biography
Virginia State University
President (1993 - )
Eddie N. Moore, Jr. assumed his position as the 12th President of the Virginia State University, bringing a wealth of administrative and fiscal management experience gained both in public and private sectors. Upon his arrival, he found the university that overlooks the Appomattox River in Ettrick, Virginia was in need of “love and care.” Basic maintenance was required in dozens of buildings, along with improved academic programs and new facilities.
Moore, who joined VSU after serving as state treasurer of Virginia, knew the work in front of him and tackled his mission with zeal. He surrounded himself with a team of new leaders and established a strategic agenda. “I believe in stretch goals,” he says, describing his short list of objectives that focused on academics, faculty, university scholarship and physical structure. Moore’s strategy was not only to save the university, but also prepare it for the future.
Under Moore’s leadership, VSU now enrolls more than five thousand students and has completed more than $100 million in capital improvements to its 236-acre main campus. The student dining hall, student union, athletic stadium and auditorium have been renovated, and the business school has a three-story addition. Other new completions include Gateway, a residential facility with several classrooms, an engineering and science building, and University Apartments at Ettrick.
VSU also has expanded or added academic programs in engineering, computer science, criminal justice, and mass media. New advanced degree programs include a doctoral degree in “Educational Administration & Supervision” and in “Psychology.” In 2007 and 2008, U.S. News & World Report named VSU the top public historically black college in the country among masters-level institutions.
The 2007-2008 operating budget for VSU was $125 million. Moore traces his fiscally conscious management to working in his father’s fish market as a youth. “I learned all of my business acumen from my dad,” he says. “The numbers (in arithmetic) came relatively easy for me.” He offers the same advice to students, telling them to “make sure you have all the resources you need and be willing to take risks.”
Moore earned his B.S. in accounting from Pennsylvania State University in 1968, and completed his M.B.A. degree at the University of Pittsburgh in 2001. He has received Distinguished Alumnus awards from both institutions. Moore currently sits on the board of Universal Corp. and Owens and Minor, Inc.
Having served in the U.S. Army as a first lieutenant, Moore is a Vietnam veteran and received the Bronze Star and the Army Commendation Medal for meritorious achievement.
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