Drexel Hughes has been the director of telecommunications at Troy University for 35 years. He sat down with the Tropolitan to explain why telecommunications has remained a lucrative job.
A Pike County native, Hughes got his start at a local heating and air conditioning company six months before he started working at Troy University as a laborer. Hughes has now worked his way up to the position of Director of Telecommunications.
“It’s been good,” Hughes said. “It has helped me raise my family and get my daughter through high school and college, and I enjoy working here.”.
Telecommunications (telecom) handles all the administration's phone service for the Troy campuses and runs the wire and hookup network when they need it. A few of the benefits of having telecom services are having access to voicemail, entering office connectivity between the campuses, 5-digit dialing, credit card machines and vendors on campus like the ones in the Trojan Center food court.
The Information Technology (IT) department works closely with Telecom to ensure that their services are working accordingly. IT handles data programming on the internet and deploying APs. Telecom is all voice, and they wire for the IT department, like from a jack on the wall to back to a router or switch.
Working for Telecom requires a lot of behind-the-scenes work that many people may not be familiar with.
“We run internal wiring that they will never see, and we do fiber optics between the buildings so they can hook up to the outside world,” Hughes said. “I like doing things that require me to use my hands.
“When I get something accomplished, like the new buildings, it makes me feel good because I can turn around and look at what we have accomplished.”
Telecom has recently wrapped up work on the Center for Materials and Manufacturing Sciences building and is wrapping up on the new College of Health Sciences building, Jones Hall. The university is also looking into building an indoor practice field for the football team.
Hughes enjoys working with his staff, and although he’s the boss, he doesn’t view his status that way.
“We get along,” Hughes said. “Everyone knows their job.
“We’re like a big family,” Hughes said.
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