BUCKHANNON, West Virginia – Founders Day 2023 will include the inauguration of the 20^th president of West Virginia Wesleyan College, Dr. James H. Moore. The community is invited to the Founders Day Convocation and Investiture Ceremony to be held in Wesley Chapel at 11 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 29.

Two more events are also open to the public in celebration of Moore’s inauguration. Tuesday, Sept. 26, Aladdin Food Services will serve traditional German cuisine for an Oktoberfest Dinner Party on the Benedum Student Center patio from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Music will be provided by the Edelweiss Band, sponsored by Arts Alive! Cost for the dinner is $12 (cash only). On Thursday, Sept. 28, a free concert by the Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra, of which Moore is a member, will begin at 7 p.m. in the Virginia Thomas Law Center for the Performing Arts.

Moore began serving West Virginia Wesleyan College as Interim President in February 2022 before being named President in March 2023. A member of the Wesleyan Community since 2006, Dr. Moore embodies the spirit of the College through leadership, expertise, insight, energy and vision, continuing the longstanding tradition of excellence found within the student body, faculty and staff. Prior to his role as President, Dr. Moore served as Dean of the Faculty and Chief Academic Officer from 2017 to 2022, as Chair of the Department of Music from 2011 to 2017, and as Director of Jazz Ensembles and instructor of trumpet from 2006 to 2017. As a music educator, he built one of the most vibrant collegiate jazz programs in the region.

Dr. Moore is an active member of the Pittsburgh jazz community where he is a member of the Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra and has been a member of RH Factor—the Roger Humphries quintet. In addition to his work in Pittsburgh he performs regularly with the Norman David Eleventet in Philadelphia as well as many other collaborative ventures in that city.

Dr. Moore holds a Master of Music in Jazz Studies from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and is the first recipient of the Doctor of Philosophy in Jazz Studies from the University of Pittsburgh where his advisor was Dr. Nathan T. Davis—founder of the original Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra.

A proud native of West Virginia, Dr. Moore grew up in Morgantown and spent considerable time in Elkins visiting his grandparents, where music was always a central part of life. He is the son of Paul and Linda Moore, and brother of Becky.

For more information about inauguration, visit www.wvwc.edu/inauguration

ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN COLLEGE
West Virginia Wesleyan College (WVWC) is a private, four-year residential liberal arts and sciences college in Buckhannon, West Virginia. A tradition of excellence for more than 130 years, West Virginia Wesleyan is home to 14 Fulbright Scholars. The Princeton Review ranked Wesleyan as one of its 2023 Best Colleges in the Southeastern Region of the United States. U.S. News & World Report’s 2022-2023 Best College Rankings designated Wesleyan seventh in Best Value – Regional Universities (South). WVWC offers students more than 50 majors and 40 minors; graduate programs in athletic training, business administration, creative writing, nursing and clinical mental health counseling; 20 NCAA Division II athletic programs; multiple performing arts groups; and more than 50 organizations. Founded in 1890, the College is closely affiliated with the United Methodist Church and abides by the Wesley doctrine that emphasizes service to others. For more information, visit wvwc.edu.