When most people think of Jersey Shore, President Carol Moore isn’t typically who comes to their minds, but maybe she should. Before receiving her doctorate at Northeastern University, Dr. Moore attended graduate school in Cape May, on the infamous Jersey Shore.
Growing up in Kearny, New Jersey, Dr. Moore knows what small town living is like. She lived with her family close enough to New York City to see the Empire State Building out of her back window, but says her small hometown is comparable to Lyndonville. After meeting her husband, Tom, her sophomore year of college, she graduated with a degree in biology from Montclair State in Montclair, New Jersey, and furthered her education all the way to a doctorate degree. Part of sorority Kappa Delta Rho, Dr. Moore enjoyed things like homecoming and all the social events that came with being a sorority sister during her time at Montclair.
So how does a Marine Biologist end up as the President of a small Northeast-Vermont college? It began when she began teaching at a community college in Massachusetts, where she was a part of the full time faculty for seven years. A friend of Dr. Moore’s was going to be the new academic dean, and turned to her when the position of chair of the science and technology department opened up. “I was quite reluctant to do so,” Dr. Moore remembers, “but he was a friend and I did it as a favor to him. I did end up enjoying it.”
Faced with the challenge of finding teaching positions in her field, Dr. Moore found it smart to stay in administrative roles. She moved to a private women’s college and served as academic dean, and was then hired as dean of the undergraduate students at Leslie College. From there, Dr. Moore moved to Mercy College in New York and worked as provost for six years. When did she make the jump from these positions to a college president? When she realized she was qualified, of course. “I had always worked for new college presidents and had done a good job helping them, so I thought I’d take a shot,” Dr. Moore recalled thinking when the opportunity to come to Lyndon State College arose.
In 1998, Dr. Moore joined the team at Lyndon State College as president. “I didn’t get to interact with students much,” says Dr. Moore of her experience at bigger schools. “The mission at Lyndon, about accessibility and opportunity, is one that is near and dear to my heart, so I said yes.”
Some of her most rewarding moments as president include her conversations with students on campus. “That’s what gets me up every morning,” Dr. Moore says of her connections with students. Dr. Moore also greatly appreciates the faculty and staff at Lyndon, saying, “We have a great group of people here. They’re very committed to the students as well as the college. They’ve been a joy to work with.”
When asked what some of the more challenging moments of her career at Lyndon have been, the answer came easily. “Oh, budgeting, definitely,” says Dr. Moore. “State funding is pitiful…it is a constant juggle trying to provide the best programs with so little funding. And of course, seeing tuition going up has been a challenge.”
For the next 100 years, Dr. Moore hopes that Lyndon stays true to its mission, saying her “wish for the second century is for Lyndon to remain accessible for students, and for the hallmark of experiential learning to stay strong.” She also hopes that the people working for Lyndon State College in the future are as committed as the people who are here now.