30 years of Hawkins at the helm

(PHOTO/ University Relations) Sarah Mountain Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins Jr. celebrated his 30th anniversary at Troy University this Monday. On Sept. 1, 1989, Hawkins was named the successor to Ralph Adams after Adams’ retirement. Hawkins said the five categories he’s worked on in the past 30 years are academic maturation, moving to become a Division 1 football team, becoming Alabama’s International University, earning the title of Alabama’s most beautiful campus and merging three campuses into one. “Troy University is a unique institution, and it’s been a real privilege to be a part of it,” Hawkins said. Hawkins said the rich spirit and tradition of Troy are what originally attracted him and his family here. He loved the school’s deep sense of service to the military as well. However, the shift he wanted for Troy’s environment was to become more culturally aware. “In our efforts to graduate students who are globally competitive, we recognize you can’t be globally competitive if you aren’t globally aware,” Hawkins said. “We have almost 80 countries represented in our student body—they come from all over the world and they bring so much here, and we are a better university as a result of it.” Becoming an international university was just a part of transforming Troy into what it is today. “We’ve gone from a largely baccalaureate and master’s level to a doctoral program,” Hawkins said. “We were among the first to go online in America. “That was a real turning point because technology probably represents the greatest shift and change.” Hawkins said that this accomplishment is one he finds himself extremely proud of, as it means we are serving more people across the country. Hawkins pledged to continue creating more ways to get students real experience and providing professional guidance while in college with the ability to get a job after graduation. “Every student needs an opportunity for an internship; every student needs an opportunity to study abroad,” Hawkins said.