Dr. Thomas Moorman – Retirement

Dr. Thomas Moorman will be retiring from State Service after 28 years in administration within Texas institutions of higher education. Dr. Moorman began his higher education journey as a Graduate Student at Texas A&M University where he worked in University Housing and interned in the Judicial Affairs Office. He then spent three years as a Hall Director at Texas Woman’s University. On August 22, 1994, Thomas Moorman was hired onto the student affairs team at the UNT Health Science Center as a Coordinator for Student Development. In 1997, Dr. Moorman wrote and submitted a grant proposal to the Arnold P. Gold Foundation that brought the White Coat Ceremony to the UNTHSC campus. Today this is one of our most cherished traditions. On April 20, 1999, The TCOM Medical Student Government Association (MSGA) renamed their unsung hero award the “Thomas Moorman Unsung Hero Award.” The MSGA continues to present this award each year to a staff member that goes above and beyond the call of duty. That same year, the School of Public Health was founded and Moorman became their first Director of Admissions. In May of 1999, Moorman was recognized as the Outstanding Doctoral Student in Higher Education at the University of North Texas in Denton. Dr. Moorman returned to the Division of Student Affairs in February of 2004 as an Executive Director. He then continued his service as an Associate Vice President and later the Vice President of Student Affairs. He served as the Chief Student Affairs Officer at the UNT Health Science Center for 15 years. During these years, Dr. Moorman was awarded another grant for $120,000 which initiated the creation of the Center for Academic Performance. He founded the Office of Wellness Services, the Career Center, and the Office of International Services. Additionally, he was instrumental in the development of an institutional Office for Testing and Evaluation Services. Many of the student service programs available on the UNT Health Science Center campus were designed and implemented under his direction. If you ask him about it, he will tell you that he may have had an idea, but it was all the great people around him that made everything truly possible. Finally, in February of 2019, Dr. Moorman assumed the role of Vice Provost for Academic Initiatives and this will be the role he leaves in retirement.

It is fitting to note that Dr. Moorman was the first recipient of the university’s “Valubility of the Year” honor. He was one of five team member recognized during the 2015 awards ceremony. Other awards and recognitions include:

The Texas Association of College and University Student Personnel Administrators (TACUSPA) renamed their fellows program the Dr. Thomas Moorman Fellows Program (October 2015).

The Dr. Jim Caswell Distinguished Service Award presented by the Texas Association of College and University Student Personnel Administrators (TACUSPA) on October 15, 2012.

Outstanding Alumni Award, 2009-2010, Association of Graduate Students in Higher Education (AGSHE), University of North Texas.

Yearbook Dedication Award, May 2008. TCOM Medical Class of 2008 dedicated their Senior Yearbook, the “Speculum” in honor of Dr. Thomas Moorman.

Outstanding Mid-Level Student Affairs Professional, 2003, awarded by the Texas Association of College and University Student Personnel Administrators (TACUSPA).

Golden Sneaker Award Winner 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, & 2005, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Greater Fort Worth/Arlington Chapter

Outstanding Service and Contributions to the Public Health Student Association. 2002-2003 academic year, awarded by the Public Health Student Association, University of North Texas Health Science Center.

Outstanding Public Health Staff Member Award, 2000-2001 academic year, awarded by the Public Health Student Association, University of North Texas Health Science Center.

Edward E. Elko Award for Distinguished Service to the Graduate Student Association, University of North Texas Health Science Center 1998-1999.

The 1997-98 Outstanding Graduate Staff Member, Graduate Student Association, University of North Texas Health Science Center.

Special Recognition and Thanks for Service and Dedication to the Students “Beyond the Call of Duty,” awarded on May 6, 1997, by the Medical Student Government Association, University of North Texas Health Science Center.

Service Excellence Award Recipient, Spring 1994, University Housing, Texas Woman’s University.

Dr. Moorman also served the higher education and local communities in a variety of capacities:

Site Visitor, Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA), American Osteopathic Association, 2013 – Present.

General Planning Advisory Committee, City of Weatherford, 2016 to 2018.

Council of Student Service Vice Presidents (COSSVP) Legislative Liaison, October 2013 – 2019.

Parks and Recreations Board, Served as Chair, City of Weatherford, TX, June 2013 – 2017.

American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) Council of Osteopathic Medical
Student Services Officers, Chair-Elect 2012-2013, Chair 2013-2014, and Past Chair 2014-2015.

National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Region III, Board Member, Knowledge Community Representative for the Adult Learner and Students with Children Knowledge Community, 2012-2014.

School Health Advisory Council, Weatherford ISD, 2011-2017. The council serves as an advisory board to the school district regarding: 1) Promote active leadership in the area of health programs and services, 2) Promote best practices for implementing and improving school health policies, 3) Promote the School Health Program, and 4) Provide an annual report to the WISD School Board.

Founding Board Member & Inaugural Chair, Texas Association of College and University Student Personnel Administrators Foundation. Unofficially 2008-2010, Officially 2010-2012.

Chair, Board of Directors, Parker County Heritage Society. The Heritage Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of sites and documents of historic significance within Parker County, Texas. 2008-2009.

President, Texas Association of College and University Student Personnel Administrators, October 2006 to October 2007.

Steering Committee, Leader Kids. May 2005 to May 2007. Leader Kids is a leadership program for Junior High School Students from the Fort Worth Independent School District. The program is sponsored by Leadership Fort Worth.

Board Member, the Fort Worth/Arlington Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. June 2004 to June 2006.

Enrollment Services Efficiency Committee, formerly the Texas Higher Education Efficiency Committee, 2003-2008. Meetings coordinated by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

We asked Dr. Moorman for a parting quote and he stated, “God blessed me with many gifts and it has been a privilege to share them with the Texas Higher Education Community. The greatest gift I have been given is that of leadership. I have come to know that if I invest in the success of the individuals around me, they will invest in me as well! My proudest moments have been witnessing their individual successes.”

One final item worth noting is that Dr. Thomas Moorman and his lovely wife, Melissa Dill Moorman, began making monthly contributions to a student scholarship fund through the UNTHSC Foundation many years ago. Today, the Moorman Family Scholarship Fund has an endowment of over $40,000 and provides a scholarship annually to a student leader on the UNT Health Science Center campus.

Please join us in thanking Dr. Moorman for his 28 years of service to the state of Texas, the UNT Health Science Center, and our students!