Biography of Dr. Moggio

Anna-Maria Moggio, the only daughter of Lutalto Moggio and Anna (Boselli) Moggio, was born in New York City spending her early childhood in Manhattan. The family later moved to a multicultural neighborhood in the West Bronx where Anna-Maria attended the Elizabeth Barrett Browning School and Walton High School.

Anna-Maria used travel as a way to expand her horizons ever since she visited South America with her parents as a child. From a young age her parents took her to the opera, concerts, and museums. Since her parents’ native language was Italian, Anna-Maria grew up bi-lingual, learning English only when she began elementary school.

Her early experience in a rich cultural milieu had a strong influence on choices later in life; she believed strongly in the value of learning foreign languages. Her first opportunity to learn another language came in the seventh grade when she began to study French, the third language in which she became fluent. While at Walton High School she added Latin to her repertoire of languages, taking the equivalent of four years of Latin in three years. Anna-Maria had a facility with other languages as well, modestly admitting she was able to “get by” in German, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Anna-Maria received a Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude in History at Adelphi University in New York. While at Adelphi, she was the recipient of numerous scholastic awards including: Delta Tau Alpha (the equivalent of Phi Beta Kappa), Pi Gamma Mu (National Social Science), Phi Alpha Theta (National History) and Departmental Honors in History at Commencement. Although all of Anna-Maria’s early schooling was spent in public schools, while at Adelphi University, a private non-sectarian institution, she was President of the Newman Club, a Catholic student fellowship. Anna-Maria received both her Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Fordham University, a Jesuit institution. As a young woman, Anna-Maria received two separate fellowships from the Government of France to study in Toulouse where she pursued studies in French History. In her dissertation, Dr. Moggio wrote on perceptions of Napoleon Bonaparte by the French press in Toulouse 1830-1848. Anna-Maria had a passion for research and a researcher’s love of pursuing roots of the topic she was investigating. She credited her liberal arts education and her global experiences with her ability to see beneath the surface of a topic and make connections.

Anna-Maria enjoyed a love of music and in particular, the opera. Her parents held season tickets to the Metropolitan Opera Company in New York City. Anna-Maria continued her parents’ tradition and was a season ticket holder throughout her life. While Vice President of Academic Affairs at Centenary College, Anna-Maria received the prestigious New Jersey Theatre Group Applause Award for her support of theatre at the college and university levels.

Dr. Moggio’s early faculty appointments in History included Georgian Court University in Lakewood, New Jersey, The College of The Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She served as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Assumption College in Worcester from 1974 until 1979. While at Assumption College, Anna-Maria taught history in both the undergraduate and graduate schools. In 1979, Dr. Moggio moved to Pennsylvania where she served as the Academic Dean/Chief Academic Officer at Rosemont College in Rosemont, Pennsylvania. She served in that position from 1979 through 1991 and was the longest serving lay Dean at the College. At Rosemont College, Dr. Moggio was successful in obtaining grants for the Faculty through Pew Charitable Trusts. Anna-Maria later served as Vice President for Academic Affairs at Centenary College in Hackettstown, New Jersey. Upon retiring from higher education, she returned to Worcester, Massachusetts. Anna-Maria participated in Campus Ministry at Assumption College and was a member of the University of Massachusetts Medical School Human Subjects Committee. Dr Moggio was an active member of Delta Epsilon Sigma, (the National Catholic Honor Society), Phi Alpha Theta and was devoted to the pursuit of academic excellence.

Anna-Maria had served as Vice President and President of the American Association of University Administrators, President of Delta Epsilon Sigma, received the Daughters of the American Revolution Award in History and was a member of historical associations both in the United States and in France. She frequently undertook research at Bibliotheque Nationale, French Department and Municipal Archives, the British Library, and the American Antiquarian Society. She wrote and lectured on Napoleon, the French Revolution, Catholic Social Thought, Historians as Administrators, Administrative Evaluation, and Creativity and the Arts in Catholic colleges and universities. She presented at conferences in the United States, University of Liverpool (UK), Trinity College (Dublin) and the University of Milan (Italy).

Dr. Moggio passed away after a brief illness in July 2005 in Worcester, Massachusetts.