Troy creates chancellor search committee

With Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr. soon to retire, the Troy University Board of Trustees created a committee dedicated to finding his successor.

The committee consists of 14 Troy University executives, faculty, staff and alumni.

The committee members are tasked with reviewing applications from potential future chancellors and recommending the best applicants to the board of trustees. They held their first meeting last Thursday, where they discussed what exactly they are looking for in Troy University’s next chancellor.

"At the end of the day, I think what it really came down to in that meeting was we've got to have a chancellor that is student centered first,” said Interim Provost and Search Committee Member Dr. Judson Edwards. “It's about the students – everything we do – and so, we've got to have a chancellor that has a heart for the student and making sure that they are taken care of and have everything they need to be successful."

While it is not uncommon for boards to appoint search committees like this one and include students on them, it is uncommon for a student to have a vote on them.

That said, the Troy University Board of Trustees made sure to make a seat for Student Government Association (SGA) President Chris Hood. As the committee’s student representative, Hood brings a focus on voices and concerns of students into consideration as the members recommend potential future chancellors.

“I know that a really important part of the committee is getting student feedback, so I have the honor of being SGA President and serving as that student role,” Hood said. “I’m discussing what the students want to see, how they feel about the current environment at Troy and how I think that students would respond to certain changes coming up in the future.”

Hood said he and other students, like Edwards, are wanting a chancellor who will meet them where they are while also building upon the community of Troy.

“I think that the biggest asset that we have at Troy is the feeling of home,” Hood said. “[The next chancellor] has got to be somebody that falls in love with our community and is willing to carry on that feeling of home.

"Dr. Hawkins is a legendary figure and he's done so much for this university and now that he's retiring, I think students really want to see someone pick up that gauntlet. I think students want to see them take on that challenge and exceed, continue to grow this school into something absolutely great."

Although Hawkins will soon leave big shoes to fill, Edwards said Troy's legacy rides on more than just its chancellor’s shoulders.

"Troy is bigger than any one person, it's bigger than any of us,” Edwards said. “We're just caretakers of this university.

“Dr. Hawkins did his part, and whoever the university chooses for the next era, I'm sure it'll be someone who adds to that legacy."

The committee has a little more than a year to recommend its top picks for the next chancellor. Hawkins is currently scheduled to step down by the end of 2027.