Joy Moore is stepping down from her position as vice president for Student Affairs, according to a University release.
Moore has been on leave from the University since October in order to care for her husband, Rob, in his battle with brain cancer.
“It was a decision made from the heart,” Moore said in the release. “The work of a vice president for Student Affairs is multifaceted and requires you to be physically present and often available to the students and staff 24/7. Given this, the severity of my husband’s condition, and the prognosis of his disease, it became clear to me that caring for Rob and serving as the vice president for Student Affairs would not be possible.”
Moore, BC ’81, will remain a University vice president and will continue her work as the inaugural executive director of the Pine Manor Institute for Student Success.
“I support Joy Moore’s decision to step down as head of Student Affairs as she has rightly concluded that her family responsibilities must come first,” University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., said in the release.
Moore said that she hopes to use her position as executive director of the Pine Manor Institute for Student Success to reach out to neighboring cities and towns, as well as nationally, to offer students resources to steer them in the direction of success.
“I am hopeful that together we can create an institute that provides first-generation, under-represented, and under-resourced students with the tools, confidence, resources, and positive encouragement they need to embark on a pathway to success in their chosen field,” Moore said.
Moore served as interim vice president for Student Affairs from August 2018 to July 2019, when she officially assumed the role of vice president for Student Affairs.
During her time as vice president, Moore was instrumental in the launch of DiversityEdu, an hour-long online course aimed to teach skills for understanding the effects of biased language and behavior. She also helped launch the Student Experience Survey, which seeks input from students on a range of campus experiences.
Executive Vice President and Acting Vice President for Student Affairs Michael Lochhead said that he has enjoyed working with Moore over the past two and a half years, and that she will be missed in the Student Affairs office.
“Joy is a talented administrator who adapted quickly to the role and earned the respect of students and students affairs colleagues across the country,” Lochhead said in the release. “On campus, she balanced her role of listening to and advocating for students, while performing her demanding administrative duties.”
Moore said that her time at BC has demonstrated how its faculty, staff, and students are continually passionate about their work in their respective fields, service, and contributing to the common good.
BC must continue to make students of color feel welcome in the community and continue to increase diversity among faculty, Moore said in the release.
“All great institutions take a serious and hard look at themselves to assess what they do well and where they need to improve,” Moore said. “BC has done this over its 158-year history and is committed to working on areas that emerge as in need of improvement.”
Moore said that her faith and support from the BC community have supported her during this difficult time.
“I have always been a person of faith and prayer,” Moore said in the release. “Yet, as I soon discovered, there are few life-changing events like the diagnosis of terminal brain cancer of your spouse of nearly 36 years that brings you to your knees and deepens your faith and prayerful life in ways you never imagined. I have called on my faith every day since this devastating reality and the outpouring of prayers from the BC community sustain me and my family. For this, I am forever grateful.”
Featured Image Courtesy of University Communications
