since functioned as a vital talent pipeline for the nation’s disability and rehabilitation research ecosystem.” ‘ARCHITECT OF A NEW ERA’ Moore, who was working as a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville RTTC for Persons who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing, was skeptical in 2000 about applying for Langston’s new role. Then Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Jean Bell Manning, invited Moore, his wife and children to Langston on a day that doubled as a faculty recognition party at her home located near campus. Before the event, Manning spent the early part of the day driving him and his wife through neighborhoods, showing them homes and breaking bread. Moore, a University of Georgia alumnus, had never experienced HBCU love and was immediately hooked. Moore was convinced, despite the risk of picking up his family from their Arkansas home and starting his life and a university program from scratch. “While my previous environment was steeped with faculty who had massive research portfolios, Langston offered something different: a rich legacy of resilience and a leadership team, Dr. Ernest Holloway and Dr. Jean Bell Manning, whose dedication to the university’s growth was infectious,” he said. “When I arrived at Langston University in 2000, I saw more than just a historic institution; I saw a canvas of untapped potential.” On his first day at Langston University, Moore was led to the Langston- Oklahoma City Satellite Campus, shown a single desk in an open suite, and handed a stack of state documents and a list of phone numbers. The charge from Manning, now Vice President Emeritus: enroll 20 students by spring 2001. “It was very high risk and, at times, very daunting to start a program from nothing,” said Moore. He carried with him the high standards of his doctoral mentor, Dr. Stanford Rubin of Southern Illinois University
of the RTTCs, while 51 were funded and generated under the RTTCs, reflecting the significant expansion of Langston University’s research productivity and national influence under his leadership. These investments and outcomes have helped propel Langston University’s Rehabilitation Counseling Program into the Top 10 nationally in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report rankings, further solidifying the institution’s reputation as a national leader in rehabilitation counseling, disability research, and workforce development. “These centers haven’t just expanded our research footprint; they have solidified Langston University’s brand as a national leader, propelling us into the top 10 of the 2026 U.S. News & World Report rankings,” he said. “The synergy between these U.S. Department of Education training grants and NIDILRR-funded ARRT grants, and our two flagship RTTCs has been transformative.”
Moore’s social capital, grant writing, and issue expertise have brought in 23 grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Education, in addition to a Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Distinguished Professor Endowed Chair Award. “Our trajectory has been shaped by a strategic sequence of federal and private investments,” he said. “The U.S. Department of Education training grants served as our initial engine, directly fueling the growth of our undergraduate and graduate programs while driving record gains in student enrollment, retention, and career placement. However, the true catalyst for our research infrastructure was the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Distinguished Professor Endowed Chair Award. This endowment provided the critical foundation to pivot toward large-scale research funding from the Department of Health and Human Services. It specifically paved the way for our two RRTCs and ARRT Post Doctoral Program, which has
HBCU TIMES SUMMER ISSUE 2026 | 3 9
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