Emma Daniel
News Editor
In 15 and a half counties in Alabama, Troy University claimed the most students in Fall 2018 for the second year in a row, according to the Alabama Commission on Higher Education. Troy was also ranked in the Princeton Review’s Best Southeastern Colleges, making this year 15 of that honor.
“At Troy, you get the best education for the best price,” said SGA President Morgan Long, a senior sports management major from Birmingham.
“The Princeton Review says that, and I’m sure it’s a thousand percent accurate.“You’re not going to regret spending your dollar at Troy because it’s going to be invested back into you.”
Last school year also marked the second year Troy University claimed more pluralities of Alabama students, taking more than 15 counties over second place Jacksonville State’s nine.
“The past two years we have had the most counties (in Alabama) say Troy University is their favorite school, which is tremendous,” Long said. “In the Wiregrass, Troy University is the most prominent university in the state of Alabama.”
The Wiregrass Region of Alabama includes Barbour, Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston and Pike counties.
Buddy Starling, the associate vice chancellor for enrollment management, said Troy’s success is driven by “all strategy-based” recruiting and advertising.
“It has a lot to do with what our current students say about their experiences here, and it has a lot to do with how our alumni are received and perceived in the communities where they work and serve,” Starling said. “Within those counties, we’re fortunate to have the structural setup we do.
“For years, our strategy has been to dominate those counties that are within about an hour and half around Troy.”
The Dothan and Montgomery campuses also sit within that area.
“We own our backyard,” Starling said.
Recruitment isn’t stopping in the Wiregrass, though – Troy is expanding its reach to bigger Alabama cities and into the tri-state area, according to Starling.
“The popularity of Troy is consistently on the rise,” Long said. “We have a strong grasp in the Wiregrass, and we’re starting to make headway in Birmingham and Mobile.”