Arkansas State University System President Dr. Charles L. Welch today announced the selection of Dr. Johnny M. Moore as the next chancellor of ASU-Newport.
Moore returns home to Arkansas after spending the last four years as president of Pierpont Community & Technical College in Fairmont, W. Va. and will begin his duties effective Feb. 8. A native of Old Washington, Ark., he was president and CEO of Philander Smith College in Little Rock from 2012-2014.
“We are very pleased to bring Dr. Moore’s executive leadership experience as a sitting community college president to both ASU-Newport and the ASU System,” Welch said. “He’s a math scholar with a long track record of innovative educational initiatives, focus on student success, community service, and effective fund-raising. I hear he also has some serious basketball skills. He will be a tremendous asset not only to ASU-Newport, but in all the communities it serves.”
Moore’s career in higher education began in 1990 as a mathematics instructor at East Arkansas Community College in Forrest City. He was later chair of the mathematics department, head women’s basketball coach, and vice president for student affairs during his 15 years at Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, Fla. From 2010-2012, he was executive vice president for student affairs at Tyler Junior College in Texas.
In April 2012, he became president and CEO of his alma mater, Philander Smith College, a private four-year liberal arts institution. During his tenure, the college constructed a new, debt-free Campus Student Center and secured nearly $10 million toward new program initiatives and student scholarships.
Since April 2016, Moore has led Pierpont Community & Technical College, which annually serves more than 5,000 students at campuses and centers in five locations with nearly 200 employees and a budget of $26 million. In May, Pierpont was one of only six community colleges selected nationwide as a pilot college for the National Science Foundation Project Vision. The institution secured a nearly 300 percent increase in private donations to nearly $5 million, increased student retention by 15 percentage points and decreased student loan default rates by 15 percentage points during his four-year tenure.
“I am honored and humbled to be selected by Dr. Welch to take on this very important role for the university and the communities it serves,” Moore said. “ASU-Newport is a very strong and vibrant institution and will play a key role in the revitalization and growth in Northeast Arkansas. I am excited about returning home and becoming a part of this transformative work. I also look forward to meeting with students, faculty, and staff, and building relationships in the communities served by the university.”
The ASU-Newport Chancellor Search Advisory Committee – consisting of 11 members representing faculty, staff, students, and community representatives – reviewed more than 50 applications for the position and interviewed two candidates to succeed Dr. Sandra Massey, who will retire at the end of the calendar year after seven years of service.
“I commend the committee for its exceptional counsel and assistance during the process,” Welch said. “I’m also very appreciative of Dr. Massey’s service. She has overseen significant growth of the ASU-Newport campuses and has been a pleasure to work with. I know Dr. Moore will continue to build on her leadership success.”
Moore received a Bachelor of Science in mathematics at Philander Smith College, a Master of Science in mathematics at Arkansas State University and a Doctor of Philosophy in mathematics education at Florida Institute of Technology.
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