Recognition

RECOGNITION SOCIETIES

1887 Society

The 1887 Society of Troy University is an exclusive society that exists to recognize donors who have made annual gifts to the University for the last three or more consecutive years. As a member, donors are recognized with a welcome packet, a commemorative certificate, a custom logo lapel pin and invitations to seminars, athletic and special events on campus.Make a Gift Now

TROY Shield Society

The Shield Society recognizes donors who have committed a Legacy Gift to Troy University. A legacy gift is a planned estate gift made through a will or living trust, beneficiary designation, IRA charitable rollover, certain real estate, a donor-advised fund, or charitable lead trust.

For more information about making a legacy gift, please visit https://www.troyshieldsociety.org, email us at legacygiving@troy.edu, or call (334) 670-3608. 

The Arts & Science Alliance

The Arts & Science Alliance is comprised of the most elite and faithful donors to the College of Arts & Sciences.  The Alliance welcomes donors who give $1,000 or more annually to any CAS fund, while those who have graduated in the last 15 years are eligible through a minimum contribution of $500. Contributions can made throughout the year to reach the Alliance level and can even be established by signing up for smaller monthly recurring gifts.

Make a Gift Now

White Coat Society

By donating $100 or more, you can join the White Coat Society and make an immediate impact on the life of a nursing student. You will be able to hear from students and faculty and see how your generosity truly made a difference. This is an annual giving initiative that will assist undergraduate nursing students in purchasing necessary medical items such as scrubs, coats, shoes, stethoscopes, and even smaller items like badge holders, bandage scissors, and clipboards. 

Make a Gift Now

Troy Humanities Alliance/ THA

THA is a body of friends, alumni, supporters, and patrons of Troy University's College of Communication and Fine Arts. THA promotes the well-being, advancement, and success of CCFA by assisting administrators, faculty and staff through enhancing and engaging its network of supports. Give annually to CCFA at a level that is meaningful to the member. Giving tiers include: Designer Circle - $2,500 per year; Performer Circle - $1,200 per year; Authors - $500 per year; Reporters - $300 per year; Ensemble Members - $100 per year.                                                                                                          Make a Gift Now

College of Education Dean's Leadership Circle

The Dean's Leadership Circle is an annual giving recognition society for donors who contribute $1,000 or more annually to any Troy University's College of Education fund. Leadership giving within the College of Education plays a dynamic and vital role in proving annual support to the College. Gifts at the Dean's Leadership Circle level can be made in support of faculty and students through investments in scholarships, capital projects or for operational support of the College.                                                                                                                                                                         Make a Gift Now

2024 NEW ENDOWED FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS

2024 New Current Foundation Scholarships

FEATURED STORIES

Proud alums create an endowed scholarship to help students experience TROY

To help and encourage students to experience Troy University, Chris and Kim Hummel have established the Hummel Family Endowed Scholarship.

Chris, a 1995 graduate who studied accounting, played baseball under Coach John Mayotte and competed in the 1994 College World Series. He was also named a third team All-American in 1993. Kim is a 1996 graduate who studied nursing and was a member of TROY's Alpha Delta Pi sorority.

All three of their children have attended or are currently attending TROY. Natalie, a 2021 graduate, studied biomedical science and played volleyball. Mac is studying sports management at TROY, and his wife Mary Stewart is a 2022 graduate. Their youngest, Grace, is currently getting her degree in the ASL Interpreter Training program.

The Hummels have always felt at home at TROY and enjoyed bringing their kids back throughout the years.

 “It was a great place for me,” Kim said. “We just love Troy and the family atmosphere that it has. We always see people that we know when we come back.”

The Hummels hope that this scholarship will alleviate financial burdens for recipients.

“We want the scholarship to ease that burden of financial responsibility,” Chris said. “That way they'll have an experience where they will not only get an education, but they'll get to enjoy what we did and the atmosphere, people and lifelong friendships that you make at TROY which will prepare them for their future.”

As proud alums, the Hummels share TROY's values, which include supporting the military.

“We're proud of what TROY is and what it represents in that it's a place for everybody,” Chris said. “They're also big on military and showing support to our country and that's important to us too.”

The $25,000 scholarship is intended for students who will attend the Troy Campus. The requirements are that recipients must be of the Christian faith and involved with a Southern Baptist Church or a Presbyterian Church of America congregation. Applicants must also provide a letter from their pastor validating their membership. Recipients must have and maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA. First preference will be given to students who are from Shelby or Jefferson counties.

For more information on establishing a scholarship at Troy University, please contact the Office of Development at (334) 670-3297.

New bench on TROY's campus bears name of former Dean of Enrollment

A new bench that overlooks Janice Hawkins Park has a plaque that bears the name of Troy University's former Dean of Enrollment, Jim Hutto, who passed away in 2023. Hutto arrived at TROY during the 1984-1985 school year and served students for 17 years. Current and previous staff members remember the culture that he created at TROY.

"Dean Hutto was a good and kind person who taught me it was important to maintain professionalism in work settings while having the ability to enjoy your colleague's company outside of work, even if you did not see eye to eye on every matter,” said Sohail Agboatwala, Senior Vice Chancellor for Student Services and Administration. “Helen and Dean Hutto were a welcoming family who made every international student feel at home in Troy by opening their home to all of us, especially during the holidays."

“I look back on it now, enrollment services and admissions are truly a mission first, people always operation, and Jim just had what I consider to be a truly unique ability to really motivate people regarding the mission,” said Buddy Starling, former Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management. “But he was always so great to his people too. There was a great deal of camaraderie. I'm very thankful that Jim hired me. It was a privilege to work for him and work with the team that we had. Those were golden years, and I grew up under Jim's leadership as a professional. I'm eternally thankful for him.”

How the bench came to be

Jim's son, Jason, became close friends with Eric Scott after they met at Charles Henderson High School. They would go on to become roommates at Auburn University.

One year while watching the NCAA basketball tournament in their dorm room, Jason made a comment about how awesome and cheesy the “One Shining Moment” montage was. From that point on, Eric decided that he would remind Jason every year about that montage as part of an inside joke.

He would do this through silly and creative ways to keep the joke going. One year he even got Auburn Men's Basketball Coach, Bruce Pearl, to create a Cameo video for Jason as a personal reminder.

This past April, Jason and his family were on a family vacation when Eric sent him the video for this year's reminder. At this point, the joke had been running for over 25 years.

“The recording was of him going around Troy,” Jason explained. “He went to several spots and talked about our inside jokes from high school and things like that. Towards the end he was sitting down and talking about how he had run out of creative ideas to remind me, then he gets up and the camera zooms in on the bench, and there's the plaque with my dad's name on it.”

Eric said that the idea came to him while he was running on campus.

“I wanted something permanent so that he could be remembered,” Eric said. “I started just googling naming opportunities at Troy University. I thought that it would be a great way to honor Jason's father with it because he was important to me, and I knew that this would mean a great deal to the family.”

“I would have never understood how meaningful that kind of thing could be,” Jason said. “We didn't tell my mother about it at first. Over the summer we took a family vacation to the beach and stopped in Troy along the way. We just went and sat at the bench, had my mom come over, and surprised her with it.”

Working through grief can be a process. For the Hutto family, listening to stories from friends and family about Jim's influence and kindness has helped them heal. While a bench is just an object, to Jason it's a tangible and exclusive way to remember his father in a place that meant so much to him.

“When I saw the bench, what came to my mind was that other than family, this is the place that he poured more of himself into than probably anything else,” Jason said. “He cared about Troy and was proud of the work that he had done there.”

In honor of longtime music educator and former Troy University faculty member, the Laura Aaron Mixon Memorial Choral Scholarship has been established to help support budding choral music educators.

Mixon earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees in music education from TROY and eventually went on to become a member of the faculty. Her career as an educator spanned 16 years, including choir director at Baldwin County High School, Daphne High School and Gulf Shores Middle and High schools.

She also served as a music leader for Elba United Methodist Church, South Laverne Baptist Church, Troy First United Methodist Church, Foley Presbyterian Church and Gulf Shores Methodist Church.

“She was one of those multi-talented individuals,” said Dr. Diane Orlofsky, Professor Emerita of music and music education and Coordinator of the music education graduate program. “She had a beautiful voice, was an extremely gifted pianist and a wonderful choir director. She directed the Collegiate Singers during her tenure at TROY, growing the program to over 60 people.”

Orlofsky worked closely with Mixon as part of her graduate work to help her develop a middle school choir practicum. Within two years, the choir program she began from scratch had over 40 children participating.

“She really felt that music and music education are so important with kids,” she said. “She had such a heart for music education and did for her entire life.”

At her memorial service, the sisters of Sigma Alpha Iota, an international music fraternity, broached the idea of a memorial scholarship in her name. In just over a month, enough funds had been raised for the beginnings of a current scholarship.

The scholarship is open to students on the Troy Campus pursuing a degree in choral music education. To qualify, students must be a junior or a senior, maintain a 3.0 GPA and provide evidence of their commitment to advancing choral music education and spreading "light and love" through the choral arts.

Recipients are selected by the choral faculty, designated administrative faculty and the Troy University Scholarship Committee. Recipients are required to write a thank you letter to the donor and attend the scholarship donor and recipient reception held each March.

“She believed in the power of music and the power of kids making music together. This scholarship is going to be given to students who are working toward becoming a choir director and music educator,” Orlofsky said. “I think that would have been the ultimate honor for her. I wish these students could have met her. She was like a part of our family here—everyone that worked with her not just admired and respected her, but truly loved her because she was so selfless.”

To apply for the Laura Aaron Mixon Memorial Choral Scholarship, visit here.

To donate to the scholarship, visit here.

A new endowed scholarship will help honor the memory of a TROY student who recently passed away.

The Matthew Spencer Awbrey Farmhouse Memorial Endowed Scholarship, established by Jodi and James Wells, will provide an annual $1,000 scholarship to a Farmhouse Fraternity member who maintains a 2.7 GPA and meets eligibility requirements of the fraternity.

“We hope this scholarship will assist other students to meet their financial needs while in college. It is often difficult for students and their families to juggle the expenses of both school and Greek life, and the hope is that with this scholarship, students who receive it can feel a bit of relief in that area,” said Jodi Wells. “We know that Matthew's memory and legacy will live on through this for the students who are awarded the scholarship.”

Wells, a TROY alumna with both bachelor's and master's degrees, said the Awbreys were just like family. Matthew and their oldest son, Andrew, hit it off at five or six years of age and the families remained close from then on.

“Over the years our families spent time together on and off the soccer field and my husband and I considered Matthew as one of our boys. I also serve as a part of the leadership team for our church youth group and Matthew and Andrew were involved in every activity offered there. I was privileged to work with Matthew for seven years while he was in the youth group. Those years consisted of many, many service projects, mission trips and leadership camps together,” she said.

When it came time to go to college, Wells said TROY was the choice for Matthew and Andrew, both pledging Farmhouse and being initiated together.

“Matthew's uncle is a Farmhouse alumni and Matthew knew before arriving in Troy that he wanted to be a part of the brotherhood that meant so much to his uncle,” she said.

“Matthew's time at TROY may have been short but during that time he built a circle of wonderful friends both in his fraternity and at the Wesley Foundation. He was so loved and there is no doubt he will always be remembered,” she added. “Our hope is that his name and legacy will carry on to future Trojans through this scholarship.”

Alabama Nursing Foundation, Beard family gift to help equip TROY's School of Nursing with advanced simulation equipment

A gift from Dr. John G. Beard and the Alabama Nurses Foundation will help to provide equipment for a nursing simulation lab in Troy University's new Jones Hall, which is nearing completion on the Troy Campus.

The building, named in honor of Crowne Health founder and CEO Billy Jones and his wife Frances, will be home to programs in the College of Health Sciences, including the School of Nursing.

In recognition of the gift, the lab will be named the John G. Beard Family/Alabama Nurses Foundation Nursing Simulation Lab.

“We are truly grateful for the financial gift to the School of Nursing from the Alabama Nurses Foundation and the John Beard Family,” said Dr. LaGary Carter, Dean of the College of Health Sciences. “The monies will certainly make a positive impact on teaching efficacy and student success. We are honored by their generosity and support.”

The Alabama Nurses Foundation was established in 1984 for the purpose of serving the nursing profession in the state through educational support, research grants and benevolent assistance to nurses in crisis. Through the years, the organization has provided scholarships related to nursing education and community grants for qualifying projects initiated by nurses. In 2015, the “Nurses Save Lives” specialty care tags was approved by the Alabama Legislature, and due to the tag's popularity, the ANF has been able to increase its efforts to include assisting schools of nursing in the purchase of advanced simulation equipment to better prepare students for the clinical setting.

“We realize that nurse educators and schools of nursing are the core of keeping the workforce healthy and solid with the flow of competent nurses,” said Dr. John Ziegler, Executive Director of the Alabama Nurses Foundation. “As we know from national statistics, there is a constant need for nurses. With the advanced simulation equipment, students are not just being trained in a cohort of five or 10 students, but their individual competencies are being measured. It really helps the nurse educators and students develop high competencies before they are in situations where they are saving lives and responsible for patients. We are very proud to participate in that with TROY.”

Simulation-based education has become a vital way to prepare future nurses for what they will experience in the clinical setting, said John Beard, President of the ANF Board of Trustees.

“The Alabama Nurses Foundation collects money from our distinctive automobile tag and what we have predominantly used that for is for scholarships, but we have also allocated some of our tag money to help nursing schools with clinical educational tools such as simulation,” Beard said. “For a number of years, nursing schools have been building up their simulation capabilities using these high tech mannequins.”

Gifts such as the one ANF has made to TROY will enable students to build stronger clinical competency before they are dealing hands-on with patients.

“The feeling is that as students take part in these simulations, they will become more competent in dealing with their patients when they are at their clinical sites,” Beard said. “In building the new building at TROY, we saw that one of the things to be included was a simulation lab and that is why we decided to help in that effort. When you think about the staffing issues going on in both hospitals and nursing homes, it really creates a necessity for the nursing schools to give the students as much training as they can so that when they go into those clinical sites, they do so having learned and prepared as much as they possibly can.”

Heading into its sixth year, Troy University and the Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women's gardening and art class partnership has received a $10,000 grant from the Strickland Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Tennessee.

Now named Gardening in the Alabama Prison System (GAPS), the partnership formed in 2019 after Dr. Sharon Everhardt, Associate Dean for Administration in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Dr. Stephen Carmody, Chair of the Anthropology, Sociology and Criminology Department, researched food allocation and prisons. The courses span over 15 weeks and teach inmates about the fundamentals of gardening, horticulture and nutrition while giving them hands-on experience with growing a garden.

After two successful years, organizers broached the idea of offering art classes alongside the gardening course. Lead by Art and Design lecturer Dr. Kelly Berwager, the first painting course was held in the fall of 2021 and was the inspiration for an art exhibit, named “Garden of Perseverance,” which was featured in the International Arts Center in 2022.

Another art exhibit, titled “Roots of Hope,” was recently featured at The Kelly Fitzpatrick Center for the Arts in Wetumpka, Ala.

“This Gardening and Art Program gives us hope,” Berwager said. “One of the women said, ‘All of this is more than putting something in the dirt. Gardening is an art. Gardening is a visual and hands-on activity, but is also emotional.' The intrinsic nature of what we do is what they remember. It's not a drawing class, it's not a gardening class—it's the sense of community and what they get out of it.”

After an initial donation from the USDA, the program now relies solely on fundraising and donations. Earlier this year, Everhardt was contacted by Lena Levendoski, executive director of The Strickland Foundation, with the offer of a grant.

The Strickland Foundation was founded in 2019 by a longtime University of Alabama business professor and his wife. Famous for his speech on how to make $5 million, he put his strategy into practice and is now able to support charitable initiatives across the world.

“One of the things he talks about in that speech is the purpose of building wealth and saving money is so that later in life you can give it away,” she said. “He was walking the talk, and he did it. I know he knew it would work, but I don't think he realized how well it would work.”

The Foundation supports a variety of programs ranging from anti-poaching and conservation efforts to hunger, children's literacy and more. After the founders expressed an interest in serving women in prison, Levendoski began searching and discovered TROY's partnership with Tutwiler.

“It's one of those ideas that are so simple, but so obvious. Gardening can be very healing to the body, to the spirit and to the mind,” she said. “I called Dr. Everhardt and we had a great conversation. She's very passionate about what she's doing. Then my contact was shifted to Dr. Carmody and it was the same thing. 

“It's very powerful to talk to people who feel so strongly about this, and it's easy to support.”

In addition to financial support, Levendoski has scheduled phone calls throughout the year for strategy sessions and guidance.

“My dad teaches strategy, and that's the other part of this,” she said. “I explained to Dr. Carmody that this is not a call so he can tell me how he spent the money; it's a call to talk about how it's going, almost like a brainstorming call, because we're invested in the program itself.”

The program offers beginner and advanced class options. There are currently five women in the advanced class and 14 starting the beginner's course. Fifteen women have been with the program for more than two years, and five women have been a part of the program for all six years.

“This program is a big deal, and it matters. Dr. Everhardt and Dr. Carmody must really want this because it's not easy what they're doing,” she said. “They have so many roadblocks but they're willing to do it anyway. This program can change people and help them change how they view their life.”

While only the partnership with Tutwiler exists at the moment, the goal is to have gardens in women's prisons across the state and nation.

To make a donation to the garden project or art classes, click here. Art class donations should be designated or will otherwise go to the garden program.

STUDENT-INSPIRED PIKE COMMUNITY SCHOLARSHIP TO PROVIDE TUITION FOR FOUR YEARS

In honor of her time at Troy University, senior Jane Vickers and her family have started the Pike Community Scholarship that will provide tuition for four years to a student from Pike County.

A broadcast journalism major from Tallahassee, Fla., Vickers spent her time at TROY giving back as much as she could because at one point, she didn't think she'd get to have a college experience. She was diagnosed with Graves' disease in high school, an autoimmune disorder that can cause hyperthyroidism.

Due to side effects caused by her illness, she was forced to leave school and instead obtained her GED—despite being a good student before becoming sick, many colleges couldn't see past the lack of a diploma.  

“I was always a good student, so that was really hard for me,” she said. “Then TROY opened up and said ‘No, college is still accessible to you.' Chancellor Hawkins always talks about the glass ceiling, so it's really special to me to be able to take away that glass ceiling for a student, and more students in the future.”

Vickers arrived at TROY for her freshman year in 2020 when COVID suspended extracurricular activities. Once restrictions were lifted, she dove head first into any and everything to make the most of her remaining years.

“Especially being sick, I've just had such a different mindset of, ‘Why not just do everything?'” she said. 

She's served as Chi-Omega New Member Educator Assistant, Panhellenic President and Vice President of External Recruitment, Order of Omega President, Student Government Association Senator at Large, Vice President of Internal Affairs, Public Relations Chairwoman and Director of Elections, College Republicans Secretary and a Bright Futures Civic Scholar. She was also a Trojan Ambassador and a Conversation Partner and volunteered with the Boys and Girls Club, Miracle League, Make a Wish Alabama, Campus Kitchens, Common Ground Troy, Miss Walk Hard and American Red Cross. 

In October 2022, she founded Community Connections, a mentorship program with the Boys and Girls Club, and in 2023 she was crowned Homecoming Queen.

“I've really tried to get to know every single group on campus,” she said. “My family is really big into giving back to the community, and especially after getting Homecoming Queen, I really wanted to do something that would stay even after I graduated.

“I've loved getting involved with different volunteer groups in the community, but I'm leaving this spring. I wanted to do something that still connects me to TROY and still gives back because I've gotten so much from TROY.” 

It was through her volunteer work with the Boys and Girls Club that Vickers and her family had the idea for a full-tuition scholarship. To qualify for the scholarship, undergraduate students need to maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 and qualify for FAFSA. Preference will be given to incoming freshmen from Pike County.

“I've done a lot of mentorship with kids around the Troy area, and I realized there is so much poverty in our area and a lot of kids grow up and don't think they are able to go to college. That's not even a dream in their head because they don't think it's possible,” she said. “Our hope is this upcoming fall semester will be the first time it's given, and we hope to just get one student and it will be given to them through their senior year. As long as they make the grades and stay at TROY.”

As she approaches graduation, Vickers already has plans to re-enroll as a graduate student in the TROY Online strategic communication master's program while applying for jobs in Washington D.C. After earning her master's, she has her sights set on law school with the goal of eventually working with elections.

The deadline to apply for the Pike Community Scholarship is May 1, and it will be awarded for the 2024-2025 academic year.

To view additional donor scholarships TROY offers, click here.