Troy University athletics are on the move and they are upward bound.

That’s the message that Chuck Carson, Troy University Athletic Department’s director of development of major gifts, delivered to the Brundidge Rotarians Wednesday.

Carson is in his fourth year with Troy University and serves in a leadership capacity in several roles including fund raising, premium seating and marketing.

Carson told the Rotarians that the university has five capital projects on the drawing board, one of which, the Trojan Arena, has been completed.

He urged the Rotarians who have not visited Trojan Arena to do so. It’s a fabulous facility, he said, and one that should be the pride of all Trojans.

To make space for Trojan Arena, the university’s golf course had to be compromised. But the university is in the process of building a new course on 40 acres of the old course.

Carson said plans to renovate the softball complex are underway and both the golf course and softball projects have a target completion date of September 2013.

The tennis courts will be covered and grandstand seating constructed. And, the really big project is to enclose the north end of Veterans Memorial Stadium with a four-story facility that will house a weight room, home lockers, equipment and storage space, office space, academic floor and suites.

Carson said that all projects are “up and sailing.”

He also highlighted the Trojans’ upcoming football schedule which he said follows on the heels of one of the Trojan’s best home schedules.

“Last year, we had six home games with Mississippi State and the Naval Academy at our place,” he said. “This year we have five home games but we go to Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Duke.”

Carson said there is interest and excitement surrounding the games with Louisiana-Lafayette, which is on Halloween, and Texas State on Black Friday.

In 2014, the Trojans will lose Western Kentucky from their schedule but will add Georgia Southern, Idaho, New Mexico and Appalachian State and Duke will come to Troy.

Carson said that, in an effort to meet the Trojan fans in their own backyard, Trojan Tour 13 will visit nine cities in three states June 24-28.

Stops will be in Birmingham, Dothan, Huntsville, Mobile, Greenville and Montgomery and Atlanta and Columbus, Georgia and Navarre, Fla.

Carson spoke positively about the Troy University campus and about the university’s academic and athletic programs,

“And you can apply the word, ‘growth’ to all of them,” he said and encouraged the Rotarians to support Troy University, which is “right here with us.”