TROY UNIVERSITY

History

Troy University is a public university located in Troy, Alabama and founded in 1887 as Troy Normal School with a mission to educate and train new teachers. Troy has since evolved into a comprehensive state university. The main campus enrollment as of the fall of 2007 is 6,177 students. The campus itself consists of 36 major buildings on 650 acres (1.9 km²) plus the adjacent Troy University Arboretum. The Troy University system consists of 60 sites in 17 U.S. states and 11 other countries. The Troy University System includes three other campuses in the state of Alabama in Dothan, Montgomery, and Phenix City. The university also has a very large off-campus/distance learning program and offers many courses in conjunction with the United States Armed Forces.

Ranking

The Princeton Review recognizes Troy University as "One of the Best in the Southeast". It can boast the 63rd best graduate school, and is ranked among the top in many other categories. In 2008, Troy University was ranked as the 25th best university in the United States for international students by the Institute of International Education. Troy University's main campus offers several degrees that are unique or are offered by a select few colleges and universities, including a masters level degree in Health Care Administration, Human Resource Management, and a bachelor of science degree program in deaf-interpreting, while Troy's teaching site in Atlanta, Georgia, offers one of the few certification programs in polygraph science in the country and the only program of its kind affiliated with a public, four-year institution of higher learning in the United States. In December 2007, the Alabama Commission on Higher Education gave Troy University the approval to begin the university's first doctoral program: the Doctorate in Nursing Practice. The Troy University Montgomery campus located in downtown Montgomery is home to the award-winning Rosa Parks Library and Museum. Troy's broadcast journalism program has a sterling reputation and the university's student-led television news broadcast took home the Southeast's top spot at the most recent 2007/2008 awards banquet at the University of Mississippi.

Name Change

On April 16, 2004, the Board of Trustees voted to change the name of the institution from Troy State University to Troy University. The transition to the new name was completed in August 2005 concurrent with the merger of all the associated satellite campuses into a single, unified system and administration. Trustees said they believe the name change allows the university system to reflect its quality, funding sources and global mission better. The name change was the fifth in the school's history. When created by the Alabama Legislature on February 26, 1887, it was officially named the Troy State Normal School. The school was located in downtown Troy until moving to the present location in 1930. In 1929, the name was changed to Troy State Teachers College and it subsequently conferred its first baccalaureate degree in 1931. In 1957, the legislature voted both to change the name to Troy State College and to allow it to begin a master's degree program. The name was changed once again in 1967 to Troy State University.

In May 2008, the university began the silent phase of a comprehensive capital campaign called "Building Beyond Boundaries" that will target massive fund raising efforts encompassing all areas of the university.

Fraternities and Sororities

There are currently nine sororities at Troy University. Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Zeta Phi Beta, and Sigma Gamma Rho represent the National Pan-Hellenic Council while Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Gamma Delta, Chi Omega, Kappa Delta, and Phi Mu make up the National Panhellenic Conference.

There are currently several fraternal organizations on campus: Alpha Tau Omega, Delta Chi, Lambda Chi Alpha, Tau Kappa Epsilon, FarmHouse, Pi Kappa Phi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and Sigma Chi. Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi, and Phi Beta Sigma make up the National Pan-Hellenic Council fraternities at Troy University. Troy is also home to a chapter of the Christian fraternity Gamma Phi Delta.

There are five Greek organizations that function under the supervision of the John M Long school of music: Phi Mu Alpha, Kappa Kappa Psi, Sigma Alpha Iota, Tau Beta Sigma, and Phi Boota roota.

Religious and Other Organizations

The university is home to numerous religious campus organizations such as the Wesley Foundation, Baptist Campus Ministries, Pentecostal Campus Ministries, the Newman Center (Roman Catholic), the Christian Student Center (Churches of Christ) and the Troy Secular Association, some of which have stand-alone physical facilities on the Troy campus.

The Tropolitan

The school newspaper, the Tropolitan (commonly referred to as "The Trop"), is located on the bottom floor of Wallace Hall. It is a weekly publication, written and produced entirely by students. The Palladium, is located in adjacent offices in the same building.

Also located in Wallace Hall is Troy University Television, also referred to as TrojanVision. Troy University Television is unique in that it broadcasts two live entirely student produced newscasts at noon and five o'clock daily, one of the few universities in the country to do so.

The "Sound of the South" Marching Band

Music is an integral part of Troy University. The university boasts 29 faculty in the School of Music, over 200 undergraduate music majors, and fields a variety of music ensembles including a Symphonic Band, two Concert Bands, two Jazz Bands, a Trumpet Ensemble, Pep Band, Brass Quintet, and more. The school of music also hosts a Brass Symposium every spring semester.

The Sound of the South plays halftime shows at all Troy home football games and many of the away games. The band is noted for traveling as much as the football team, some recent trips were University of Nebraska, University of Miami, University of Arkansas, Mississippi State University, University of Florida, University of Georgia, and Florida State University. The Sound has been featured at numerous bowl games, including the Peach Bowl, the Senior Bowl, the Blue-Gray Football Classic, the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, and has also been featured in halftime performances for the Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Over the past two years, the band has performed for over 450,000 fans. The band has recorded for the Warner Brothers Marching Band Promotional Compact Disc since 1998, which is distributed to over 38,000 bands. This is thanks in part to current director of bands Ralph Ford who has composed and arranged over 130 pieces of music for symphonic band, concert band, jazz band, and marching band. The Sound of the South performs regularly at Movie Gallery Stadium in Troy, Alabama.

Athletics

Troy State Normal School began its sports program in 1909 when it fielded its first football team. Through the early years Troy's athletics nicknames were not official and varied by the sport and the coach. Eventually teams all began to use the name "Troy State Teachers," but when the athletic teams moved into NAIA competition the nickname was then was changed to the "Red Wave". In the early 1970s when the student body voted to change the name to Trojans after many felt that Red Wave was too similar to the University of Alabama's nickname, the Crimson Tide. Prior to becoming a member of NCAA Division One athletics in 1993, Troy University was a member of the Gulf South Conference of the NCAA Division II ranks. Troy's primary rivals were Jacksonville State University, Livingston University (now the University of West Alabama), and the University of North Alabama.

Confucius Institute

The Confucius Institute is a non-profit public institute which aims at promoting Chinese language and culture and supporting local Chinese teaching internationally through affiliated Confucius Institutes. Its headquarters is in Beijing and is under the The Office of Chinese Language Council International or Hanban. The first Confucius Institute in the state of Alabama opened at Troy University in the fall of 2008.

Trojan Oaks Golf Course

Troy University maintains a 9-hole championship golf course on the campus for use by the general public, golf team, and students. Students are given a discount on Tuesday and Wednesday to encourage teenage and young adult participation in the sport.
The Trojan Oaks is 3,211 yards from the longest tee. The par for the course is 36 with a course rating is 35.5 and a slope rating of 125 . The course was built and opened in 1977 under the supervision of Chancellor Ralph Wyatt Adams. The greens and fairways are both Bermuda Grass.

Troy University Dothan Campus
Troy University - Montgomery Campus
Troy University - Phenix City Campus
Chinese Station at Troy University