PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (June 14, 2024) – Ask Dr. Quincy Moore to describe his relationship with his students, and he’ll tell you a unique perspective: he’s been asked to be a godfather, been to some of their weddings, written recommendation letters, check-in emails, and met up with them for coffee or a meal when he is in their city.
Dr. Moore, a biology professor, academic advisor, and director of the Honors Program at Prairie View A&M University, has been part of the PVAMU family since 2009. And he truly considers his students – both current and former – like his own children.
“Growing up in a family with ten children (seven girls and three boys), we were always encouraged to dream,” the father of four said. “I want [my children and students] to not settle for anything less than their best and to work to create a better society.”
Moore has a unique family connection to PVAMU – his son, Josiah, is a junior computer science major. His youngest son, Kristopher, starts at PVAMU this fall and will major in mechanical engineering and minor in business.
“Having my legacy at an amazing institution that has an emphasis on ‘Excellence Lives Here’ and ‘Pioneers Emerge Here’ represents an environment that I want them to learn,” Moore said. “Their mom and I are so proud of their dedication to learning and their pursuit of brilliance in their education, and I continue to have the opportunity to celebrate being their father and knowing that one day they will change the world.”
Dr. Moore, known affectionately to his students as “Quizmaster” (he even has a shirt that he likes to wear that says “take out a sheet of paper,” a nod to his infamous pop quizzes), is a professor who pushes his students to be their best, bearing witness to their paths at PVAMU, where he says “they are getting ready to take on the world.”
“When students leave my class, I get to call them doctor, entrepreneur, teacher,” Moore said. “I hold them to a high standard of accountability. I don’t allow them to just be an average student. I’m preparing them for whatever is next for them. I look at each of the students as a world changer.
I try not to be that ‘father figure’ but more of a mentor. I want them to be able to come into the program ready to learn to emerge as the best representation of themselves and to not stop before achieving their ultimate goals.”
Although Moore did not attend PVAMU as a student, he says, “the University chose me.”
“Coming to PVAMU gave me the opportunity to inspire and educate future scientists,” he said. “For me, PVAMU allowed me to emerge, explore and empower.”
The opportunity to do those three things – emerge, explore and empower – are opportunities he has, in turn, offered to his students, whether he is helping them put together the proper class schedule, mentoring them in the Honors Program, or instructing them in class with an extra push that they “may or may not appreciate until later,” he said with a laugh.
His work behind the scenes investing in his students’ futures also recently earned him the prestigious Academic Advising Award with the University.
Moore described a sense of belonging that is at the core of not just his classes but the University as a whole. It’s that spirit of inclusivity that fuels the motivation and inspiration of students who attend PVAMU.
“The environment that exists here embraces you and pushes you to realize your true potential,” Moore said. “I came to PVAMU only knowing about football and the amazing engineering program. But what I found in PVAMU was an atmosphere of brilliance. The students that I continue to encounter push me to achieve more.”
His son, Kristopher, echoed his dad’s thoughts about belonging – he chose PVAMU over many other schools, including his dad’s alma mater, Jackson State. However, even after receiving much interest from other schools, he has not changed his mind about PVAMU being the right place for him.
“PVAMU instantly treated me like I belonged there,” Kristopher said. “They saw my value as a scholar.” Kristopher accepted the Regents’ Scholarship to attend PVAMU.
Josiah, who was offered the Presidential Scholarship, added that after seeing encouragement from his dad’s former students and the diversity of job fields they ended up in after attending PVAMU, he was excited to choose a place to belong.
“I chose PVAMU for the opportunity to be around people who looked like me in an academic setting,” he said. “I felt valued as a scholar immediately as well.”
Proud dad Moore said that he tries to let his sons establish their own legacy and path for the future by offering support, cheering them on in the sidelines, and creating their own identity as they grow as students and adults.
Moore noted that his experience with the Honors Program allows him to further this by instilling the value of “honors impact” in his students.
“My hopes and dreams are for each of them to create their own path and not to accept failed attempts as the conclusion of a matter but to rely on their intellectual curiosity and create a better future,” Moore said.
And in his role as “Dad,” those hopes and dreams are extended, wrapped around his children whom he calls “a blessing and answered prayer.”
Moore says he is grateful to be a father, something his own father taught him in a conversation, and grateful to be a father figure, too. He always reminds his students and children to never use the word “can’t” before trying.
“I want them to be true to themselves and always authentic and never try to fit into someone else’s perception,” Moore said. “I want them never to quit when things get hard or allow fear to paralyze them from this great adventure known as life. I want to dream bigger than their mom and dad and, at the end of the day, know that they did not cheat themselves of all that was meant for them. I want them to love, to inspire, to create and to become.”
By Meredith Mohr
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