By Hannah Gray
Biology professor Marlene Moore is leaving UP to become dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Willamette University in Salem, Ore.
"I am very excited about the new position and about the work I'll be doing there, but at the same time I'm sad to be leaving the University of Portland," Moore said.
Moore, who is the Rev. Joseph Powers, C.S.C., Distinguished Professor for Teaching Excellence, starts at Willamette on June 1.
"They're at a point in their institutional history where they are a good fit for what I know how to do and what I like to do," Moore said about her decision to accept the appointment as dean.
For example, Willamette University is doing an accreditation review, a process Moore finds rewarding.
She added that she also enjoys working directly with faculty members.
Moore came to UP as a biology professor in 1976.
In fact, Moore was the first female biology faculty member in the University's history.
"I was more comfortable with them than they were with me," Moore joked. "But they were very supportive. I always had supportive colleagues here."
Moore was also the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 1996 to 2007.
Many faculty members, who worked under Moore when she was dean, believe she was role model and a fair leader.
"First and foremost, she's a gifted individual," said Kathleen Regan, a Spanish professor and the chair of International Languages and Cultures Department. "She's a strong leader - has great vision, acts on it, can bring people together, inspire people and make things happen."
Herman Asarnow, an English professor and the chair of the English Department, agrees with Regan.
"She had a rage for fairness," Asarnow said. "She really was as fair as a person could be."
Regan recalls when Moore, as the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, secured a grant for the Foreign Language Department.
The grant was to find the best way to integrate technology into foreign language teaching.
"Marlene didn't have to do this," Regan said. "She was the one who saw us through."
As dean, Moore also separated the Foreign Languages Department from the English Department in 2004.
For 30 years, the two departments were intermixed as one, according to Regan.
"We've both grown a lot," Asarnow said. "(It was a) good idea that Marlene saw to fruition."
Regan also noted that Moore played a major role in the founding of Founder's Day.
"It's an important day," Regan said. "She got the ball rolling, pulled people in and made it happen."
Before becoming dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Moore chaired the science division for seven years, as well as served as the special assistant to the dean for science developments for three years.
Moore received the Culligan Award - an award that is presented annually to a member of the faculty in recognition of distinguished service inside the classroom and in the larger University community - in 1987.
Moore believes her greatest accomplishment in her 34 years at UP was receiving an important grant, the Murdock College Science Research Program in 2002.
"I literally worked 13 years to get that program going," Moore said. "It's been very nice. It's wonderful."
One program that is supported by the Murdock grant is work that focuses on the stress in sea birds, according to Moore.
Moore was also a leading force behind getting Swindells Hall built.
"Dr. Moore is one of the real architects of the science division here," said Steven Kolmes, environmental science professor and the chair of Environmental Science Department. "(Moore was) one the folks who built this university into the way it looks now."
Kolmes also noted that Moore is a prominent scientist.
Other fellow faculty members admire Moore for her work ethic and dedication to UP.
"Her level of commitment is the most spectacular thing about her," said Robert Duff, a sociology professor. "She wanted so much to increase the quality of our programs."
Robin Anderson, the dean of the Pamplin School of Business and Franz Chair in Entrepreneurship, admires Moore's ability to cooperate with other facilities on campus.
Moore, along with Anderson, helped create the Sustainable Entrepreneurship program a couple of years ago, according to Anderson.
"(I appreciate) her willingness to collaborate on programs - that willingness to be innovative," Anderson said.
Moore was a vivacious and prominent leader for UP, and her work can be seen all over campus.
"There's almost like there isn't enough words to sing her praise," Regan said.
