Troy Giving

04/01/2026

As the Sound of the South Marching Band continues to prepare and raise funds to perform in the 2027 London Parade, band members are excited about representing Troy University in one of the largest New Year’s events in the world. The Sound of the South (SOTS) welcomes students of all majors to be...

01/13/2026

01/12/2026

Chasity Barnes, a 2002 and 2007 graduate of Troy University, served as the Community College Relations Coordinator for TROY until she passed away in 2009 after a brief illness. Her sister, Amanda Barnes Granger, wanted to honor Barnes and keep her memory alive by establishing the Chasity Dione Barnes Memorial Scholarship in 2024.

Since her sister’s passing, Granger has made it her personal mission to make sure her sister is never forgotten.

“Her light was too bright to be dimmed so suddenly,” she said. “I feel like, since I’m the oldest sister, that even in death I want to take care of my little sister.”

Granger said that scholarships seemed to be the natural choice to honor her sister. Since 2009, the Barnes family has been awarding scholarships in some capacity in memory of Chasity.

“We get to help students achieve their dreams of a college education,” she said. “And those recipients and their families get to learn Chasity’s name. That helps with my mission to keep her memory alive and well.”

The Chasity Dione Barnes Memorial Scholarship was established to assist students on the Troy Campus, with the first preference given to an African American student who is an incoming freshman from Coffee, Houston, Henry, or Dale counties in Alabama. Recipients must exemplify high moral standards and values and realize the importance of a quality education. Recipients will be selected by the Troy University Scholarship Committee. One $1,000 scholarship will be awarded annually to assist with tuition and fees. Recipients are also required to write a thank you letter to the donor and must attend the scholarship donor and recipient reception held each April.

Granger described Barnes as an ambitious young woman who always wanted more. Despite growing up in the small town of Webb, Alabama, she was determined to be successful.

“Chasity knew that education was her key to success,” she said. “And helping students reach their educational goals by awarding them a scholarship was the perfect way to honor her legacy.”

Granger, who is also a TROY graduate, said that Barnes decided to follow in her footsteps by attending TROY, creating a family tradition.

“I think TROY was special to Chasity because she had seen me graduate from there,” Granger said. “When it was her time, she applied and was awarded the same scholarship as me, the Troy Leadership Scholarship, and studied kind of the same classes. I did broadcast journalism, and she did public relations and journalism. But she had to outdo me by later getting her MBA. That’s my Chasity!”

“TROY is our family’s legacy now. All four of us sisters attended TROY. Three of us graduated, and all three of us have master’s degrees from TROY as well. One of Chasity’s beloved nieces, Bethany Granger, graduated in 2022 with her bachelor’s degree.”

Granger also shared that Barnes not only loved her family, but also her Savior.

“She loved God with everything in her. I think that’s what made her illness somewhat easier to process. She knew God would either bring her through it or she would be with her Lord and Savior.”

Students who are interested in applying for the scholarship can do so here before the deadline on March 1. If you would like to donate to the scholarship, you can do that here.

In 2018, Granger established a nonprofit called Chasity’s Champions Inc., which provides educational resources and financial aid to students in memory of her sister.

12/18/2025

The “Sound of the South” Marching Band is headed to London!

In January 2027, our band will perform in The London New Year’s Day Parade, a once-in-a-lifetime chance for our students.

However, this dream carries travel costs beyond the band’s budget. Your year-end gift can make this journey possible for every member and bring our students one step closer to London.

$2,182 — Sponsors a Student
This amount covers half the cost of a student’s trip and helps them proudly represent Troy University on an international stage. Your generosity could be the difference between a student hoping to go and a student marching down the streets of London.

Each contribution, large or small, brings us closer to making this unforgettable experience a reality for our students.

Give before December 31, 2025 to help our students prepare for their 2027 London debut!

12/08/2025

At 6:06 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 1, bells around the country chimed for 70 seconds to mark the 70th anniversary of the historic arrest of Rosa Parks that sparked the 382-day boycott of Montgomery city buses. At Troy University’s Rosa Parks Museum, located on the spot of Mrs. Parks’ arrest, those bells not only were a reminder of the past, but also a signal of things to come.

The museum, which opened on Dec. 1, 2000, has launched a fundraising campaign to create a permanent exhibit that reveals the full depth of Mrs. Parks’ lifelong activism and honors her as a global symbol of justice. In partnership with the Library of Congress, the museum is working to bring a significant portion of Mrs. Parks’ personal collection home to Alabama.

On Monday – Rosa Parks Day in Alabama — the temporary exhibit, “Rosa Parks: A Lifetime of Being Rebellious,” opened in the museum’s gallery to serve as a teaser to the planned permanent exhibit. The temporary exhibit will be on display for the next 13 months, the same length of time as the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

“We still have a lot of people that come to the museum who think that her only involvement was her arrest and what took place on this corner here in Montgomery. She had two decades of civil rights and social justice work that she was doing before the boycott and five decades after,” Beisel said. “The purpose of the exhibit is to show the breadth and depth of her activism and tease what we are working toward in the future. Today, we are kicking off our fundraising campaign to create a permanent exhibit that goes more into Mrs. Parks’ life and legacy and incorporates many of the actual items from the Library of Congress, bringing them back to Montgomery where we feel they belong.”

The exhibit provided the cornerstone for the museum’s commemoration of Rosa Parks Day, the 70th anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the 25th anniversary of the museum itself.

Throughout the day, visitors took advantage of free admission to the museum and children’s wing, viewed the exhibit and had the opportunity to climb aboard the City of Montgomery’s 1950s-era bus. A large group of students from Montgomery’s Dozier Elementary School were among those there to learn about the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.”

Ann Clemons, who portrays Mrs. Parks at events in and around Montgomery, spoke with students and answered questions during their visit.

On Monday evening, marchers gathered at the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church for a Unity March, organized by St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church, Mrs. Parks home church during her time in Montgomery. Marchers sang as they walked, making their way down Dexter, around Court Square and onto Montgomery Street, ending in front of the museum that is a part of Troy University’s Montgomery Campus. As they gathered steps away from the historic marker denoting the location of Mrs. Parks’ arrest, a light rain began to fall. It didn’t dampen the spirits of those there to celebrate and remember.

Doris Crenshaw, founder and CEO of the Southern Youth Leadership Development Institute, said having Dec. 1 recognized as Rosa Parks Day in the state, a move made by the Alabama Legislature in 2018, was a positive step, but still more needed to be done to honor her legacy and the memory of so many heroes of the Civil Rights Movement.

“Sometimes as the years go by, we tend to erase history, and we don’t talk about what happened 70 years ago,” she said. “So, I think that every year, we should support the efforts to get a national Rosa Parks holiday – not only that, but to teach about Rosa Parks’ history in our schools and in our nation.”

Beisel agreed that the commemoration of Rosa Parks Day was important, not only in Montgomery but throughout the country.

“It is important to remember this milestone, especially in the climate we are in today with stories being overlooked or purposely pushed to the side,” Beisel said. “This day gives us the opportunity to commemorate her legacy and her full life of activism. It also goes beyond Rosa Parks. It is about the whole community coming together to enact change.”

To support the Rosa Parks Museum’s expansion project, visit https://troy.scalefunder.com/cfund/project/46389.

12/05/2025

WSFA 12 News, the NBC affiliate in Montgomery, Alabama, has established a $25,000 endowed scholarship at Troy University for students enrolled in the Hall School of Journalism and Communication who plan to pursue a career in Journalism.

WSFA presented a check for the Desmond Wingard Legacy Memorial Scholarship to TROY, on Wednesday, Dec. 3, during the noon newscast. His family was also in attendance and committed $10,000 to the scholarship.

Wingard, a TROY alum, began working at WSFA in 1999 as a part-time photographer and was named the News Director in 2022. He passed away on Oct. 30 following a battle with cancer.
Mark P. Bunting, General Manager for WSFA, emphasized the profound impact Wingard made during his time at the station.

“During his twenty-six years of employment at WSFA 12 News, Desmond Wingard left his mark on everything he touched and is a key reason the television station and its digital platforms continue to grow in audience size and popularity,” he said.

Recipients will be selected by the Troy University Scholarship Committee and awarded for the academic year beginning in the fall and will be for one year only. Each recipient will also be required to write a letter of appreciation to the donors. Priority will be given to students majoring in Broadcast Journalism who must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0. Ideal recipients for this scholarship are students who, like Desmond, demonstrate a passion for journalism and a heart for public service — individuals who see journalism not only as a career, but as a calling to inform, uplift and serve their communities. The scholarship will be administered through the Troy University Foundation.

Bunting hopes that the scholarship will be awarded to students who have the same drive and vision for a profession in broadcast journalism that Wingard had.

“We have so many TROY graduates that work here at WSFA, and it is only fitting that we create an opportunity to help students grow to become a member of the broadcast community,” he said.

"This scholarship proudly reflects the shared commitment of Troy University, WSFA 12 News and Gray Media to invest in future journalists throughout our region, the State of Alabama and beyond,” said William Filmore, Vice Chancellor of Government and External Relations. “Desmond Wingard devoted his life to accurately informing, inspiring and serving our communities. We are proud to help carry that same mission forward by honoring his legacy through financially supporting students who will one day follow in his footsteps.”

Wingard’s sister, Tonya Kimball, shared that he lived his life with an incredible servant’s heart, with the desire to see everyone reach their highest potential.

“This endowment will allow his generosity and service to others continue for years to come to the university that he loved, to the journalism school that he cherished, and to the industry that was his dream career,” she said.

Dr. Robbyn Taylor, Director of the Hall School of Journalism and Communication, said Wingard's journey from first-generation college student to accomplished journalist makes him an inspiring role model for today's students.

“Many of our students can see themselves in him,” she said.

“Desmond was a first-generation college student who grew up in a rural area and worked two jobs during college to achieve his goal of being a journalist. This scholarship means deserving students will be able to focus more on college opportunities and less on the stress of paying for them. On a personal note, Desmond was a dear friend. Losing him was heartbreaking for everyone who knew him. But this endowed scholarship makes me smile, knowing Desmond’s name and legacy will be known by our students forever.”

The Troy University Journalism and Communication Alumni Chapter will also contribute $500 to the scholarship fund. You can donate by visiting troy.edu/give.

12/04/2025

Quintarries Upshaw, a Troy native and graduate of Charles Henderson High School and Troy University, describes his time at TROY as the foundation that shaped his work as an educator.   “Troy University felt like home,” he said. “Professors actually spoke to you. They took time to learn who y...

12/03/2025

Today, WSFA 12 News and Troy University were joined by members of our late news director Desmond Wingard's family to announce a new scholarship in his honor. >> https://www.wsfa.com/2025/12/03/wsfa-12-news-troy-university-establish-scholarship-honor-late-news-director/

12/02/2025

GIVING TUESDAY ENDS AT MIDNIGHT!

There is still time to make a difference for students facing food insecurity. We've already seen incredible generosity from our Trojan community today. Thank you to everyone who has given so far!
If you haven't yet, will you join your fellow Trojans?

Alone, it might not seem like one gift can make a big difference. But today, on Giving Tuesday, your impact is amplified by the collective generosity of others. Together, we can Nourish Their Success.

Visit troy.edu/give now to make your donation!!

12/02/2025

Today is Giving Tuesday!
We are rallying the Troy community to stock the shelves and Nourish Their Success. Your support today can make an immediate difference for Troy students.

It's not too late to join the fight against food insecurity at Troy University.

Since last fall, pantry visits have increased by 65%, showing how great the need truly is. Every dollar helps us meet that demand:
• $30 provides approximately 10 student visits
• $100 provides about 33 student visits
If you haven't given yet, make your Giving Tuesday gift in support of the Trojan Pantry and Resource Hub. Every gift makes a difference!

Visit troy.edu/give today!

12/01/2025

Your Giving Tuesday gift fills plates and fuels dreams

Giving Tuesday is just around the corner on December 2, and we’re inviting you to be part of something special.

“I’ve loved being deeply involved at Troy University and within the Trojan Pantry and Resource Hub. I help create opportunities for my peers to thrive. I want to ensure that the ability to thrive is within reach for all Troy students, and we can make this a reality when we all pitch in to fight food insecurity.” – Ella P., Junior

At Troy University, students are working hard to achieve their dreams, but hunger shouldn’t be part of the challenge. The Trojan Pantry and Resource Hub supports students facing food insecurity, helping them stay focused and healthy.

On Giving Tuesday, your gift will do more than fill shelves. It will nourish success, fuel dreams, and remind students they’re not alone.

Learn more about the Trojan Pantry and Resource Hub by visiting troy.edu/student-life-resources. Together, we can stock the pantry, fill plates, and Nourish Their Success.

You can also visit troy.edu/give today to make a donation to the Trojan Pantry!!