Troy University - Tampa Support Center

Troy University: Tampa Support Center Troy University has nearly 140 years of experience in teaching outstanding education. The Alabama Legislature created Troy University on February 26, 1887. The institution's primary purpose was to train teachers in Alabama. And Troy State Normal School was the school's first name. Joseph Macon Dill was the first president of the institution. The name was changed to Troy State Normal College in 1893. The Normal College introduced extension classes for teachers and also issued teaching certificates. The State Board of Education changed the school's name to Education and Training College in 1929. The school's campus was also transferred to its current location in the same year. Shackelford Hall was established in the following year as a tribute to Edward Madison Shackelford, the president of the Normal College from 1899 to 1936. Bibb Graves Hall was named after David Bibb Graves, who was also the Governor of Alabama. Governor Bibb Graves also received the commission to conceive landscaping for the school by the Olmsted Brothers, an architecture firm based in Brookline, Massachusetts. The building was recently renamed in honor of John Robert Lewis (a Pike County native) who is a longtime Georgia congressman and civil rights hero. Troy State Teacher's College increased in size after World War II, as did many American universities. The Troy State Teacher's College increased four times due to World War II veterans and the VA Educational Benefits program. The College was able to begin awarding bachelor's degrees in business because the enrollment at that time was more than double its student population. The State Board of Education recognized this transition in 1957 and—because the College had moved beyond teacher training—removed "Teacher's” from its title to create Troy State College.