If you need help navigating Temple University’s Main Campus, you won’t find anyone better than Peggy E. Moore.
“When I’m walking outside going to get my lunch from the food trucks, you can tell when someone is lost — a visitor or a family,” she said. “Sometimes they’ll walk up to me, or I’ll walk up to them, and they’ll ask me, ‘Where do I go for this,’ or ‘Where is this building?’ I’ll say come on; I’ll walk you over there — I’ll show you where you need to go.”
Moore has much more than a passing familiarity with all things Temple. Administrative Specialist in the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, she has been helping students, visitors, faculty and administrators find their way at Temple for 44 years.
“What has kept me here the whole time is the people. I like the people and I enjoy what I’m doing. I like helping people — in person, over the phone, however I can,” she said. “Temple is a caring university. They care about what happens to their students, what happens to everyone in this community and in the neighborhoods that surround the university.”
Moore’s educational journey at Temple has been an odyssey all its own. The definition of a lifelong learner, in 44 years she never lost sight of her goal to complete her degree. At 75 years young, she has now completed Temple’s Bachelor of General Studies program and has been selected as one of the student speakers for the University College Graduation Ceremony on Thursday, May 7.
“Never give up; that’s the theme of my talk. You have to keep learning — you can always take what you know and use it to help other people. You can be a support person for the people coming behind you, for the next generation,” she said. “People ask me when am I going to retire but that’s not even in my thoughts. Why would I? Why would I want to be stagnant? Why wouldn’t I want to use what I have to help others?”
Moore’s pathway to a Temple degree began when she first walked onto Temple Main Campus in the fall of 1980 as a transfer student from the Community College of Philadelphia majoring in foreign language education.
“When that semester ended, I knew I needed a job — I had two sons, Vincent and Stephen, to care for — so I started my first job at Temple in the Medical School Admissions office at the Health Sciences Campus,” she said. “A few months went by and Dr. Ethel Weinberg, who was the vice president of the admissions office at the time, came to my desk and asked me if I liked my job; I said yes. She asked me if I wanted to take on the job full-time — I said yes again.”
According to Moore, in January 1983, a position opened up in the University Budget Office, which began her career at Main Campus and her discovery that she had a knack for numbers. While she was working full-time, she would take some courses from the Fox School of Business to hone her skills.
“I think out of all the classes that I’ve taken at Temple, the one that I enjoyed the most was Risk Management,” she said. “Everything is a risk and here was a course that taught you how to assess and address risk.”
According to Moore, she always enjoyed her time in the classroom. A family tragedy, however, upended her pursuit of her degree at that time.
“My eldest son, Vincent, had a congenital heart defect — he passed away when he was only 19. It was an extremely difficult, stressful time as I was also taking care of my mother,” she said. “I had stopped taking classes, but then one of my colleagues in the office suggested I take a course to let me focus on something else. That was the best advice I could have gotten. Over the years, I would stop taking classes whenever I felt stressed. After a semester or two break, then I would head back to the classroom.”
After spending five years in the University Budget Office, Moore joined the team in the Office of the Provost in Conwell Hall, where’s she’s been ever since. She can name every provost and vice provost that has been part of the Temple community during her time in the office.
“I really do a bit of everything. I handle scheduling and calendars — I know where everyone needs to be and when. I also oversee conference rooms — I’ve established some important rules for those,” she said. “I’m also the timekeeper for Undergraduate Education’s portfolio and the honors department. I was also asked to be on the University’s Artificial Intelligence Taskforce and I’m a member of the Temple 20-year Club, helping to plan the program and the yearly dinner.”
After an extended break from the classroom as she focused on her many work and family responsibilities, Moore recently decided to make a return to the classroom to finish what she started all of those years ago. Weighing her options, she chose to complete her degree through University College’s Bachelor of General Studies program.
The Bachelor of General Studies is designed for learners with prior college and at least sixty transferable credits who are ready to complete their undergraduate degree. The 120-credit bachelor’s program focuses on creating a solid foundation for a wide variety of careers and it allows students the opportunity to customize their degree path. Learn more about the Bachelor of General Studies here.
“The program accepted all of the my business and communications course credits. I discovered that with this program, all I needed was the capstone writing intensive course and I would finally have my degree,” she said. “My interactions with the other students in the BGS program have been wonderful. I like to talk and I like to interact with people.”
Her extensive background working with administrators proved very helpful when it came to group projects. She said many times “I may often be the oldest person in the classroom,” but she is fearless.
“I like being a motivator. I like taking on leadership roles,” she said. “I raise my hand. I ask questions. I say, ‘Come on group, we’re going to do this’ and then we get it done.”
Throughout this journey, Moore said, family support has been essential for success.
“Family support is everything. I have two granddaughters now — Najah and Raihanah Siddiq. I helped them with their homework when they were younger,” she said. “Now, they are both grown and have a college degree. I help them and they in turn help me. We all support each other.”
Degree in hand, Moore’s passion for lifelong learning burns no less brightly.
“I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to continue my work at Temple. I think I’d like to go to graduate school and maybe pursue a degree in human resources — I’m not done yet,” she said. “For anyone thinking about coming back to school, my advice is don’t hesitate. Take a class. Sign up. Get yourself registered. Whatever you do, keep learning!”