MOBILE, Ala. – The University of Mobile awarded the 2024 Samuel Boykin Medal of Excellence to 2002 alumnus Ronald G. Moore in a ceremony held Feb. 1 in Lyon Chapel on the university campus.
Also during the ceremony, the university presented the alumni of the year award to outgoing university president Dr. Lonnie Burnett, a 1979 graduate who also served as a professor, dean and senior administrator during his 20-year tenure with the university. The award was named in his honor, and the Dr. Lonnie Burnett Alumni of the Year Award will be presented annually to an outstanding alumnus.
Moore serves as a member of the UM Board of Trustees and is a principal market specialist with Alabama Power Company.
“The University of Mobile is a very special place to me. It is with gratitude and humility that I accept this honor. This award means I can be recognized and associated with a man that pursued excellence in academics and in his professional career,” Moore said.
The Samuel Boykin Medal of Excellence was established in 2019 to honor the life of the late Samuel M. Boykin, the first African American graduate of the University of Mobile. The award recognizes outstanding African American graduates of UM who reflect the ideals of virtuosity, faith and charity that Boykin exemplified through his career, family and community.
Past medal of excellence recipients are 2004 alumnus Ira Bates Jr., 2011 alumnus Treii Pace, and 2002 alumna Dr. Tracey Henry.
Moore has been married for 22 years to his college sweetheart, Shay Moore. They have three children: Blake, Brooke and Briley. Blake is a freshman at UM.
“We’re happy about our son being here because we want the Christian component to be a part of his education. We also knew that he would get the skills he needs to be successful in his professional career. Once he visited the campus and saw how beautiful it was, and he met the faculty and staff, he knew this was where he wanted to go to school,” Moore said in a video posted on the University of Mobile YouTube channel. Watch the video here.
In addition to his MBA from the University of Mobile, Moore holds a Bachelor of Arts in marketing from Talladega College. He is active in the Christian Business Men’s Connection, Mobile Law Enforcement Foundation, Mobile Chamber – Growth Alliance Task Force, and Jubilee Youth Service & Leadership Academy.
Moore said he knew his University of Mobile experience would be different from his first class in the MBA program – business law.
“The professor was a local attorney, and he began every class with a prayer – which is and was very countercultural,” Moore said.
“I developed lifelong relationships with my classmates, the faculty and staff. There was a Christian component to the education I received at UM, which is one of the reasons my experience was so unique.”
Pictured from left are UM President Lonnie Burnett, Ronald Moore, Alumni Director Haley Haney.
About the University of Mobile
The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered university with a vision of “Higher Education for a Higher Purpose,” founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions in an environment where they are known. Located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama, on a campus of over 880 acres, the university offers associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs.The University of Mobile was founded in 1961 and is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention.
For information about the University of Mobile, areas of study, admissions and more, visit umobile.edu, connect with UM on social media @univofmobile, or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
Kathy Dean uses her passion for storytelling and “playing with words” to share the stories of people, place and purpose that make the University of Mobile unique. As associate vice president for university communications, she manages media relations, edits the TorchLight alumni magazine, and oversees university communications. A former award-winning journalist, she is a two-time recipient of the Baptist Communicators Association grand prize for feature writing. Kathy and her husband, Chuck, live with three extremely loud miniature schnauzers.