diplomas in Friday graduation

Staff Report

August 2, 2000 10 PM

About 220 students will cross the stage of Troy State University’s Sartain Hall and receive diplomas on Friday.

The summer commencement ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. and will feature the first 12 graduates of the acclaimed executive master of business administration program taught via distance education to employees of the HealthSouth Corporation.

Alabama State Sen. Gerald Dial, who is a member of the TSU Board of Trustees, will be the commencement speaker.

"Sen. Dial has been at the heart of our progress at Troy State University," said Jack Hawkins Jr., chancellor of the Troy State University System. "His leadership and vision have been instrumental in the strides we have made over the past decade. We are looking forward to this special day of celebration for the university."

Dial, a native of Delta, is serving his seventh term in the Alabama Legislature. He served two terms in the House of Representatives and four in the Senate.

He holds degrees from Livingston State and Jacksonville State universities and had done graduate work at Auburn University.

Dial is a self-employed real estate developer. He and his wife, Faye, are the parents of two children, Melanie and Jason.