Troy University’s University Honors Global Scholars Program is launching a Distinguished Faculty initiative to connect high-achieving students with accomplished professionals and alumni who can provide mentorship, share career experiences and encourage intellectual and professional growth.

The Distinguished Faculty designation is an affiliated, nontraditional faculty role within University Honors, through which accomplished professionals and alumni can contribute their expertise without holding a regular teaching appointment.

“The Distinguished Faculty initiative reflects Troy University’s commitment to connecting academic excellence with meaningful professional experiences,” said Dr. Judson Edwards, Interim Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. “By engaging accomplished professionals and alumni as mentors, we can help students broaden their perspectives, explore career opportunities and understand how their education can prepare them to make a lasting impact in their fields and communities.”

Led by Dr. Priya Menon, Director of University Honors, the initiative will expand opportunities for students to engage with individuals whose careers reflect academic achievement, leadership, service and a commitment to making a difference in their communities.

“We want to connect students with distinguished individuals whose lives and careers exemplify intellectual curiosity, professional achievement, leadership and service,” Menon said. “Academic excellence is important, but so is understanding how knowledge and expertise can make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.”

The initiative builds on University Honors’ broader mission to cultivate academically exceptional, globally minded students through rigorous coursework, leadership development, research and experiential learning. 

“By connecting students with professionals across a range of disciplines, the program aims to extend learning beyond the classroom and help scholars explore pathways to success in their chosen fields,” Menon added.

The idea for the initiative emerged after Dr. E. Gaylon McCollough, the founder and leading surgeon at McCollough Plastic Surgery, served as the keynote speaker at the summer commencement ceremony. With encouragement from Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins Jr., the program began exploring ways for students to build meaningful connections with him.

“To be selected as the inaugural visiting professor is an honor beyond description,” McCollough said. “Throughout my career, I’ve been fortunate to be exposed to great men and women who were great achievers and who gave back to society and humanity in ways that went beyond dollars and cents. They made the world a better place.

“I feel responsible for giving back to humanity and to younger people in whatever ways I can. This initiative is a wonderful opportunity to fulfill that mission.”

A scholarship—named the McCollough Scholarship—was also established in his honor. The first recipient is Cade May, a biomedical sciences student from Troy who plans to pursue a career in medicine. McCollough invited May to shadow him in his medical practice, and the two have begun communicating.

“That connection demonstrated exactly what we hope to accomplish,” Menon said. “A student interested in medicine now has the opportunity to learn directly from an accomplished surgeon, not simply about the profession, but about the experiences, decisions and responsibilities that shape a career,” Menon said. “We hope to provide opportunities for Dr. McCollough to engage with students through conversations, lectures, mentoring sessions and other activities.”

University Honors plans to identify additional affiliated faculty members from across Alabama, including professionals in engineering, medicine, law and other fields. The program also hopes to draw on the experience and accomplishments of TROY alumni who can help students better understand career opportunities, professional expectations and the steps required to pursue advanced study.

University Honors also intends to collaborate with academic departments and campus offices, including Development, Marketing, Student Government Association and Career Services, to expand opportunities for student engagement and professional development.

“These individuals can help students see what is possible in their chosen fields,” Menon said. “We want to identify accomplished professionals and TROY alumni who can share their experiences, offer mentorship and help students understand the paths available to them.”

Through specialized coursework, international experiences, research opportunities and leadership development, the University Honors Global Scholars Program seeks to prepare students for competitive graduate programs and professional careers. The Distinguished Affiliated Faculty initiative will complement those opportunities by connecting students with mentors who can help translate academic interests into meaningful career pathways.

“Our vision is to make academic excellence something people can see in the experiences and accomplishments of our students,” Menon said. “With the support of University leadership, faculty and the broader community, we believe the Honors Program is well positioned to help TROY achieve that goal.”

For more information about the University Honors Global Scholars Program, visit https://www.troy.edu/academics/university-honors-global-scholars-program.html.

About Dr. E. Gaylon McCollough

A distinguished figure in the field of plastic surgery with a career spanning five decades, McCollough has achieved international recognition as a skilled surgeon and educator and has also authored three textbooks on facial and nasal plastic surgery and 22 non-medical books.

McCollough was recently included in the National Registry of Who’s Who. He is listed in Woodward and White’s “Best Doctors in America” and “America’s Top Plastic Surgeons.” Additionally, he was honored as the “Alabama Citizen of The Year” for 1994-95 by the March of Dimes and was the recipient of the United States Sports Academy’s “Theodore ‘Teddy’ Roosevelt Meritorious Achievement Award” and the All-American Football Foundation’s “Unsung Hero Award.”

McCollough has conducted and actively participated in educational seminars, teaching the art and science of facial plastic surgery to surgeons worldwide. He has traveled to India, Colombia, Germany, England, Canada, Italy, Mexico, Australia, South Africa, Spain, The Netherlands, Switzerland, and Turkey to share his expertise.

McCollough is married to the former Miss University of Alabama, Miss Alabama International, and “Art Tour International’s 2017 ‘Artist of the Year’, Susan Nomberg of Dothan. The couple has two children, Sted and Chanee, and four grandchildren.