Mary Elizabeth Moore, dean of the School of Theology at Boston University, has announced her plans to step down from her position at the end of this academic year. Moore has been the dean since 2009 and said she plans to take a research sabbatical following her departure.
Moore said that after being dean for 11 and a half years, she felt now was a good time to step down. She said she chose to retire because a lot of her projects are finishing up and she is at a good age to retire, and she wants to create room for new leadership.
“I thought it [was] a good time in terms of bringing lots of projects we’ve worked on in that period to a culminating point, so that they’d be solid and strong for future building,” Moore said. “But I still love my job, and I’m still having fun to the very end.”
Sam Mudge, a sophomore in STH, said Moore has been an ally for the LGBTQ+ community on campus and an advocate for a more diverse faculty within STH.
“Dean Moore has been an incredibly involved and compassionate person,” Mudge said. “Last year when they had the special session for the United Methodist Church, they ruled to crack down even harder on LGBTQ+ issues. [Moore] was very proactive about showing her support to us and reaching out and making sure we were okay.”
Teddy Hickman-Maynard, the associate dean for STH, said Moore is known for her efforts to form strong connections with her students and faculty.
“Dean Moore is a really important person to me,” Hickman-Maynard said. “In many ways I would not be sitting here if it wasn’t for her.”
Hickman-Maynard studied at BU for his PhD while working as a pastor in Connecticut. He said that he overextended himself and would have been suspended from the program if not for Moore’s belief in him.
“I’m not abnormal in that way,” Hickman-Maynard said. “That is just one of many stories of the way that she approached administration. Not as a cold, calculated job of making sure [the] trains run on time, but really as a steward of the experience and the growth and development of every student.”
Julia Morisi, a postgraduate student in STH, expressed that Moore was an “amazing presence” at BU.
“I feel like she brings a lot of personal experience and a personal touch to the university,” Morisi said. “She will definitely be missed.”
Beyond her individual impacts, Hickman-Maynard said, Moore transformed the college as a whole, pushing for greater racial, gender and ethnic diversity on the faculty. Moore encouraged hiring people with different approaches to theological education and inspired theologians to pursue theology beyond the bounds of their guild.
“Some of these scholars had been here even before Dean Moore was here, but under her leadership they have been freed to pursue their craft beyond the bounds of traditional disciplinary lines,” Hickman-Maynard said. “What that leads to is a learning environment that students are being taught based on what’s really happening in the world and how theological education can prepare them to offer leadership in the world.”
Moore said she is happy to see leaving this environment behind as her continuing legacy.
“I think we’ve made huge strides in bringing and supporting extraordinary students and faculty and staff,” said Moore. “We don’t always work together smoothly, because we’re a human community, but we don’t give up and we continue building relationships and visions so that we can work together for values that can be constructive. For the church, for other religious communities, for social service sectors, and for society.”
