Sorrell dean steps up, accountancy director takes his place

Edwards (right) and Grice (left) smile for their headshots.

University Relations photos

Troy University welcomed a new interim senior vice chancellor at the beginning of this semester, opening the door for a once-retired program director at the Sorrell College of Business to step up as interim dean.

Dr. Judson Edwards, formerly the dean of the Sorrell College of Business, is in the first weeks of his time as interim senior vice chancellor for Troy – a position that, for him, has been a long time coming.

“Twenty years ago, I had the blessed opportunity to come home to Troy,” Edwards said. “When I think about the fact that I first came here as a student and now have the privilege of serving as interim provost, that’s very special to me.”

Growing up in Smiths Station, Alabama, and earning his undergraduate degree at Troy, Edwards formed a bond with the university early on, before going off to graduate school at the University of North Dakota and the University of Southern Mississippi. He would stay at Southern Miss for a few years as an economics professor and the director of their economic development program.

Then, in 2006, he came back to Troy, serving as an economics professor and the director of the Center for International Business and Economic Development. After four years in that position, he moved up to become the dean of the Sorrell College of Business, a job that he held for 16 years.

“I loved the opportunity to build something in the college where I earned my degree,” Edwards said. “We have an outstanding group of faculty and staff, and together we strengthened the quality of the College, earned AACSB accreditation for both business and accounting, expanded our programs and really changed the trajectory of the Sorrell College.”

Now, the scope of his work at the university has gotten larger as his responsibility no longer resides in just one of Troy’s academic colleges, but all of them.

“I love the Sorrell College, and as dean, you become very accustomed to advocating for your college,” Edwards said. “Now, I advocate for five academic colleges, First Year Studies and a number of other academic units, and my responsibility is to think about what is best for Troy University and our students as a whole.”

While it may sound daunting and like Edwards has more on his plate as of late, he said the position has given him an interesting shift in perspective.

“There has also been a funny realization: for years, I would sit in meetings and think, ‘I wish they would do this,’ or ‘Why doesn't someone change that?’ but a couple of weeks into the new job, it hit me that the ‘they’ and ‘someone’ now often means me,” Edwards said. “That is OK, though, it just goes with the office.”

As interim provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs, Edwards’ business school mindset isn’t leaving him. He said he wants to use his time in this position as a time to encourage every Troy student to dream of their success and then make those dreams happen.

“I want Troy to be a place that is willing to create and take calculated risks that push us forward, to be more entrepreneurial,” Edwards said. “I talked about creating a ‘culture of yes’ at the faculty convocation.

“That doesn’t mean saying yes to every request or idea. It means yes, there is hope for what I want to do here at Troy, where our first instinct is to figure out how we might make it happen rather than defaulting to why we can’t before we even start”

After four years of undergrad and 20 years of faculty and administrative work, moving up in Troy was far more ideal than moving out. Much like he intends for his students to do, with this new position he’s made his ideal situation happen.

“Troy is my home,” Edwards said. “I have had opportunities during my career to go to other places, but I have never felt that I had to leave Troy to accomplish something meaningful.

“In fact, I have always felt just the opposite. There is tremendous opportunity here to build, create and make a difference.”

With Edwards’ tremendous opportunity came another for Dr. Stephen Grice, taking his place as interim dean of the Sorrell College of Business.

Grice had previously been retired since 2022, after 25 years of teaching in the Carr School of Accountancy, many of them as the program’s director. Grice graduated from Troy’s undergraduate program in 1989 and returned in 1997 after getting his doctorate from the University of Alabama.

“It has been exciting re-joining Troy University as the interim dean of the Sorrell College Business,” Grice said. “As director of the Carr School of Accountancy, I could focus all my energy solely on the accounting program and its students, but as the interim dean, I must give proper attention to all the various degree programs in business school.”

Coming out of retirement wasn’t exactly Grice’s plan, though. Edwards approached him after receiving his request to step up from Chancellor Hawkins and the idea of returning to Troy piqued his interest.

“It is an honor and I am very humbled by the opportunity to serve my alma mater,” Grice said.

His mission in this interim position is to oversee the major transition that Sorrell is undergoing and ensure that all changes happen smoothly and successfully.

“My top priority is to ensure the leadership transition within the Sorrell College of Business goes smoothly and that the school continues to thrive under the new leadership,” Grice said.

Founded in 1971, the Sorrell College of Business had been established for 18 years at the time of Grice’s graduation. Now in its 55th year, the Sorrell College of Business is being led by a man who contributed to 37 years of its development.