@asmecher I got it working! Your guess was correct. This is how our config file reads now:
http_proxy = “http://serverproxy.towson.edu:80”
https_proxy = “http://serverproxy.towson.edu:80”
Here is what I think is happening; Our F5 device takes HTTP sites hosted in our data center and automagically converts them to to HTTPS. This is meant to make hosting sites and applying SSL certs easier and more centralized.
In our case our proxy is looking for HTTP over HTTPS and thus we need to configure the OJS proxy in a somewhat backward way. Counter intuitive but it seems to work. I will poke it a little more before informing end uses but it seems to work!
@asmecher thank you for your kind help! I will gladly finance a beverage of your choice at any time. I appreciate your knowledge and diligent assistance!