Culture and Belonging

Historian and archivist Dr. Marty Olliff is the Director of the Wiregrass Archives at Troy University’s Dothan Campus. Like other archivists, he seeks to identify, preserve, and make available the records of the local community. Those records inform community formation and preserve the corporate or institutional memory that typically walks out the door when an archivist is missing. We learn a great deal about how to proceed i...

Political Science major Jud Keel, who participated in a study abroad trip to Puerto Rico this past summer, joined us to talk about how he engaged in research while on his trip. From the preparation before the trip to what he learned during the project, and what he is still learning while working to complete it, he shares his thoughts with us about this experience. Discussions with a professor during an undergraduate class for his m...

The really successful college or university is organic and willing to evolve and change. Embracing change is vital to progress, so cultivating the ability to change is essential. Drs. Hal Fulmer and Christina Martin have survived their fair share of organizational change. Each has filled multiple roles in various departments just at Troy University, not to mention their individual experiences at previous institutions. They speak ca...

"Educate the mind to think, the heart to feel, and the body to act.” Troy University’s motto has stood the test of time because it gets to the core of what it means to be human. We are complex beings, and we all have stories and experiences worth sharing. Tropolitan student newspaper editorial staff members Emily Mosier (editor-in-chief) and Kris Harrell (Trojan living editor) shared their opinions with us on recent state legislati...

TROY Art and Design professor Ed Noriega talks about how it felt to move into south Alabama as an “outsider” from southern California via NYC. Belonging for him has been a lifelong struggle, as he has navigated various professional settings with different cultural mixes and strived to set a high bar for himself and his students. A truly eclectic and inspirational creative with big plans for retirement on and around his peafowl farm...

Ray White is the Vice Chancellor of Troy University’s Montgomery Campus, but 25 years ago, in a previous role at the University, he set out to establish the Rosa Parks Museum on the site of her 1955 arrest. He shares candid reflections on his work to build trust as he worked with Mrs. Parks and her family, collected materials, and consulted with Civil Rights experts to build the interpretive museum and children’s wing as it exists ...

As a clinical sociologist, associate professor and associate dean of Troy University’s college of arts and sciences, Dr. Sharon Lindhorst Everhardt works to improve systems. Her book Gardening Behind Bars was released in February, and she sat down to talk to us about some of her experiences with the incarcerated women she worked with on this project. She reminds us that belonging is a basic need for all of us, and listening to un...

Be curious. Have a conversation with a stranger. Try something new. Travel. What better ways are there to get out of our comfort zone? Dr. Kelly Suero, associate professor of Spanish language at Troy University, advocates travel as a means of stimulating intellectual curiosity. Her love of travel began with a study abroad trip to Argentina at age 18, and she says that we should all aim to become compassionate, understanding global ...

Spanish language professor Dr. Johanna Alberich is passionate about sparking curiosity in her students and encouraging them to learn about people who are different from them. She defines culture as a belief system that can vary by individual and says belonging primarily focuses on adaptability. She serves as a resource for colleagues preparing to lead their first study abroad trip for students, and she emphasizes how rewarding it i...

Author, librarian, and historian Dr. Christopher (Chris) Shaffer talks books, food, and travel with us on our ninth episode of the Culture and Belonging podcast. He agrees that culture is difficult to define and shares insights about why banning books is never a good idea (unless you’re hoping to spike book sales). He talks specifically about his own book, Moon over Sasova, and a sample of personal anecdotes he shares in it, and he...

The US Surgeon General released an advisory earlier this year placing the pervasive problem of loneliness on the same level of public health concern as smoking. For this seventh episode of the Culture and Belonging podcast, Kim Serrano, Director of the Center for Inclusion and Belonging, spoke with us about her agency’s research around belonging, and their findings are thought-provoking! Belonging is a fundamental human need, and i...

Librarians are here to help! Before coming to the States to study and become a librarian, Olga Casey worked as a translator in her native Ukraine, and she clearly continues that work today. Olga shares stories with us for episode six of the Culture and Belonging podcast about gifting materials to a Ukrainian sister library, preserving cultural heritage online, archiving wartime creative works, and important translation projects to ...

Rebecca (Becky) Helms, academic advisor and disability services specialist on Troy University's Dothan Campus, helps us navigate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in our fifth episode of Culture and Belonging. Our candid conversation explores the differences between visible and hidden disabilities and the importance of creating a welcoming, safe space for students and colleagues to self-advocate in the face of increasingly ...