TROY, Ala. ( WSFA ) - Troy University Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins Jr., the nation’s longest-serving public university leader, will retire at the end of 2028 after nearly four decades with the school.

The Board asked Hawkins to delay retirement a year ago. Now, he and the Board have agreed he will continue serving as chancellor for two more years, until Dec. 31, 2027.

After that, he will serve his final year with Troy as an advisor before departing from the school at the close of 2028. He will be 83 years old.

Gibson Vance, President Pro-Tem of the Troy Board of Trustees, called Hawkins’ nearly four decades as chief executive “transformational” for the school.

“Over the past several decades, Troy University has reached unprecedented heights in service to the people of Alabama and

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