Historical Timeline
On February 26, 1887, an act of the Alabama Legislature establishes State Normal School Troy as an institution to train teachers for Alabama's schools. Joseph Macon Dill is appointed as first president.
The University grants teaching certificates to its first graduates: Kitty Corley, Celeste Darby and Emesa Locke. Edwin Ruthven Eldridge is appointed second president.
TROY establishes its first summer school, called the Normal Institute.
The Normal Ray is established as a combination literary journal and student newspaper, published monthly.
The TROY Alumni Association is organized with 28 charter members; the first president was Edgar M. Wright.
The school is renamed Troy State Normal College.
The State Normal Exponent, the University’s first magazine, begins publication.
Edward Madison Shackelford is appointed as the third president.
The college is separated from the Troy City Schools system.
The athletic program begins; the first football team is formed.
The Alabama Legislature appropriates $40,000 for the purpose of building a girls' dormitory.
The first edition of the Palladium, the University's yearbook, is published.
The Student Army Training Corps forms with 110 men.
The first student government is formed.
The Old Hilliard Place was purchased from W.B. Folmar through a $35,000 city bond issue for the new campus.
The Normal School begins using Kilby Hall on the site of the current campus in Troy.
Ground is broken on Bibb Graves Hall.
The State Board of Education changes the charter of the institution and renames it Troy State Teacher's College.
The Tropolitan, TROY's official student newspaper, is founded.
Matthew Downer Pace is appointed as acting president of Troy State Teacher's College.
Charles Bunyan Smith is appointed president.
A crew of students constructs the campus lagoon.
Sherrill Busby is named TROY's first football All-American.
The marching band is formally organized.
Due to World War II, enrollment drops to an all-time low of 119.
Poet Carl Sandburg visits and lectures during homecoming.
Non-education certificate related BA and BS degrees are made available to students.
Construction begins on the football stadium.
The band marches in uniform for the first time during a football game with Livingston State Teaching School; the TROY band was the first marching band among the state's normal colleges.
TROY establishes first extension course at Camp Rucker, the college's first formal military partnership.
One of 15 colleges chosen nationally for a pilot program preparing teachers to deal with the topic of religion in the public schools.
The State Board of Education recognizes the University's growth and expansion and drops Teacher's from Troy State College's name.
The TROY Collegiate Singers appear on a nationwide Christmas radio program aired by the Mutual Broadcasting Company.
A Medical Technologist program is offered.
An engineering technologist and engineer aide program is offered.
Frank Ross Stewart is appointed as president.
A separate Troy State College teaching center is established at Fort Rucker which evolves into the present-day Dothan Campus.
Enrollment passes 2,000 for the first time.
Dr. Ralph W. Adams is appointed as president.
The University's Greek system is developed.
A teaching center is established at Maxwell Air Force Base which evolves into the present-day Montgomery Campus.
The Sound of the South starts, under the direction of Dr. John M. Long, with 35 members.
December 14, 1967, Troy State College officially becomes Troy State University.
Governor Lurleen B. Wallace appoints eight members to the newly established Troy State College Board of Trustees, removing the institution from the control of the State Board of Education.
The Troy State football team wins the 1968 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) football national championship. This win is the first of 11 national championships TROY has won in four sports.
The nursing school is established.
The Theatre Department forms the popular touring troupe The Pied Pipers.
The University accepts its first official foreign exchange student.
TROY's first international sites are established in Europe in contract with the United States Air Force.
The Phenix City Campus is opened as a branch of the main campus.
TSU-TV begins broadcasting.
WTSU radio begins broadcasting as an NPR affiliate.
Construction begins on Pell Avenue fraternity housing.
The Trojan football team wins the NCAA Division II National Championship with an 18-7 victory over North Dakota State.
Both the Men's and Women's golf teams win NCAA Division II National Championships.
The baseball team wins the NCAA Division II National Championship.
The Trojan baseball team wins a second NCAA national title.
The Trojan football team defeats Portland State 31-17 to win the NCAA D-II National Championship.
Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., is appointed as Chancellor.
The Adams Center Performing Arts Theater opens with Brighton Beach Memoirs as the first play.
Chase Riddle retires as Trojans baseball coach; the most winning coach in TROY baseball history.
Plans begin to move athletics from NCAA Division II to Division I
Enrollment at the Troy Campus tops 5,000, total enrollment passes 14,000
The Alabama Supreme Court hears arguments on campus and TSU-TV broadcasts the session live, a first for the state's highest court.
A study by USA Today finds the Troy Campus to be the safest campus in the Alabama and one the 15 safest campuses in the nation.
The Men's basketball team sets an NCAA scoring record with a 258-141 win over DeVry Institute.
In its final year of Division II competition, the men's basketball team advances to the national title game.
The Trojan football team advances to the national semi-finals in its first year of Division I-AA play.
Cowart Hall reopens as a dorm for female students; a new pool, weight room and volleyball courts also open.
Environmental Science and Sports Medicine are added to the TROY curriculum.
Basketball coach Don Maestri and baseball coach John Mayotte are each named Coach of the Year in the East Coast Athletic Conference in the first year of Division I competition for the two sports.
Legendary band director Dr. John M. Long leads the Sound of the South for his final homecoming game; the School of Music is named for him in December.
Hurricane Opal causes $1 million in damage to the University.
The Olympic Torch Relay stops on the Troy Campus on its way to the Centennial Olympic Summer Games in Atlanta.
Money Magazine selects TROY as one the nation's 25 best buys in public higher education.
The City of Troy issues the then-largest building permit in its history for the $6.5 million renovation and expansion of McCall Hall.
University initiates its first capital campaign, Quest for Excellence, chaired by alumnus Harrel McKinney.
TROY acquires the 12-acre site of the former Alabama Baptist Children's Home near the Troy Campus; the property later becomes home to Sorority Hill and the Southeast Alabama In-service Center.
The Women's basketball team makes its first appearance in the Division I championship tournament.
The City of Troy provides $4.5 million to fund improvements to Memorial Stadium and Sartain Hall
The Hawkins-Adams-Long Hall of Honor, which houses the Alabama Bandmasters Association Hall of Fame and the National Band Association Hall of Fame of Distinguished Conductors, is dedicated.
Ground is broken on the Rosa Parks Library and Museum at the Montgomery Campus.
The Board of Trustees votes to move the Trojan football program from Division I-AA to I-A effective 2001.
The renovated and expanded Pace Hall-Rotary International Living and Learning Center, home to the Office of International Programs and international student housing, opens.
TROY's budget tops $100 million for the first time.
Troy arts patron Claudia Crosby donated $1.3 million to renovate the Smith Hall Auditorium and fund arts and theater scholarships; the then-largest individual gift ever received by the University.
The Alumni Association charters its first international chapter in Kirov, Russia; 11 Kirov residents and TROY graduates sign the charter.
Ground is broken on the Library/Technology Building at the Dothan Campus
Award-winning actress Polly Holiday spends two weeks at TROY as a visiting professor of theater
A food court and fitness center are added to the Adams Student Center; work begins on Claudia Crosby Theater.
TROY begins its first school year on the semester system.
The TROY Alumni Association is organized with 28 charter members; the first president was Edgar M. Wright.
Dr. Christi Magrath receives the University's first National Science Foundation grant; at the time the largest individual grant received by a TROY faculty member
The TROY Collegiate Singers Perform in Carnegie Hall for the first time.
TROY total enrollments tops 18,000
The Rosa Parks Library and Museum opens at the Montgomery Campus
Quest for Excellence Capital Campaign concludes with about $20 million raised.
TROY Football moves into NCAA Division 1-A, now known as the Football Bowl Subdivision; the inaugural season is highlighted by an SEC win over Mississippi State on Oct. 13.
Irish Week Celebration is initiated (Alabama's official St. Patrick's Day parade)
The first 1+2+1 program students arrive on the Troy Campus from China.
The First Leadership Conference Celebrating Black History Month is held.
The Men's basketball team wins the Atlantic Sun Conference and participates in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since moving to Division I.
A new softball complex is completed
TROY enrollment tops 20,000 for the first time.
All TROY students receive a University email address.
A new Soccer/Track Complex is completed.
The University is invited into the Sun Belt Athletics programs.
In April of 2004, the Board of Trustees votes to drop State from the University's name to better reflect the institution's worldwide mission.
The renovated Quad is dedicated at the Troy Campus.
Construction completed on the Movie Gallery Veterans Stadium Tower.
TROY hosts its first nationally televised (on ESPN 2) home football game from Movie Gallery Veterans Stadium with a win against nationally ranked #19 Missouri.
TROY plays in the Silicon Valley Classic bowl game in its first D-I bowl appearance and its first bowl invitation in school history.
Troy University officially begins its new era as a unified, worldwide institution—One Great University.
The General Academic Building opens at the Troy Campus.
Inaugural Odyssey Convocation for first-year students and parents is held.
The TROY Trojans win the 2006 New Orleans Bowl against the Rice Owls, the first bowl game win for TROY, after capturing TROY's first Sun Belt Conference title.
The Children's Wing dedicated at the Rosa Parks Library and Museum.
The TROY baseball team wins Sun Belt Conference title and Sun Belt tournament Championship.
TROY embarks on its second capital campaign, Building Beyond Boundaries, chaired by distinguished alumnus Dr. Manuel H. Johnson.
The Trojan Village dorms and the new Barnes and Noble bookstore officially open.
TROY worldwide enrollment nears record 30,000.
University announces plans to begin the state's first Interpreter Training Program; classes begin in 2008.
The Alabama Commission on Higher Education grants approval for TROY to offer its first doctoral degree—the Doctorate in Nursing Practice.
The Trojans are named Sun Belt Conference co-champions.
The Lott Baseball Complex at Riddle-Pace Field debuts.
Gov. Bob Riley commits $8 million to the Bibb Graves Hall renovation project.
Confucius Institute is officially dedicated.
The TROY Trojans play in New Orleans Bowl, captured the Sun Belt Conference championship and played both LSU and Ohio State, the past year's BCS National Championship playoff teams. In non-conference play, the Trojans faced Big 10, Big 12 and SEC teams.
Jack Hawkins, Jr., Hall is dedicated.
Renovations begin on Bibb Graves Hall.
TROY receives an A1 bond rating, its highest rating ever, from Moody's Investor's Services.
Forbes magazine ranks TROY as the top public university in Alabama in it its annual college and university survey.
The Trojans football team marks its first undefeated season in the Sun Belt Conference and claimed their fourth-straight league championship.
TROY forms the Manuel H. Johnson Center of Political Economy.
The TROY Dance Repertory Ensemble performs in The Great Hall in Beijing as part of the celebration of the Sino-American 1-2-1 Dual Degree Program's 10th anniversary.
TROY Trojans play in GMAC Bowl as Sun Belt Conference champions.
The first graduating class of TROY's first doctoral program, the Doctorate of Nursing Practice, receives diplomas.
Troy University mathematics professor Dr. Sergey Belyi is named a Fulbright Scholar and will spend three months at East Ukrainian National University and Donetsk National University collaborating on mathematical research.
Two stories high with 5 dining stations and two retail options including Moe’s, Troy’s dining hall opens as one of the largest student dining halls east of the Mississippi.
TROY cuts the ribbon on Trojan Arena, and the men’s basketball team opens the facility with a 56-53 win over the SEC’s Mississippi State.
TROY celebrates its 125th birthday with a gala celebration and events on each of its Alabama campuses and around the world.
TROY dedicates Manuel H. Johnson Center for Political Economy in renovated and expanded Bibb Graves Hall.
TROY dedicates Confucius Institute offices in Bibb Graves Hall and recognizes Confucius Classroom partner schools in Birmingham and Montgomery.
Dr. John M. Long, director of bands emeritus, is honored with the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Award.
The TROY football team defeats Navy 41-31 on Nov. 10 in the University’s Military Appreciation Game at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Troy University celebrates the career and service of former Congressman Terry Everett, dedicating R. Terry Everett Hall and opening the Everett Congressional Library on the Dothan Campus.
TROY dedicates a major renovation of Wallace D. Malone Jr. Hall on the Dothan Campus to add classroom and lab space for degree programs in the College of Health and Human Services.
TROY holds 10th 1-2-1 Sino-American Dual Degree Program commencement ceremony in China.
“The Chronicle of Higher Education” names Troy University as a “2013 Great College to Work For” in the area of “Work/Life Balance.”
Troy University officials, joined by the Troy University Foundation officers and the Catholic Archdiocese of Mobile, formally open and dedicate the John Henry Cardinal Newman Center residence hall.
TROY dedicates the new John M. Long Hall, home to the University’s Long School of Music.
The Alabama Commission on Higher Education approves TROY’s first-ever doctor of philosophy degree – the Ph.D. in Sport Management.
TROY joins The Campus Kitchens Project, a national organization that empowers student volunteers to fight hunger in their community, with the official launch of its own Campus Kitchen.
TROY officials dedicate the Center for Student Success in honor of Dr. John W. Schmidt, a retired University administrator who served in leadership positions including Senior Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Senior Vice Chancellor for Advancement and External Relations.
The Hall School of Journalism and Communication is ranked 6th nationally in the Radio Television Digital News Association's 2014 Best College Journalism Schools survey.
Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., Chancellor, is one of nine chancellors worldwide and the only one in North America to receive the World Confucius Institute's Individual Performance Excellence Award.
TROY opens its Phenix City Riverfront Campus along the banks of the Chattahoochee River. The 48,000-square foot, four-story, $11.5 million building houses the Phenix City Campus' business, nursing and social work programs
The John M. Long School of Music takes delivery of the largest current collection of new Steinway pianos in the state, culminating the University’s initiative to become an All-Steinway School. The delivery brought the School’s inventory to 29 Steinway pianos, including the first two Sterling Steinways ever produced.
TROY celebrates the completion of its “Building Beyond Boundaries” capital campaign, announcing the effort had exceeded its goals in raising $258.3 million.
TROY’s Rosa Parks Museum, located on the University’s Montgomery Campus, celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
The Janice Hawkins Cultural Arts Park opens on the Troy Campus, featuring an amphitheater and several prominent art installations, including “Violata Pax Dove,” by the artist Fred “Nall” Hollis located on the Daniel Foundation of Alabama Plaza, 200 replica terracotta warriors by the artist Huo Bao Zhu and the International Arts Center.
Troy University Libraries receive national attention after installing exercise bikes containing stations for laptop computers were installed at the Troy and Dothan campuses.
Troy University, Barnes and Noble and Montgomery officials cut the ribbon on the new Trojan Cafe on the University's Montgomery Campus.
DeMarcus Ware Day is declared in Alabama, and the University salutes its Super Bowl champion alumnus by presenting him with the Distinguished Leadership Award.
Five Troy University students are part of The Leon Levy Expedition, a 30-year excavation of Ashkelon, Israel, that unearths what archeologists believe to be the world’s first discovered Philistine cemetery.
The Trojans football team posts a win over Ohio in the Dollar General Bowl to cap a 10-win that included the program’s first-ever ranking in the Associated Press Top 25.
In a historic fall commencement ceremony, Sara Shoffner received the University’s first Doctor of Philosophy degree, earning the Ph.D. in Sport Management.
TROY football completes its best season ever, posting an 11-2 record, capturing a share of the Sun Belt Conference title and winning the New Orleans Bowl over North Texas. The epic season included a 24-21 win over LSU in Baton Rouge on September 30.
Troy University and Troy Bank and Trust partner to launch the IDEA Bank, an initiative of the Sorrell College of Business aimed at cultivating and supporting student entrepreneurs who will launch business ventures in collaboration with faculty, fellow students and mentors from the community. As a part of the effort, the college launched the Troy Bank and Trust Entrepreneurship Program, an interdisciplinary minor designed to provide students with a strong understanding of business and entrepreneurship theory, practices and applications.
TROY announces plans for the creation of the Coleman Center for Early Learning and Enrichment at the University’s Dothan Campus. The facility will be named for James F. Coleman, the longtime chairman of Coleman Worldwide Moving, whose family’s donation helped make the project possible.
TROY unveils North End Zone facility at Veterans Memorial Stadium as new football season kicks off.
Troy University receives grant from the U.S. Department of Education to implement the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program, which is designed to provide first generation and underrepresented undergraduate student populations the opportunity to pursue graduate and doctoral degrees.
TROY received a $3.2 million grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology to establish the Center for Materials and Manufacturing Sciences, focusing on research in the areas of polymers and polymer recycling.
TROY dedicated the new Earl Hutto Studio in Wallace Hall that provides broadcast journalism students to opportunity to hone their craft in a state-of-the-art television studio. The studio is named in honor of Hutto, a renowned news broadcaster who went on to serve eight terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, who alongside his wife, Nancy, donated $100,000 toward the renovation of the TROY TrojanVision studios.
The Sorrell College of Business earns initial AACSB Business Accreditation. AACSB Accreditation provides a framework of 15 international standards against which business schools around the world assess the quality of their educational services. AACSB-accredited schools have successfully undergone a rigorous review process conducted by their peers in the business education community, ensuring that they have the resources, credentials, and commitment needed to provide students with a first-rate, future-focused business education. AACSB-accredited business schools are recognized as the best business schools in the world.
TROY unveils a clock in front of Smith Hall as a part of a celebration honoring Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr.’s 30 years as Chancellor.
TROY’s School of Accountancy earns accreditation from AACSB International, making the Sorrell College of Business one of only 189 colleges of business worldwide to hold dual AACSB accreditation.
TROY receives approval from the Alabama Commission on Higher Education and the Southern Association of College and Schools’ Commission on Colleges to offer a new Ph.D. program in Global Leadership. The program will launch in fall 2020.
The Alabama Commission on Higher Education approves an instructional role change for Troy University that will allow the University to offer additional doctoral degrees, a move that paves the way for TROY’s continued maturation as a research institution.