Troy University’s Center for Public Service was recently awarded a $365,000 grant from the Alabama Department of Public Health to collaborate on improving data systems, collection and analysis and use of racial, ethnic and rural health data for COVID-19 prevention and control. This latest grant is just one part of the Center’s partnerships with state and local agencies.

Based in Montgomery, Alabama, the primary mission of the Center for Public Service is to serve the outsourcing needs of Alabama’s state and local government agencies as well as nonprofit organizations while also providing expert assistance. Since opening on July 1, 2016, the Center has worked on 70 projects alongside the Alabama Department of Corrections, Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education, Alabama Department of Human Resources, Alabama Department of Public Health, Alabama Medicaid Agency, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Alabama Rural Electric Association and the River Region United Way.

The areas where the Center for Public Service provides individual or team expertise include: organizational analysis; human resource management; strategic planning; project management; criminal justice administration; senior services policy and administration; health care policy and administration; program evaluation; local government management; policy analysis; publication development and editing; development and implementation of training programs; and conference planning and administration.

 “We provide a service that fulfills a need that state agencies have that aren’t capable of doing every project and task in-house,” said Dr. Tom Vocino, executive director of the Center. “I believe that the Center helps the University fulfill its outreach and service mission, which is an important factor in building public support for the University.

“Not only are we providing these organizations a service, but it’s also keeping TROY and its other resources at the forefront. We’ve provided a lot of visibility for TROY with these events and conferences, and the attendees have been from every county within Alabama so we’ve also gained face time with a lot of state employees statewide.”

The contract with ADPH will end mid-year 2023. More recently, the Center partnered with the University of Wyoming to evaluate a major program of the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles, Vocino said.

For more information on the Center for Public Service and all it has to offer, call 334-241-8716 or email tvocino@troy.edu.