Troy University, formerly known as Troy State University, is a public university situated in Troy, Alabama. The Troy University system consists of 58 sites in seventeen states and eleven other countries. The university provides a variety of educational programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels for a diverse student body in traditional, nontraditional, and emerging electronic formats. The university encompasses a 460-acre campus plus the adjacent Troy University Arboretum. The campus houses about 35 major buildings. The university's dedicated faculty and staff promote discovery and exploration of knowledge and its application to life-long success through effective teaching, service, creative partnerships, scholarship, and research. The university was founded in February 1887, by an act of the Alabama Legislature as State Normal School – an institution to train teachers for Alabama’s schools. The school changed its name to Troy State Normal College in 1893. Until 1929, the college offered extension courses for teachers and granted teaching certificates. The State Board of Education changed the charter of the institution and renamed it Troy State Teacher’s College. In 1930, the college moved to its present site and the first two buildings were dedicated - Shackelford Hall, in memory of Edward Madison Shackelford president of the school, from 1899-1936, and Bibb Graves, Alabama’s “education governor.” In 1957, the legislature voted to change the name to Troy State College and to allow it to begin a Master's degree program. In 1969, the college earned university status and changed its name to Troy State University. The Troy University system has additional major campuses in the state of Alabama including Troy University Phenix in Phenix City, Troy University Montgomery, and Troy University Dothan. The university boasts a large off-campus/distance learning program and features different courses in conjunction with the United States Armed Forces.