Troy University
From its founding as a teachers’ college in 1887, Troy University has grown into a global, doctoral institution. Serving more than 14,000 students through campuses in Troy, Dothan and Montgomery, Troy University offers a robust collection of online programs and strong partnerships with universities around the world.
Troy is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and offers degrees at the associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels across its five colleges.
Students choose among more than 240 undergraduate and graduate degree options, offered via a traditional college experience, with on-campus residence halls, numerous dining options, a fitness center, more than 150 student organizations and Division I athletics.
A growing emphasis on research has been among the recent highlights in the life of the university. Late in 2024, the university opened the Center for Materials and Manufacturing Sciences on the Troy campus — the university’s first building solely dedicated to research. Research there is focused on polymers and polymer recycling.
In 2025, Troy opened Jones Hall, home to the College of Health Sciences. The building is named for Billy Jones, a Troy alumnus who was president of Crowne Management LLC until his death in January 2026. Jones Hall serves as the home for the School of Nursing, the School of Social Work and Human Services, and the Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion.
The facility includes a 130-seat lecture hall, a 30-hospital-bed lab that mimics a real clinical setting, five advanced simulation rooms, an exercise science lab and a movement lab designed to analyze human biomechanics and enhance athletic performance.
Due to these new facilities and the growing emphasis on research efforts, in April 2025, Troy was recognized as a Carnegie Research University, a designation created to note research efforts at smaller institutions. The university also was acknowledged as a Doctoral University in the 2025 Carnegie Classifications, aligning with its continued growth in doctoral education and advanced research.
The university also has reorganized its colleges and schools and added new academic programs, including a Ph.D. in criminology and a concentration in global healthcare leadership in the Ph.D. in global leadership program. Earlier this year, Troy was approved as only the second public university in the nation to offer a Doctor of Chiropractic program. That program will accept its first students in fall 2027.
Campus beautification also took center stage earlier this year with the completion of the Troy campus lake. The project included two waterfall features, walking trails, a lighted pedestrian bridge and a fountain, representing the third phase of the Janice Hawkins Cultural Arts Park, connecting the lake to the pond adjacent to the park’s amphitheater. The lake project follows the lead of the campus plan developed in 1928 by the renowned Olmsted Brothers’ landscape architectural firm, known for the design of some of the country’s most iconic public spaces, including the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, and New York’s Central Park.
In athletics, Troy became one of only three programs to reach their conference championship game in football, the NCAA Tournament in men’s basketball and the College World Series in baseball during the 2025/2026 seasons. The Trojans baseball team made history this year by hosting its first NCAA Super Regional and competing in the College World Series for the first time.
The Troy Athletic Program also recently completed construction on an 88,000-square-foot indoor practice facility, which features a fully covered 120-yard field with turf that replicates the playing surface in Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Wallace Community College
Wallace Community College is a public institution offering academic, health and career technical programs, as well as adult education, workforce development and dual enrollment for high school students. The college has its main campus in Dothan and the Sparks Campus in Eufaula.
The Sparks Campus enrollment has been increasing, with Spring 2026 enrollment up 35% over Spring 2025. Dual enrollment programs also are up.
Dr. Amy Greene was named director of the Sparks Campus in January 2026.
Workforce development offers no-cost Skills for Success courses on the Sparks Campus. Sparks also includes programs in academic transfer, general studies, practical nursing, medical assistance, early childhood development, air conditioning and refrigeration.
Academic programs are offered in English, math, fine arts, social sciences, humanities, natural sciences and behavioral studies.
Adult education offerings include options for GED preparation, workforce readiness and more.
Wallace also offers an array of apprenticeship options — employer-led programs that blend paid, on‑the‑job training with related classroom instruction to build in‑demand skills. Students earn industry‑recognized credentials, while employers develop talent and narrow the skills gap.
The Health Sciences program prepares students for allied health professions and also offers coursework for students planning to transfer to four-year institutions.
Career technical programs combine classroom instruction with hands-on training and the option to earn work-related credentials.
This article appears in the September 2026 issue of Business Alabama.
