The Talk of Troy

This week, Fox News Contributor Johnny “Joey” Jones spoke at Troy University's annual Helen Keller Lecture. The series shines a light on the challenges and achievements of people with physical limitations.

TROY Public Radio's classical music program Opus 3 has launched over 890 episodes in its 25-year history. To celebrate, we sat down with the brain and voice behind the show, as TROY Public Radio's Addison Minton reports. And, Troy University's Opera Workshop is staging Princess Ida, a comedy opera telling the tale of two kingdoms... and one unwanted marriage. TROY's opera workshop encourages student performers and the audience to step outside their comfort zone, as Producer Reana Wallace reports.

This week, we'll celebrate 100 years of the classic novel, The Great Gatsby. And, NPR is launching Tiny Desk Radio. We'll take a look behind the concert desk on The Talk of TROY.

Troy University's student-produced comedy play, Uncle Louis's House, is aiming to reconnect audiences with their loved ones... and leave them with a few questions. And, over Spring Break, Troy University fraternity Alpha Tau Omega recently held their annual charity event Walk Hard.

Last weekend, Trojan Day welcomed hundreds to see just what Troy University has to offer. Some visitors are already set to be Trojans! And, Selma, Alabama is marking the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, when peaceful protestors were violently beaten by Alabama state troopers while crossing the Edmund Pettus bridge.

Miss Troy University 2025 has been crowned! The winner will go on to compete for Miss Alabama, and potentially even Miss America. And, we'll visit Troy's International Arts Center with the newest artist-in-residence.

Have you ever considered... running your own hospital? Well, you may be in luck! Troy University is offering a new PhD specialization in Global Healthcare Leadership. And, for fifty years, TROY TrojanVision has only been available on cable tv. Until now!

Troy University Director of Jazz Studies Dave Camwell is tackling a challenging piece of music from a legendary composer. And, Troy University faculty and student research has been recognized by the National Communication Association convention held in New Orleans.

Longtime Voice of the Trojans Barry McKnight has been recognized as the Alabama Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Producer Jack Anderson sat down with McKnight to discuss his extensive history with the Trojans stretching over 20 years.

The Voice of the Trojans Barry McKnight recently was named the Alabama sportscaster of the year! And TROY student journalists won several awards themselves last weekend!

Troy University's John Robert Lewis Leadership conference is once again aiming to inspire young leaders to follow in the footsteps of the late civil rights legend. And, TROY is bolstering its reputation as Alabama's international university by building partnerships in Vietnam.

How do you study something that you can't see? The Troy University Center for Relativity and Cosmology recently posed that question with its Dark Matter in the Universe lecture. Jack Anderson reports. And, 2023 ended with a surge of book bans in Florida and other states. Many of those books feature LGBTQ topics. So, two groups at TROY are partnering to recognize LGBTQ literature with a read-in. Reana Wallace has the story.

StoryCorps's Great Thanksgiving Listen is an opportunity for families to get together and interview each other. And, those recordings are uploaded and saved in the Library of Congress. Troy University's International Arts Center recently celebrated Diwali. The event was hosted by the Indian Student Association after a three-year long hiatus.

Speaking in front of an audience can be frightening, but it's an extremely useful skill! That's why a TROY faculty member started a new debate team a year ago, and students are already having success! Producer Brendan Bryan reports. And, after nearly 40 years of service to Troy University, Director of Student Involvement Barbara Patterson has retired. But, Patterson is staying involved, as producer Reana Wallace reports.

Troy University is offering a new military veterans tuition scholarship. And this is part of a long line of initiatives in place to serve members of the armed forces. And, we'll look back at the long history of Veterans Memorial Stadium on TROY's main campus.      

Troy University students are getting ready for Super Tuesday, as producer Brendan Bryan reports. And, TROY's Chancellor Jack Hawkins Jr. served as a marine platoon leader in the Vietnam War. He and a former enemy, now a fellow educator, feature in the new documentary, Beyond a War. TROY Public Radio's Reana Wallace attended the premiere and has this report.

This week, we'll listen to a spooky story about Sasquatch, and we'll celebrate the second season of Alabama Aloud by visiting Opelika with actor, author, and retired football player Thom Gossom Jr.

This week, we remember renowned artist Fred "Nall" Hollis, and Chancellor Jack Hawkins Jr. announces his decision not to retire next year.  

Producer Joey Hudson sits down with Troy University graduate Madison Faile to discuss Faile's newest exhibition on display in the International Arts Center.

Producer Brendan Bryan talks with Dave Camwell about his band Covert Ensemble and the process of rearranging music in a modern form.

A new sculpture exhibition at Troy University's Rosa Parks Museum is helping bring awareness to the struggle of those affected by homelessness. Also, we commemorate an ornate clock built in front of Smith Hall that honors Jack Hawkins Jr.'s 35 years and counting as chancellor at Troy University.

Producer Brendan Bryan talks with Barbara Patterson about her recent retirement after serving the school as director of student involvement for over 40 years.

Troy University's Sports Broadcasting Director Barry McKnight has a recognizable name, but an even more iconic voice. And now, as Producer Brendan Bryan tells us, McKnight is hosting the new podcast, Trojans Talk Research.

Troy University's new gymnastics team is already springing to great heights. After just one year of competing, the squad of life-long gymnasts and first-timers.... have become champions! Producer Emily Mosier jumps in. And, in 1987, Stephan Sondheim's musical Into the Woods debuted to much critical and commercial acclaim. Now, a new production takes center stage at Troy University, as Producer Brendan Bryan reports.

A clarinet professor at Troy University is working to bring the instrument the respect it deserves through Clarinet Day. Producer Jack Anderson has the story. And, over Spring Break, Troy University fraternity Alpha Tau Omega recently held their annual charity event Walk Hard. That's a 128.3-mile trek across two states! Producer Chris Ahlf reports.

Comedians don't usually headline the International Arts Center, but currently there's an exhibit on display that might make you think they do. The artist, Winfred Hawkins, blends dark humor with digital art and works on canvas. TROY Public Radio's Chris Ahlf paints the full picture. And, bird is the word this week! Thanks to restoration efforts at the arboretum, more than eight miles of trails have been cleared out, an outdoor classroom has been installed, and two new bridges have been built. And that's just pecking the surface, as Producer Brendan Bryan reports.

Producer Chris Ahlf sits down with Winfred Hawkins, the artist behind the new exhibition, "Comedian". It earns its title by balancing dark humor with social commentary.

This week, we'll check in with Troy University's student journalists, who recently visited Selma to cover the 59th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. We'll also find out how TROY celebrated International Women's Day.

Last weekend, Troy University hosted the Southeastern Journalism Conference, or SEJC. And, former Troy Public Radio producers won awards! Also, the main campus library has hosted the English Honor Society's annual African American read-in.

TROY Public Radio recently launched two new podcasts, and this week, we're taking you behind the scenes of both.

Troy University's Department of Theatre and Dance is staging its first narrative dance show in several years: Chaos, the story of how it all began. This is specifically the version from Greek myth. But, there's a modern twist. Producer Chris Ahlf has the tale. And a new Miss Troy University has been crowned. The competition is about more than just looks; it opens opportunities for contestants, as Producer Ariyid Hightower reports.

Troy University recently held its annual leadership conference dedicated to the late Civil Rights Legend John Lewis. The goal is to encourage people from different cultural backgrounds to collaborate and get into good trouble, as Producer Ariyid Hightower reports. And last week, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited Lockheed Martin's weapons manufacturing plant in TROY, almost two years after the War in Ukraine began. And Troy University journalism students were on the scene, as Producer Brendan Bryan tells us.

Producer Chris Ahlf reports on a generous donation presented by Neil Patrick Harris and Ira Glass. And shoreline erosion means the Pointe-au-Chene tribe is losing land... but two Troy University professors have joined a team creating a solution. Producer Brendan Bryan reports.

Cheers echoed on TROY's main campus last December as the Trojans took home a Sunbelt Championship for the second year in a row. And some fans took home a souvenir, as Producer Jack Anderson reports. And, thanks to a $150,000 grant, The Rosa Parks Museum on Troy University's Montgomery campus has reopened with brand new technology! The goal is to give visitors a look at history in a new light... and on new screens! Producer Ariyid Hightower has the story.

A Troy University professor has just released his debut novel! The thriller is centered around a trial involving forbidden romance. Producer Jack Anderson has the story. And, last week, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey visited TROY's main campus to celebrate broadband expansion in the wiregrass region... and across the state! Producer Brendan Bryan connects us to the story.

This year's Sounds of the Season is set during a 1940s Holiday radio show complete with a missing star singer, a swinging jazz band, and a grumpy boss, as producer Brendan Bryan reports. And, earlier this month, the Remember Love Recovery Project collaborated with TROY's International Arts Center to create a way for people to share experiences about addiction disorder and the road to recovery. Producer PJ Heath brings us to the heart of the story.

SAMLA was the word for two Troy students and their professor. SAMLA stands for South Atlantic Modern Language Association and the conference they attended in Atlanta was a great first professional opportunity, as producer Brendan Bryan reports. And, every year on the day after Thanksgiving, the oral history project Storycorps holds its National Day of Listening. In 2019, Troy Public Radio partnered with International Programs at Troy University to record Storycorps interviews with individuals from other countries about their experience with American holidays and those from their own country. Producer PJ Heath reports.

Earlier this year, TROY Public Radio launched the podcast “Alabama Aloud.” The audiobook-style podcast gives new life to classic short stories from famous authors like Truman Capote and F. Scott Fitzgerald. And it highlights regional writers, as Producer Emily Mosier reports. And, TROY's Hall School of Journalism and Communication recently held the annual intramural speech tournament. Students across the main campus had a chance to shine, as Producer PJ Heath reports.

This week, we visit Troy University's arboretum to learn about the techniques our ancestors used to create fire. And, we go behind the scenes of the new play, The Diviners, about a young boy with a terrible fear of water but an extraordinary talent to find it.

As October draws to a close, that can only mean... two things: Halloween... and TROYapalooza, Troy University's annual Fall celebration! There was rock climbing, live performances, free food, and more! And we revisit the four-faced clock commemorating Jack Hawkins Jr.'s 34 years as chancellor of Troy University.

With the help of Troy University's Small Business Development Center, two brothers have a business that's as hot as their sauce! And, we stop the presses to bring you a look at the history of The Tropolitan student newspaper.

Troy University's International Arts Center was buzzing last Thursday with the reception of “From the Hive”. The new exhibit explores the cultural evolution of the symbol of the ‘goddess' as PJ Heath reports. Veterans Memorial Stadium was built for a mere $65,000, which was big money in 1950. In its first years of existence the stadium seated 5,000 Trojan fans. Today, it can hold six times that number.

Libraries across the country are marking banned book week with a variety of activities, and Troy is no exception. This week, Troy University Libraries held a number of special events and Producer Jackson Tucker went to one of them. And, Troy University students and graduates were recently selected to compete in the Mentone Film Festival in Southern California. The diverse range of entries includes short films, music videos, and a PSA, as Jaelanne Thomas reports.

Troy University will soon be offering new doctoral programs! This is a big step towards establishing TROY as a research institution, as Producer PJ Heath reports. And, TROY's Music Industry Program Coordinator Robert Smith died last week due to complications from heart surgery. He was 64. Smith was known internationally for his talents as a composer, conductor, music publisher, and educator. Host Emily Lewis reports.

Troy University has been recognized as one of the 100 best online colleges in the nation by the college guidance system Abound. TROY has many online options and Producer PJ Heath spoke with people both teaching and taking courses. And, have you ever thought about what an oyster's dream home would be? Well, TROY's environmental science faculty have! Thanks to a $114,843 grant, they've developed an oyster habitat suitability model. Producer Emily Lewis has the story.

The Rosa Parks Museum on the Troy Montgomery campus recently launched “Exploration of the Youniverse, Vol. 2" in the first-floor gallery hall. The vibrant artwork encourages viewers not only to search for meaning in the pieces, but also within themselves. Host Jaelanne Thomas reports. And, as you probably already know, The Talk of TROY is a student-produced podcast. But did you know that Troy University students can build their own organizations? Producer PJ Heath reports.

It's been said that the Tuskegee Airmen never lost a bomber! But, is that actually true? Military historian and author Daniel Haulman says otherwise, as TROY Public Radio's PJ Heath reports. 

Troy University is proud of its reputation as “Alabama's International University,” and one of the ways it's earned the title is through the study abroad program. Host Emily Mosier reports. And, Troy University is raising money for a scholarship in honor of its first black board of trustees member, Lamar Higgins. Producer PJ Heath reports.

A student from the Hall School of Journalism and Communication has received a national first place award for in-depth reporting. Jared McBride happens to be a graduate of TROY Public Radio's internship program. And, this Fall, a new business is coming to Troy University bringing fruits, nuts, chocolate, and a motto to be a good human, as Host Emily Mosier reports.

Enjoy this excerpt of The Declaration of Independence read by Troy University Associate Professor of Performance, Quinton Cockrell.

This week, on an extended interview edition of The Talk of TROY, Montgomery's Rosa Parks Museum is featuring a new exhibition depicting an artist's childhood memories of the Civil Rights Movement.