Troy University kicked off its second annual Research Week with a ceremony, presented by the Office of Sponsored Programs, on Monday in the Hawkins-Adams-Long Hall of Honor on the Troy Campus.

Each of the University’s five colleges will have research days throughout the week, beginning with the College of Arts and Humanities on Monday.

“Research begins with curiosity, with wanting to know more about the world around us,” said Dr. Michael Thrasher, Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities. “When you have an inquisitive mind and you want to learn, there is a world of opportunity out there. Sometimes people will ask the question that goes something like this: ‘Is Troy University a teaching university or is it a research university?’ My answer to that question is a very simple, ‘yes’. I believe and have a strong conviction that teaching and research are inextricably linked, that they are two sides of a single coin. It all goes together.”

Dr. Kerry Palmer, Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost, said the University is “building something special, and that’s exciting.”

Addressing students, Palmer said the University’s job is to help them embrace the process of research.

“Our job here is to teach you how to conduct research and, hopefully in that process, you will fall in love with that process,” he said. “I often think that the real mark of whether or not we’ve done our job as a university is if you leave this place with a genuine thirst for knowledge across disciplines. To you, undergrads, who are engaged in this, kudos to you. I encourage you because this opens doors and teaches you how to research and hopefully engenders in you a passion for learning that you will take with you the rest of your life.”

Palmer said events such as Research Week are representative of the University’s growth.

“I’m so proud of Troy University. The fact that we are having this conversation today is demonstrative of the level of maturation that has taken place at this institution,” Palmer said. “I think probably the most significant milestone in the history of this University occurred in September of 2023 when the Alabama Commission on Higher Education reclassified TROY as a doctoral granting institution. That changes everything. The University is being seen as an institution that turns out doctoral level students and as that happens, we increase our research profile.”

In 2025, TROY was designated as a Carnegie Research University, a designation created to recognize the research efforts at smaller institutions. The University also achieved Doctoral Classification in the 2025 Carnegie Institutional Classifications. 

The College of Communication and Fine Arts was holding research events throughout the day on Monday, covering the fields of Art and Design, English, History and Philosophy, Journalism and Communication, Music, Theatre and Dance, and World Languages and Cultures.

The Sorrell College of Business will host its Student Research Showcase on Tuesday, April 21. The Showcase will feature students from all disciplines across Sorrell College presenting research projects (class projects, term papers, experiential learning, etc.) to faculty and staff during a poster session in Lewis Hall.

The College of Health Sciences will host the second annual Interdisciplinary Applied Health Sciences Student Research Symposium, Wednesday, April 22 at 10 a.m. in Jones Hall. This year’s event will highlight the creative and impactful research of students from the Schools of Allied Health, Nursing and Social Work and Human Services. This year, research topics include examining blenderized tube feeding, mid-upper arm circumference as a muscle indicator, blood flow differences in arm and leg and student-athlete mental health and resource access.

The College of Science and Engineering will host a one-day conference showcasing undergraduate and graduate research within the college on Thursday, April 23 in the Hawkins-Adams-Long Hall of Honor. This conference will feature presentations and posters by undergraduate and graduate students in the college.

The College of Education and Behavioral Sciences Conference will take place on Friday, April 24 in Hawkins Hall. Undergraduates, graduate students, faculty members and other professionals from TROY and other colleges and universities will present research on a wide variety of topics. This year’s keynote speaker is Jasmine Greene, Intelligence Analyst with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.