the revolution and how Castro’s reforms improved the average quality of life made me start to question my contempt for the late dictator. I left that lecture wondering if Cuba’s communist system could work if the American embargo were not in place. The embargo forces Cubans to trade with extremely distant countries instead of the
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TROY TODAY
United States, and in the past, other countries were punished
By this point, my negative preconceptions of the Cuban
by the United States for doing business in Cuba (according to
government were softening, but in Trinidad, the cracks in
the professors).
the façade began to appear. Trinidad—a city much like my
I thought of my own homeland and how we have so many
hometown in Puerto Rico, Comerio—sports the most well-
problems and depend on the United States for many things. While Puerto Rico is much more developed than Cuba, Cubans can take pride in the fact that they are the ones who brought their country as far as it has come. I kept these thoughts in my mind as we began our tour through the island the following
preserved historic district in all of Cuba. Many of the brightly colored buildings date back to the colonial era, and the streets are bumpy paths constructed from uneven cobblestones. We were there for roughly two days to visit the nearby Playa Ancón and local cultural spots such as the museums and a bar named
day. During this part of the trip, I found that I learned more in
La Canchánchara, named after Trinidad’s famous drink.
conversations I had with Cubans outside of the tours.
There are several street markets in the city, and it was at one
Our first stop was Cienfuegos, a more modern city known for
of these where I held a conversation with a random vendor
its theater and boulevard, which features buildings constructed in the French Neoclassical style. I would say that you could probably compare Cienfuegos to parts of New Orleans in this regard. Our walking tour began on the boulevard to see
about Puerto Rico and Cuba’s similarities. I clumsily let slip that I studied journalism as well as Spanish at TROY, and the kind vendor proceeded to tell me to be careful because journalists were known to be detained by the government. Well, I suppose
Nathaniel Rodriguez (second from the right holding TROY’s flag) spent summer 2017 exploring Cuba with a group of fellow TROY students and professors. The group learned about Cuba’s government and economy while they became immersed in the country’s culture.
the statue of the legendary Benny Moreno, the crowded
it goes without saying that incident brought me back to reality,
promenade and Jose Martí Park, which holds the city’s casa
and I began to question everything again instead of accepting
de cultura (a type of communal arts center) and the city’s old
it with face value. I also began to realize how hard it was to
theater. During our tour of the Teatro Tomás Terry (Tomas
get the full perspective on Cuban affairs. The newspapers I
Terry Theater), I asked our tour guide if the arts are supported
purchased and examined did not seem to have conflicting sides
by the government, to which he answered yes. Professional
as we would see in America, and at other times, there were
artists and performers have their work subsidized to make art
blatant gaps in information concerning government affairs.
available to the public at large because access to the arts is
The lack of easy access to the internet also kept me from fact-
considered to be a human right in Cuba.
checking the stories told to us.
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After Trinidad, we were
to speak or take photos. After
headed to Santa Clara,
seeing his tomb and passing
an important site of
through a museum dedicated
many battles and the
to him, we headed back to
final resting place of
Havana. On the day of our
Ernesto “Che” Guevara,
departure, we had a final discussion session in which
but first, we stopped at
we talked about anything
an old villa in the Valle de
ranging from healthcare to the
Ingenios (Valley of Sugarcane
structure of Cuba’s government.
Refineries). From the top of
It was extremely informative,
the villa’s tower, one can truly
although some parts seemed a bit
appreciate the natural beauty of
like propaganda. After that, one of the
Cuba. As the morning sun rises, one can see the golden sunlight trickle into the valley past the mountains onto vast fields filled with
teachers, Julian, sang some Cuban folk songs to us. In return, I shared parts of Puerto Rican folk songs that
bright green sugarcane. We left that tower to go see a tobacco
I knew. We got back to Tampa on the evening of that Sunday
factory in Santa Clara, which was full of life and music. Cuban
and parted ways once we got to the pickup section.
cigars are made from tobacco by hand, so the main room was
So, all in all, what did I learn? I learned that people, in the face
filled with people rolling them while a DJ entertained the workers with music. In fact, some of the workers tried dancing with our group.
of obstacles, can adapt and evolve to improve their lives with limited resources. This is clear in how Cuba has survived in spite of the embargo. I learned to question everything that
Across the street was a “casa particular,” a store where you can
someone tells me, which will benefit me in my future career
buy tobacco and rum as well as other things. Here, I asked the
as a journalist. I also learned to appreciate the luxuries and
cashier if the only stores with real cigars were government-
freedoms that we have in the States. Finally, I learned about
owned. She said yes and explained that street vendors who sell
how friendly and hospitable the Cuban people are. I made many
cigars are really selling banana leaves stuffed with garbage or
good connections while there that I will probably carry with me
leftover plant matter.
for the rest of my life.
The morning after, we visited the mausoleum of Che Guevara
Nathaniel Rodriguez is a senior broadcast journalism/Spanish
in Santa Clara’s Revolution Square where we were forbidden
double major from Enterprise, Alabama.
As time progressed, TROY student Nathaniel Rodriguez began paying attention to the subtle and not-so-subtle differences between his home of Puerto Rico and Cuba, where he was studying abroad.
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TROY TODAY
A LUM N I
EMERGENCY FUND
ESTABLISHED TO HELP STUDENTS
Mary and Jerry Williams share a heart for helping students, so they created a fund for emergency financial aid. Through the Wilson-Williams Student Emergency Fund, the couple is helping students stay in school despite serious and sudden financial setbacks. A new fund established by two alumni is helping Troy
Specifically, students can apply for funding if they need help to
University students stay in school. The Wilson-Williams
pay for things such as emergency medical expenses, housing
Student Emergency Fund is available to students who find
costs and emergency transportation repairs. “This is the fund of
themselves facing emergency financial situations that could
last resort, so when you submit an application, they’re going to
affect their ability to stay enrolled at TROY.
check through it very carefully,” Jerry said. “The money doesn’t
Named for TROY alumni Jerry and Mary Williams and her
go directly to the student, it goes to the repair shop or the store
parents, the fund is aimed at retaining students who encounter
providing the service. It’s going to be checked to make sure the
unexpected expenses that threaten their education. “We view
student doesn’t have other resources.”
it as a safety net for college students,” said Jerry Williams.
The fund can’t be used for books, tuition, travel, non-
“This is for occasions when a small amount of money would
emergency medical costs or needs caused by a student’s use
make the difference in being able to stay in school or having to
of alcohol, drugs or any illegal activity. “It’s not something to
drop out.”
finance these students,” said Mary Williams. “It’s about a bump
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“It’s about a bump in the road—if they have problems with their car, if they have an emergency health situation, things like that. Some students are the only person in their family to come to college. Their families have struggled to get them to the University, and something happens and they’re not able to stay.”
- MA RY W I L L I AM S in the road – if they have problems with their car, if they have
A three-person committee overseen by Dean of Student
an emergency health situation, things like that. Some students
Services Herb Reeves controls distribution of the fund, which
are the only person in their family to come to college. Their
is available to Troy Campus students, with preference given to
families have struggled to get them to the University, and
working students, military veterans and students with parents
something happens and they’re not able to stay.”
in law enforcement.
Mary Williams’ parents, the Wilsons, helped TROY students
The fund has already been a help to students, with five being
during their years running a restaurant in the city. Jerry and
assisted so far, according to Reeves. “This fund is a great
Mary later used their example to help TROY students when
resource to students,” he said. “Any students who want to apply
they ran their own business.
can come by our Student Services office in room 231 in the
“Her parents had students that lived around them, and they
Trojan Center.”
supported them and took care of them,” Jerry said. “That’s the
Students aren’t required to repay the money, but they’re
reason we wanted to honor them with that part of it. Some of
encouraged to pay what they can to help maintain the
our fondest memories are of the years that we were in business
fund’s viability.
here and the success of those students that we were able to
To find out how to contribute to the SOS Fund, visit
help through this University.”
troy.edu/donor or call 334-670-3608.
Following the example set by her parents, Mary and Jerry Williams are helping students during their times of need. Pictured from left: Chancellor Jack Hawkins, Jr., Mary Williams, Jerry Williams and Maj. Gen. Walter D. Givhan, USAF ret.
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NEW ALUMNI SOCIETY WELCOMES FIRST INDUCTEES
A new society, created last fall, is bringing a sense of community to a select group of Troy University alumni while also providing support to the goals of the University’s Alumni Association. The first class of inductees into the Alumni of the Year Society were presented with a medallion and recognized during 2017 Homecoming festivities. Each year at Homecoming, the TROY Alumni Association honors Alumni of the Year recipients for outstanding professional accomplishments, civic involvement and loyalty and service to the University. To date, the Alumni Association has honored 151 Alumni of the Year. For additional information about the Alumni of the Year Society or to nominate someone for the Alumni of the Year Award, contact the Office of Alumni Affairs at 334-670-3318 or visit the website at www.troy.edu/alumni.
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TROY’s Alumni Board of Directors recently welcomed four new members—former Chief Justice Terry Butts, who serves as the board’s legal counsel; Carolyn Gibson, a longtime TROY employee and former chief of staff in the Alabama State Auditor’s office; Mitt Walker, director of national legislative programs for ALFA; and Judge Jack Weaver, who serves the 35th Judicial Circuit, which includes Monroe and Conecuh counties. Board members, first row, from left, are: Richard Dowling, Rosemary Elebash, Roni Holley, Alumni Director Faith Ward, Carolyn Gibson and Jerry Williams. Back row, from left, are: Steve Sanders, Freddie Thomas, Marrell Hartley, Bill Hopper, Bob Boothe and Julius Pittman. Not pictured: Terry Butts, Jody Singleton, Lloyd Taylor, Mitt Walker, Sam Whalum and Judge Jack Weaver.
A LUM N I
TROY CELEBRATES FIRST PH.D. GRADUATE Graduation is a milestone for every TROY student, but for Dr. Sara Shoffner, it was history in the making. When Shoffner crossed the stage in Trojan Arena during TROY’s 2017 fall commencement, she became the first student to earn a doctor of philosophy degree at TROY. “It’s just really a great honor for me to be the first to graduate,” Shoffner said. “Throughout my time in the program, doing the coursework was great. The faculty we have and the support was excellent.” Shoffner is the first student to complete the Ph.D. in Sport Management, which TROY was approved to offer in 2014. This is TROY’s first doctor of philosophy degree program, but is the University’s second doctoral-level degree, following the launch of the Doctor of Nursing Practice program. “It’s kind of sinking in what that means to me,” Shoffner said. “I have been so honored and so proud to represent TROY and walk across that stage.”
Sara Shoffner is the first student to earn TROY’s doctor of philosophy degree.
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BURKS WINS
MS. SENIOR ALABAMA USA A LUM N I
TROY’s Sara Jo Burks is no stranger to pageants having recently won the title of Ms. Senior Alabama USA. Burks also plays a major role in assisting contestants in the Miss TROY and Miss Venus pageants.
The newly crowned Ms. Senior Alabama USA is Troy
Burks assists contestants who choose to participate in the Miss
University’s own Sara Jo Burks, assistant director of housing
TROY or Miss Venus pageants, which she said has influenced
and residence life. Burks will have the opportunity to represent
the way she looked at competing. “I tell myself to go out there
the state of Alabama in the Ms. Senior USA pageant in June
and do my best, just like I tell the TROY contestants,” she said.
2018 in Las Vegas.
“It is a very different experience from coaching the girls. Even if
Burks, who has competed in this pageant four times, was
you don’t come home with the crown, you come home a winner.
crowned Ms. Senior Alabama USA for the first time at Wallace
“I hope that (TROY contestants) can know that I know what
Community College in Hanceville. “It took courage to go back
they are going through during the process. Because I have
… to show up,” Burks said. “I just want people, especially young
competed recently, I feel that I can help to better prepare them
girls, to know that you can’t give up on your dreams.”
for the competition.”
During her time as Ms. Senior Alabama USA, Burks said she
Burks said every woman who wants to enter the pageant scene
hopes to speak to groups of young people and seniors. “Don’t
should try it. “Don’t lose out on the opportunity,” she said.
let your age or ability discourage you from doing what you want
Burks has also held the titles of Ms. Senior Pike County 2014,
to do,” Burks said. “By doing things you wouldn’t usually do, you gain from the experience. You learn about yourself and meet great people that you never would have met before. These people become role models.”
Ms. Senior Shelby County 2015, Ms. Senior Heart of Dixie 2016 and Ms. Senior Troy 2017.
TROY TODAY
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A GOOD CAUSE Golf tournament raises 13,000 in scholarships $
Every year, golfers turn out for the Wiregrass Alumni Chapter’s Annual Jackson Thornton TROY Alumni Invitational to have a good time together and support Troy University.
It’s become a Dothan tradition. Each year, TROY alumni and
Daniel Wilson, who isn’t a TROY graduate, has similar reasons
supporters—many of whom have no ties to the University—
for participating. “It’s the professionalism this tournament is
gather together at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at
put on with, and just knowing it benefits a local school,” Wilson
Highland Oaks to play golf and raise scholarship money for
said. “That means something.”
local high school students. The 16 annual Jackson Thornton
Alex Culbreth, a current TROY student, brought a group of
th
TROY Alumni Invitational, raised about $13,000 for Wiregrassarea students to attend TROY.
friends to participate in the tournament. “We came out here for work—we brought a team this year—and for fellowship and to
“This is our largest fundraiser for the Wiregrass Alumni
support a good cause,” he said.
Chapter,” said Ken Lambert, the chapter president. “We’ve
TROY alumnus Justin Eaves, a 2010 graduate, views the
calculated that we’ve raised around $175,000 in scholarships over the last 16 years. It’s vitally important. This money goes to students from the Wiregrass who go through a rigorous application process.” While one might assume the tournament draws mostly TROY alumni, it has become an event for the entire Dothan area. “I took a day off just to come here and play with these guys, support this tournament and support this great cause,” said James Pinson, a University of Alabama alumnus.
tournament as a way to give back to his University. “It’s about supporting TROY through the Wiregrass alumni,” he said. “Being a graduate, I always want to support the school.” The event is a clear demonstration of just how tight-knit the Wiregrass community can be. “It says a lot about Dothan and this community helping one another,” Lambert said. “We had a lot of friends of TROY here. And, thanks to Highland Oaks, we have a terrific course to come play golf.”
ALUM NOTES ’50 William Chesser (’59) recently donated his 240th pint of blood, bringing his total amount donated to 30 gallons. The 85-year-old veteran of the Korean War has made trips to the blood bank a routine for the last 58 years.
’70 Randy Hicks (’72), a kicker on TROY’s 1968 national championship football team, was recently inducted into the Wiregrass Sports Hall of Fame. He was among nine inductees honored on the Hall of Fame’s 25th anniversary. Ricky Beck (’76) was among the inaugural class inducted into the Geneva Sports Hall of Fame. While at TROY, he played on the 1976 national championship golf team. J. Langford Floyd (’78) of Fairhope has been named by the Alabama Law Foundation to its 2017 Class of Foundation Fellows, an honor limited to 1 percent of bar members. Floyd has been a practicing member of the Alabama State Bar for more than 30 years, including 20 years as a Circuit Judge in Baldwin County. In 2016, he retired from the bench and is currently an attorney in the law firm, Lloyd, Gray, Whitehead and Monroe.
’80 Margaret A. Mead (’80), managing partner of MeadLaw, P.A., has joined The Expert Network, an invitationonly service for distinguished professionals. Mead was chosen as a Distinguished Lawyer based on peer reviews and ratings, recognitions and accomplishments achieved throughout her career. Mead, who earned her J.D. degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 1989, has more than 25 years of experience and specializes in criminal law.
Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones (’80) was recently selected as Sheriff of the Year at the Alabama Sheriff’s Association’s winter conference. Jones began his law enforcement career at the Lee County Sheriff’s Office in 1975, first serving as a corrections officer and a communication operator at the county jail. He was first elected sheriff in 1998 and is now in his fifth term. He serves on the boards of the United Way Lee County, the Lee County Youth Development Center, the Lee County Emergency Communications District and the Domestic Violence Intervention Center. Jones also serves as a trustee for the Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch and is a member of the board of directors for Storybook Farm. Lynne Blankenbeker (’86), a former New Hampshire state representative, has announced her intentions to run for Congress. Blankenbeker is now a captain in the Navy Reserve and has been deployed three times to the Middle East. She recently moved back to New Hampshire after working on health care policy at the Pentagon and Defense Health Headquarters. She will seek election to New Hampshire’s second Congressional district. Henry Gaudreau (’86) has launched his campaign for the 32nd District State Senate seat in Michigan. A retired U.S. Air Force colonel, Gaudreau completed the U.S. Air Force Air Command and Staff College and the Air Force Air War College. He retired as the director of the 448th Propulsion Sustainment Group where he was responsible for a budget of $1.6 billion to furnish all aspects of sustainment, overhaul, engineering and safety of 81 percent of the Air Force’s military engines. Following retirement from the Air Force, he was employed as vice president of an international construction firm. Ralph Everage, Jr. (’88) has been named as the first training officer of Florida's Walton County Fire Rescue. He will focus on creating an advanced training program to improve overall performance and prepare employees to become leaders within the organization. Everage
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served as an assistant chief at the Crestview Fire Department for 26 years. Brett Kirkland (’89, ’03) has been named chair of the Northeast Florida region for the C12 Group, America’s largest Christian business advisory network. Kirkland has more than 25 years of leadership, marketplace ministry and executive experience, including serving as division director for Marketplace Chaplains and president and chief executive officer of the Food Bank of Southwest Georgia. Mike Musick (’89) has been named assurance managing partner for the southeast regions of BDO USA, one of the world’s leading global networks of independent public accounting firms. He previously served as assurance managing partner in BDO USA’s Nashville office, a position he has held since 2007. He has more than 25 years of public accounting experience, serving both publicly and privately held clients in various industries including healthcare, real estate, manufacturing and distribution and communications and entertainment.
Gibson Vance (’87), a principal with Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles P.C., was elected president of the Southern Trial Lawyers Association (STLA) at the organization’s 30th annual conference in New Orleans. Vance, a member of the TROY Board of Trustees since 2012, will lead the organization for a one-year term. Vance joined
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Troy University Alumni Association welcomed its 64th chapter on Sept. 22, with 35 charter members joining the Alpha Delta Pi Alumni Chapter. Faith Ward, director of alumni affairs, chartered the chapter, presenting each member with a rose and a certificate. The chapter’s officers installed were: Nikki Hussey Stephens, president; Whitney Hensley Barron, vice president; Alyson Gramley, treasurer; and, Kayla Sprayberry Driggers, secretary. Following the chartering and installation ceremonies, chapter members enjoyed refreshments and reminisced about their college days at TROY as members of Alpha Delta Pi. Beasley Allen in 2000 and practices in the firm’s Personal Injury and Consumer Fraud sections. In addition to his work with STLA, Vance is past-president of the American Association for Justice, the Montgomery Trial Lawyers Association and the Alabama Civil Justice Foundation. He also serves as an Alabama State Bar Commissioner, representing the 15th Judicial Circuit. He and his wife, Kate, have two children.
Communities Hospital in Newport. Ogden started with Samaritan Health Services as a physician in SNLH’s emergency department in 2006, working her way up to assistant emergency department medical director and medical staff president before accepting the chief operations officer role at SNLH in 2013. She held that position until being named CEO at SNLH in 2015.
’90
Dr. Lesley Ogden (’89) has served as chief executive officer at Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital. In 2015, she served as CEO at Samaritan Pacific
Ike Sherlock (’91), executive vice president of The Grimes Companies, was recently elected as Florida Director of the Southeastern Warehouse Association. Founded in 1919, the association is an organization of professional logistics warehouse companies and associate members who provide products and services to the warehouse industry. Col. James S. Moore, Jr. (’93) has been nominated for the rank of Brigadier General in the U.S. Army. He currently serves as the commander of the 593rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command. Col. Moore has served in various command and staff positions throughout
his career to include Huntsville, Alabama; Norfolk, Virginia; Alexandria, Virginia; Balad, Iraq; Fort Monroe, Virginia; Washington, D.C.; Fort Belvoir, Virginia; and Vicenza, Italy. Jeff Coleman (’95) has been named a civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army. Civilian aides are business and community leaders appointed to advise and support Army leaders throughout the U.S. There are more than 100 CASAs working throughout the U.S. It is an unpaid volunteer position. Alabama has two CASAs, one for north Alabama and one for south Alabama. Coleman is the CASA for south Alabama. Coleman was named an Alumni of the Year in 2003 for the Troy University Dothan Campus, and he was awarded the Champion of Life Award from TROY in 2016 by the Dollar General Bowl. Kertz Hare (’95) was recently inducted into the Foley High School Athletics Hall of Fame. Following his football career at Foley, Hare lettered at TROY as a free safety. He was deployed as a member of the Air Force Reserves during Operation Desert Shield. He has more than 25 years with the federal
government, currently serving as the director of logistics for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Southeast Region. Wynn Grimes (’95, ’07), who has served the Elba school system for 23 years, was recently appointed as principal of Elba High School. Grimes, who formerly served as elementary and secondary assistant principal, is an Elba native who graduated from Elba High School in 1988. He received his bachelor’s degree in social science education from TROY and later received his master’s degree in administration from the Troy University Dothan Campus. Heather Beyler (’96) has joined Carolina One Real Estate as an agent based in the company’s Summerville, South Carolina, office. Reeivice Girtman (’96) serves as executive vice president of business development at Liberty Learning Foundation. Prior to joining Liberty, he served as principal at Eufaula Elementary School for eight years. Anshooman Aga (’97) was recently appointed as executive vice president and chief financial officer of the Cubic Corporation. Prior to joining the company, Aga was senior vice president and chief financial officer of AECOM’s multi-billion dollar design and consulting services business in the Americas. He has held a series of financial leadership positions at Siemens, including chief financial officer of the energy automation business based in Nuremburg, Germany. Cubic Corporation designs, integrates and operates systems, products and services that provide situational awareness for its customers in the transportation and defense industries. Kelly Priegnitz (’97) has been selected to serve as chief compliance officer for Healogics, the nation’s largest provider of advanced chronic wound care services. Priegnitz will direct strategy for and drive a culture of compliance that assures adherence to all healthcare regulatory, legislative, accreditation and licensure mandates. She joins
Healogics from Kindred Healthcare, a healthcare services company that operates hospitals, nursing centers and contract rehabilitation services, where she was senior vice president and chief compliance officer. Priegnitz has nearly 20 years of experience in healthcare compliance. Josh Wilson (’98, ’99) has qualified as a candidate for the office of the 12th Judicial Circuit Judge, comprising Coffee and Pike counties. He currently serves as an assistant district attorney. Robert “R.B.” Alley III (’99), fire chief of Newport News, Virginia, is retiring from the fire department in April. Alley was named fire chief in December 2013 and has worked in fire and emergency medical service for 40 years, including time as fire chief in College Station, Texas, and as district fire chief in his hometown of Virginia Beach. He holds a Master of Public Administration from TROY. Ricky Britt (’99) was recently honored as Enterprise High School’s Educator of the Year. Britt, who began working with the Enterprise School System in 1989, spending time as a math teacher, coach and administrator, currently serves as the school’s assistant principal. John Browning (’99), Mobile partner for Burr & Forman LLP, has been appointed
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as vice-chair for the Self-Insurers and Risk Managers General Committee for the TIPS section of the American Bar Association. Browning began his one-year term in October 2017 and will serve through the ABA’s 2018 Annual Meeting next August in Chicago. The TIPS section of the ABA consists of more than 20,000 members across the U.S. Dr. Cynthia Keifer (’99) has been named the recipient of Trident University International’s Teaching Excellence Award for winter 2017. She is a professor in Trident’s Glenn R. Jones College of Business, teaching both human resources management and leadership courses during her tenure. Dr. Keifer was selected from among 40 faculty members nominated entirely by students. She has also taught at Jones International University and EmbryRiddle Aeronautical University, where she served as director of academics and faculty chair. She is a published researcher who sits on the editorial board for the Journal of Business Studies Quarterly and served as an active duty member of the United States Air Force from 1991 to 1997.
Several sisters of Phi Mu, who were members during the first five years of the sorority’s existence at TROY, met in Montgomery recently for a visit to the Hank Williams Museum, lunch and an afternoon of reminiscences. They attended the 50th anniversary reunion of the sorority in the fall and vowed to continue their friendship with regular outings. From left, Ginger Creel Isler, Panama City; Judy Mayr Head, Montgomery; Susan Nevels Binns, Columbus; Mirenda McCall Tatum, Montgomery; Toni Dorrill Stetson, Panama City; Julia Nichols Harrison, Birmingham and Elizabeth Via Brown, Montgomery.
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SAA: LET'S NETWORK
Our 2017-2018 school year is off to a great start. We have added numerous new members and are planning some great events for the spring semester. As always, we appreciate and encourage your participation and engagement. Our students are excited to get to meet you, so we ask that you make yourself open and available to our current students. Finally, as the spring semester unfolds, many of our students will be looking for networking opportunities, letters of recommendation, internships and full-time jobs. We ask that you aide our current Trojans in their preparation for their future. As we like to say, We Are Trojans One and All.
Samuel Moody Student Alumni Association President (SAA) Connect with TROY! troy.edu/social
’00 Brian Dugan (’00) has been named chief of Florida's Tampa Police Department. Dugan has served as an officer, detective, sergeant, lieutenant, captain, major, deputy chief and assistant chief. As the assistant chief, he oversaw Special Operations, Criminal Investigations and the Special Support division, and has taken primary responsibility for the department’s $146 million budget. He currently serves as co-chairman of the Tampa Urban Area Security Initiative and serves on the board of directors for the Police Athletic League.
Dr. Steven Knight (’00) has been named a partner in Fitch & Associates, a leading public safety and health care consulting firm. Knight has served as the firm’s Fire Service Practice Lead for more than three years, and joined the company after serving as the senior manager for fire and EMS at the International City/ County Management Association. He has more than 20 years of experience in fire and EMS, having retired in 2013 as the assistant fire chief of St. Petersburg (Fla.) Fire Rescue. He holds a Master of Public Administration from TROY. Melanie Bevan (’01), chief of the Bradenton Police Department, has been appointed to the Florida Statewide Council on Human Trafficking. Bevan is a 31-year veteran law enforcement officer who most previously served as assistant chief at the St. Petersburg Police Department. Dale Alward (’02) has been named chief executive officer of Twin County Regional Healthcare, in Galax, Virginia. He most recently served as CEO of Mercy Hospital in Miami and served for 24 years in the U.S. Air Force during which time he took on management roles at several Air Force medical bases. Alward is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and holds a Master of Public Administration from TROY. Maj. Gary Ward (’02) retired from the U.S. Army in March 2017 after 30-plus years of active service. He served as Aide-de-Camp to the Commandant at the United States Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School (USACBRNS) for two generals. Ward served as company commander in Bravo 2/39th Infantry Battalion, Fort Jackson, South Carolina. He also served as commander of the Waco Recruiting Company, Dallas Recruiting Battalion. Maj. Ward is a member of the Prestigious Sergeant Audie Murphy Club. He was awarded the Legion of Merit for his service. Derrick Ansley (’05) has been hired as the defensive backs coach for the NFL’s Oakland Raiders. Ansley, who starred
as a defensive back for the Trojans, has spent the last two seasons as defensive backs coach at Alabama.
LaTrice Snodgrass (’05) has been appointed as chief operating officer of AxessPointe Community Health Centers with five federally qualified health centers in Northeast Ohio. She has served as a consumer board member for AxessPointe since 2014 and previously served as practice manager and director of operations of Summa Health Medical Group. An adjunct professor at Indiana Wesleyan University, she has more than 20 years of leadership experience in healthcare management roles in hospital-owned and privately owned physician practices, ambulatory care networks, hospitals and assisted living facilities. Snodgrass holds a master’s degree in management with a concentration in healthcare management from TROY. Andrew Garner (’06) has been named publisher and editor of The Atmore Advance and its associated media products. Garner has been editor of The Advance for the past two years. He previously worked at The Andalusia Star-News and The Greenville Advocate. Spencer C. Hoover (’06), vice president and executive director of the Henry Ford Cancer Institute, was recently appointed to the board of directors of the Michigan, Veterans’ Facility Authority. Hoover, a resident of Grosse Pointe Park, is a decorated and disabled U.S. Army veteran with a wealth of professional
knowledge and experience in healthcare and finance. Blake Wise (’07) was recently promoted to loan officer at Troy Bank & Trust. Wise and his wife, Amanda, have three children. Lee Boan (’08, ’13) is running for sheriff of Kershaw County, South Carolina. He has almost 25 years of law enforcement experience at the city, county and state levels and currently serves as captain of operations and assistant chief of the South Carolina's Camden Police Department. He also has more than 20 years of military experience in the South Carolina Army National Guard, having served two combat tours in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan. Dr. Ernest Rahn (’08) has been named executive director of the Wayland Baptist University campus at Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks, Alaska. Rahn has more than 26 years of experience in the United States Air Force, including being stationed at Eielson AFB from 2009-2012. During his Air Force career, Rahn has been deployed to both Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia. He has instructed a number of courses dealing with aviation, propulsion and other aeronautical applications. Matt Brown (’09, ’12) has been promoted to staff accountant II in the tax services division at Hartman, Blackmon and Kilgore's Brewton, Alabama, office. He has been employed with Hartmann, Blackmon and Kilgore since 2015. Andy Smith (’09) has been appointed as general manager of Arizona's Pinal Regional Transportation Authority. Smith currently serves as the Transportation Planning Supervisor for the Pinal County Public Works Department. He has more than 25 years in state and county government in the areas of traffic engineering, safety, partnering and transportation planning disciplines.
’10 Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey L. Dunkelberger (’10) recently retired from the U.S. Army during a ceremony at the Center for Strategic Leadership, The United States Army War College. With 32 years of service in the Army, Dunkelberger was serving as the Sergeant Major for the Nominative Leader Course in the Center for Strategic Leadership. Dunkelberger and his wife, Irma, have two sons. Steven Boydstun (’11) recently completed a Juris Doctor degree at Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law. He is now contracts and compliance manager for the University of Montevallo. Austin Lamar “Nikki” Milburn (’11) was recently appointed as the county clerk for McDuffie County, Georgia. Roderick Robinson (’11) has been named the director of the Gulf Coast State College’s Gulf/Franklin Center. For the past six years, he served as a counselor and head of the Franklin County School District’s dual-enrollment program. Ryan Bell (’12) has been appointed as a member of the 2017-2018 class of White House Fellows. A major in the U.S. Army, Bell has been placed at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Created in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, the White House Fellows program was designed “to give the fellows first hand, high-level experience with the workings of the federal government and to increase their sense of participation in national affairs.” Murfreesboro Police officer Michael Bowen (’12) has been promoted to police chief. He had served as interim chief since October. Bowen began as a patrol officer in 1988. He was assigned to a field training officer position in 1991 and promoted to uniformed division sergeant in 1996. In 2001, Bowen was promoted to lieutenant in the uniformed division and became captain in 2003 over patrol services section. He was named deputy chief in 2010. Emily Hayes (’12) is president and founder of Served, a nonprofit agency
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that focuses on the mental, physical and spiritual wellness for students, teachers and the community in Birmingham. Daniel Long (’12) has been named the dean of instruction at Enterprise State Community College. He will oversee all of ESCC’s instruction in Enterprise, Ozark, Mobile, Albertville and Andalusia. Maj. Gil Slouchick (’12) has been promoted to the position of assistant chief of the Columbus Police Department in Georgia. Slouchick was a cadet in 1976 before joining the force a year later. In 1987, he was promoted to detective and was named the Columbus Police Officer of the Year in 1988. A year later, he was promoted to sergeant. He was promoted to major in 2014. Brynden Trawick (’12) was selected to play in the 2018 Pro Bowl in Orlando. The fifth-year pro, who was in his first season with the Tennessee Titans after being signed as a free agent last off season, led the Titans with 17 special teams tackles. He spent the previous four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens and the Oakland Raiders. During his senior season at TROY, Trawick earned first team All-Sun Belt honors after leading the conference in tackles per game. During his junior season, he led TROY and the Sun Belt with 123 tackles on his way to a second team AllSun Belt selection. Amber Edwards (’14) has been hired as an assistant athletic trainer for Marshall University Thundering Herd football. She previously served as intern for the University of Texas. Capt. Ian Hurdle (’14) is among 10 federal government officials participating in the year-long Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program in Japan. Capt. Hurdle is a B-1B pilot in the U.S. Air Force, assigned to the 34th Bomb Squadron at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Rapid City, South Dakota. Established by Congress in 1994, the Mansfield Fellowship program was created to build a corps of U.S. government officials with substantial Japananese expertise. Fellows have unprecedented access, working side-by-side with their
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MEETING GOALS,
CHANGING LIVES Trojan Family, What an exciting year I have experienced as your Alumni Association president! One of my objectives for this year was to make the dream of a new Alumni Center a reality that will better serve our alumni and friends. I am happy
Japanese counterparts before returning to U.S. federal government service for a minimum of two years. In September, Capt. Hurdle began 10 months of practical experience in various Japanese government agencies and ministries in Tokyo. Jaycee Affeldt (’15) has returned to TROY as an assistant coach for the softball team. Affeldt served as a volunteer assistant in 2016 before spending the 2017 season as pitching coach at the University of Alabama Huntsville. She was a four-year letter winner as a member of the Trojan softball team from 2012 through 2015. She was named the 2015 Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year and earned first team All-Sun Belt honors.
to report that the National Association Alumni Board has taken steps to get the ball rolling. With the assistance of University administration, an Alumni Association House/Center fund has been established and has already received donations from members of the NAA Board. Also, an Alumni Center/ House Committee has been created to explore and develop a strategy to move our dream forward. In other news, your alumni board continues its effort to increase the number of endowed alumni scholarships. We want to encourage you to get involved with University and alumni chapters and to contribute to our scholarship efforts. Together we can change the lives of students who will one day pay it forward to a new generation of TROY Trojans. Join me in giving back to an alma mater that has given us all so much! I’m excited about what we can do together. Go TROY!
Bill Hopper ('72,'77)
Jonah Enfinger (’15) was recognized for his photography with three awards in the 2017 Alabama Press Association Better Newspaper Contest. He took two first place Best News Photo awards for his coverage of the Lifeflight Service held in Sartain Arena honoring the lives lost in the March 2016 Lifeflight accident in Coffee County. He also received a third place Best News Photo Essay award for a photograph from that same service. Seventy-four newspapers from across the state submitted over 2,700 entries in the 2017 competition. The Lifeflight service pictures appeared in the April 6, 2016 Troy Messenger. The owner of Jonah Enfinger Photography, Jonah’s photographs can be seen at www.jonahenfinger.com.
Tiffany McGrath (’15) is a general assignment reporter at WDHN TV in Dothan. McGrath was actively involved in TrojanVision and the Broadcasting Club, serving as president during her senior year at TROY. After graduation, she served as a freelance assistant and producer for “So You Think You Can Dance,” Shark Tank’s “Beyond the Tank,” and TLC’s “Mr. Congeniality.” She joined WDHN in July. Courtney Chandler (’16) joined Dothan’s WDHN news team in June as a reporter. He began his professional journalism career at WIAT CBS 42 in Birmingham as an editor and a production assistant. Megan Donald (’16) has been named volleyball coach at W.S. Neal High School. She previously served as volleyball coach at Gulf Shores High School and as a substitute teacher. In addition to her coaching duties, she will teach 11th grade English. Leah Lancaster (’16) has joined the staff of The Enterprise Ledger as a reporter. The native of Chancellor, Alabama, earned her degree in English, graduating summa cum laude, and served as editor for The Rubicon, TROY’s student-led publication journal. Dr. Rebecca Toland (’16) has been named assistant professor of health sciences at Columbus State University. She has more than eight years of experience in academia and has educated and advised students enrolled in public health, health care administration and health services programs. Her areas of expertise are in disease prevention, mental health and substance abuse. Additionally, Dr. Toland has over 17 years of practical experience working in the areas of public and community health. Bo Barton (’17) is a family nurse practitioner in Mobile, currently working for Integrity Health where he performs disability compensation exams for Veterans Affairs. Prior to joining Integrity Health, he served as a certified registered nurse practitioner with Pulmonary Associates of Mobile, the seventh largest pulmonary practice in the country.
T ROY T ODAY
REMEMBERING KEVIN GLACKMEYER TROY’s Chief Photographer Kevin Glackmeyer died at his home on Dec. 19, 2017, after a battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife, Ashley, and his five children. Glackmeyer came to TROY following Nash Avant, son of Spencer (’12) and Chase (’14) Avant, was born Aug. 21, 2017. Nash is the grandson of Robinette and Brad Dunning (’80) and Mendy (’86, ’94) and Greg Avant.
his stint as official photographer for then-Gov. Bob Riley, the fourth Alabama governor for whom he had worked. “Kevin was a remarkable professional—he saw the world for what it should be,” said Chancellor Jack Hawkins, Jr. “His work chronicled the life of Troy University and thousands of its family members. To meet Kevin was to love him. Every member of my family, including grandchildren, cared deeply for him. He will be missed.”
LuAnn Knight Crenshaw (’02, ’11) and Bradly Crenshaw (’17) welcomed Paxton Allan Foy Crenshaw into the world on Sept. 29, 2017.
Michael Ray Pearce (’14) and Katie Blocher Pearce (’14) welcomed Graham Neal Pearce into the world Jan. 2, 2018. He is the grandson of Elaine and Larry Blocher, dean of the College of Communication and Fine Arts; and Melanie Railey Pearce (’83, ’86) and Tim Pearce (’83). Graham is named for his fraternal great-grandfather, Ralph Neal “Bulldog” Railey who attended Troy State College and played football in 1952. Graham is welcomed into a family of aunts, uncles, great-aunts and uncles and cousins who have all attended TROY.
IN REMEMBRANCE Troy University Alumni
IN REMEMBRANCE Troy University Friends
Maj. Mordecai “Mawk” Roberts Arnold (’50)
Dan Atkinson
Annette H. Boswell (’49)
Kevin Glackmeyer
Paul Boswell (’49)
Sarah Talbot Lawrence
Earl Henry Fain, Jr. (’52)
Rev. Joe Mitchell
Cheryl Towery Harvey (’67)
Robert L. Sellers
John H. Hataway (’54)
Dr. Henry R. Stewart, Jr.
William Hornsby (’74)
James “Freddie” Thomas
John Lawrence (’77)
John "Bubba" Trotman
William “Gil” McKenzie (’81)
Mackenzie Westmoreland
Jane P. Seckinger (’96) Dr. Johnnie C. Robinson, Jr. (’03) Kathleen Wilson (’79, ’80) Mary Whitten Wise (’40)
WEDDINGS AND ENGAGEMENTS Courtney Elizabeth Lovett to Andrew Robert Byrd (’14) Audrey Hannah Goolsby (’15) to Logan Keith Gaster Emily Lauren Harris (’12) to Daniel Forrest Danner Nicole Wallace to Martin Morante (’13) Shannon Warren (’12 ) to Jeff Stem
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