Jack Hawkins Jr., chancellor of Troy University for 35 years, will retire next year.
The Oct. 1, 2025 date was announced Tuesday.
“The last three and a half decades have been among the most important in my lifetime and in the life my wife Janice and I have shared as a team,” Hawkins said in an email to faculty and staff. “We are proud of the work we have done, from re-classification of the university to doctoral degree status; to the transformation of a regional institution into ‘Alabama’s International University;’ and the elevation of our Athletics Program to the highest level of college athletics. It has been a remarkable experience.”
Gov. Kay Ivey praised Hawkins, the longest-serving leader of a public university in the country.
“I have been proud to know and work with Chancellor Hawkins for more than 30 years and to simply say he has been an effective leader for Troy would be an understatement. His work has helped transform the Troy State University system into the renowned, global, doctoral institution we all know today as Troy University,” Ivey said. “From the classroom to the field, TROY has accomplished a great deal under the leadership of Chancellor Hawkins, and he leaves a legacy that will last for generations of students to come. Thank you, Jack, for your outstanding service to Troyy, our state and country, for your unmatched tenure and your strong partnership over the years.”
Since Hawkins became chancellor in 1989, more than $375 million has been invested in capital improvements, including new academic buildings on all four of Troy’s campuses, according to a press release from the school. The university has also attracted record numbers of international students and established teaching sites worldwide.
In the last 35 years, the university has increased its academic standards for admission, added new degree programs in all academic colleges, and joined the highest level of NCAA competition.
“What Dr. Hawkins has done at Troy University is phenomenal,” said Troy Trustee and former lawmaker Gerald Dial. “It is almost unbelievable that so much change and progress has been made. It is one of the most beautiful campuses, certainly in Alabama, and one of the most beautiful campuses in America.
“I could talk for hours about his record and his accomplishments, but the greatest thing about Dr. Hawkins is he has always put students first. The students were the number one reason he was here. It is going to be a terrible loss, but we feel like we will build on the foundation he has laid for this university and continue to move Troy forward.”