Joseph B. Moore

President

Joseph B. Moore took office as the president of Lesley University in July of 2007.  Prior to his appointment at Lesley, Dr. Moore served seven years as the President of Empire State College, a comprehensive college within the State University of New York; as Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Mansfield University in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education; and as Director of Academic Affairs and Planning in the Office of the Chancellor at the Vermont State Colleges.

Dr. Moore has a B.A. in English from the University of Massachusetts, Summa Cum Laude; an M.A. in English from the University of New Hampshire; and an Ed.D. in Education Administration from the University of Vermont. He currently serves on the board of overseers for the Citi Performing Arts Center, and on the executive board for the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts (AICUM). He is past chair of the board of trustees for the Council of Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) based in Chicago, and a former member of the Commission on Adult Learning and Educational Credentials of the American Council on Education (ACE).

His professional interests include the use of digital technology to extend educational opportunity to underserved populations and deepen student learning; the relationship between a university and its immediate community; state and federal educational policy, including higher education finance, federal financial aid, and policy language.

Lesley University annually serves more than 8,500 students, preparing women and men for professional careers in many fields, including education, the arts, human services and business.  The University delivers its bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs through four schools: the Art Institute of Boston, Lesley College, the Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences, and the Graduate School of Education.

In recent years the University has received a transforming gift and, under the leadership of President Moore, added new facilities to its physical plant in Cambridge, including additional academic and library space, enhanced space for student services, additional residence halls, and a second dining hall;  increased undergraduate applications and enrollments; and developed a new, virtual National Center for Teachers, School Counselors, and Leaders to serve teachers and school personnel across the country with an increasing range of programs and services.  The University is near the completion of planning for the anticipated move of the Art Institute of Boston from Kenmore Square to Porter Square in Cambridge.  The new Art Institute facilities on Massachusetts Avenue will be a physical manifestation of the importance of the arts throughout the University and will deepen the University’s relationship with the surrounding community.

The University is actively engaged in the creation of new academic programs that meet the needs of individuals and communities – in education, the arts, business, and the environment.  In addition, Lesley is developing new partnerships that strengthen its ability to fulfill its mission, from the Urban Teachers Center to the Urban Ecology Institute.  Lesley’s new School Partnership Initiative is an externally-funded, three-year initiative with a local K-8 school to investigate whether the integration of appropriate hardware and software in a diverse, lower-performing school can enhance student learning outcomes.

Dr. Moore has brought a renewed interest to serving adult learners through the Lesley University Center for the Adult Learners, to serving students with cognitive disabilities through Lesley’s historic Threshold Program, and to institutional efforts to recruit and retain a more diverse workforce and student body.