TROY UNIVERSITY
Founded as a teachers’ college in 1887, today Troy University has grown into an international university with campuses in Troy, Dothan, Montgomery and Phenix City; a network of support centers; and strong partnerships with universities around the world.
The university serves roughly 14,000 students from more than 65 countries and counts more than 176,000 alumni in its ranks. Troy offers degrees at the associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral level; more than 170 undergraduate majors and minors across its five colleges; and a wide range of academic programs in high-demand fields.
In September 2023, the Alabama Commission on Higher Education approved an instructional role change that will allow the university to offer additional doctoral degrees, furthering its ongoing maturation as a research institution. Currently, the university offers doctoral degrees in nursing practice, sports management and global leadership, and new programs are in the planning stages.
The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) recently reaffirmed the Sorrell College of Business’ elite status, and the AACSB board of directors validated the accreditation for both the Sorrell College and its William H. Carr School of Accountancy in its July meeting. Accreditation places the Sorrell business programs among 1,026 colleges in 65 countries and territories worldwide and places the accountancy program in the elite category as just one of 194 to be recognized. Fewer than 200 colleges of business worldwide hold both accreditations.
The Troy campus, a residential campus that serves traditional college-aged students, is home to the Janice Hawkins Cultural Arts Park, which includes several outdoor art installations and the university’s International Arts Center. In downtown Troy, the university’s IDEA Bank serves as a hub for entrepreneurship and small business development for students and the surrounding community.
And the campus continues to grow. Construction is nearly complete on two new buildings. Jones Hall will house programs in the university’s College of Health Sciences. The Center for Materials and Manufacturing Sciences will be dedicated to polymer chemistry research, specifically finding new ways to recycle existing plastics and developing biodegradable plastics.
Other recent developments include:
The university received accreditation for its educator preparation programs from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, making it one of 35 providers to receive accreditation from the council’s Spring 2024 review.
The university’s exercise physiology program was recognized for the third time by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, for its programs leading to certification for graduates.
NASA selected Troy University to receive a “Moon Tree” seedling that flew around the moon during the 2022 Artemis I mission. NASA selects institutions based on their ability to care for the tree and how they plan to use it to promote educational opportunities in their communities. Dr. Alvin Diamond, biology professor and director of the arboretum, plans to use the tree in a variety of hands-on activities for students tailored to different ages and grade levels.
The university signed a partnership agreement with Anáhuac Querétaro University in Querétaro, Mexico, opening the door for student, faculty and athletic exchange programs along with collaborative research. Troy has more than 100 partner universities in 31 countries worldwide, but Anáhuac University is its first partner in Mexico.
The university’s board voted to rename the Collegeview Building to honor the memory of Troy alumnus and Medal of Honor recipient Bennie G. Adkins. The building is currently home to programs in the College of Health and Human Services, but they will relocate to the Jones Hall Center for Health Sciences when it is completed later this year. Bennie G. Adkins Hall will then become home to the Army and Air Force ROTC programs and the Troy University Police Department.
In February, Troy forged an agreement with Bermuda College that will provide a pathway for students from Bermuda to study in the university’s undergraduate business administration program. Hospitality management, nursing and criminal justice options may be added later.
Last fall, Troy University Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins Jr. presided over commencements at three partner institutions in Vietnam: Duy Tan University, Hanoi University of Science and Technology and Vietnam National University’s University of Economics and Business. More than 1,100 students participate in Troy’s program at these institutions, where they take classes in computer science, business administration and hospitality and event management that are taught in English by Troy professors.
WALLACE COMMUNITY COLLEGE – SPARKS CAMPUS
Barbour County is home to Wallace Community College’s Sparks campus, and 6% of the 4,010 students enrolled at the college last fall were attending classes at the Eufaula location. More than 70% of Wallace’s student body falls in the 18-24 age range, and 16% are between 25 and 34.
To keep up with demand in an ever-changing career technical landscape, the Sparks campus offers a variety of programs and training opportunities in technology, criminal justice, entrepreneurship and child development. Other career tech programs include industrial systems technology, air conditioning and refrigeration and welding technology.
The criminal justice program offers students hands-on training with a VirTra Simulator that realistically demonstrates law enforcement scenarios.
For those seeking to upgrade their skill sets, short-term online certificate options are available in the business technology program and the computer information systems program.
The child development program prepares individuals for entry-level positions in early child care and education. And, thanks to articulation agreements with Troy University’s College of Education, the University of Alabama’s College of Human & Environmental Sciences and Athens State University’s College of Education, graduates of the child development program can transfer their credits toward a four-year degree.
Wallace’s accredited nursing and allied health degrees are among its most popular and include programs for emergency medical services, medical assisting and phlebotomy, physical therapist assistant, radiologic technology, respiratory therapist and surgical technology. The college also has plans to add courses for its mental health technician program in the coming year.
The Sparks campus Workforce Development Department maintains partnerships with the area’s leading employers. It recently began offering no-cost Skills for Success heavy equipment operator training, required for operating skid steers, bulldozers, excavators and rollers, and Skills for Success fiber optic technician and installer training.
Dual enrollment participation among local high school students has surged in recent years, driven by state workforce development grant opportunities.
The Sparks campus is home to three federally funded TRiO programs that serve Barbour, Bullock, Henry and Russell counties. These programs provide support services for first-generation college students. The Sparks campus also houses the Student Success Project, a state-funded program that provides tutoring, mentoring, college and career advising and other support services to prepare high school students for technical careers. Overall, these programs serve more than 1,200 students.
This article appears in the September 2024 issue of Business Alabama.
