Meet a Colleague: Eric Moffa Eric Moffa is an associate professor of education studies.

W&L News Office
March 26, 2025

Q. How long have you worked at W&L?
I am currently in my ninth year at W&L.

Q. What courses are you teaching this term?
• EDUC 230 – Educating Citizens for Democracy
• EDUC 353 – Middle and Secondary Content Area Reading and Writing
• EDUC 390 – Education Studies Capstone

Q. What is your favorite course to teach, and why? 
I love teaching our Spring Term abroad course in Italy called Educating for Global Citizenship. My colleague Haley Sigler and I take 18 students to spend time in a middle school in Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy. This is a small Tuscan town far from popular tourist areas. We get to know the locals and experience daily life in Tuscany. It’s a unique and awesome experience.

Q. What is the most satisfying aspect of teaching?
The most satisfying aspect of teaching are conversations with students about ideas from class. I love when students are exposed to something new in my class and it sparks questions, interest or connections for students. These moments are memorable each term and extremely satisfying as a teacher.

Q. What do you like most about working at W&L?
Working at W&L has enabled me to grow as a teacher and researcher. This brings with it the joys of having a broader impact on our society through the ideas I get to share with others via my teaching and research.

Q. Where is your favorite location on the W&L campus?
I love the outdoor spaces of our campus – the unobstructed sky above Cannan Green, the large trees scattering the front side of campus and the elevated walkway above Woods Creek.

Q. What advice do you have for students?
Seek out your professors before or after class to ask them more about the topics you found interesting in class. Your professors love to talk about their field of study and love when others show interest in it. You will stand out in their mind as an engaged student with a curious intellect.

Q. What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not working?
Spending time with my family. I am a husband and a father to three children. Being a husband and dad is the most important part of my life, and I love doing all sorts of fun things with my family – reading books together, playing sports, going for walks, cooking and playing games. These are the activities that fill my days.

Q. Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Fairmont, West Virginia. I went to college in Fairmont, then taught social studies in a public high school there for 10 years. To say the least, I will always be a proud West Virginian. My Appalachian roots have influenced by educational research which focuses on understanding civics in rural schools.

Q. When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I’m sure this answer changed every year, but I recall the following: firefighter, veterinarian, preacher, composer, writer, journalist, spy and teacher.

Q. Who inspired you to teach? What about them inspired you?
I don’t think I was inspired by one teacher, but an amalgamation of many excellent teachers and mentors over the years. Teachers that built relationships, present their authentic selves to students, and truly love their content stand out to me. These are all traits I strive for in my teaching today.

Q. What is the most adventurous thing that you have ever done?
As a young man, I did a road trip around the western United States with two friends, hiking and camping at many national parks, including Glacier, Olympic, Sequoia and Death Valley. It was quite hot camping overnight in Death Valley, but worth every second.

Q. What book are you reading now?
“Nexus” by Yuval Noah Harari, and “Demon Copperhead” by Barbara Kingsolver.

Q. What music are you listening to these days?
While I’m most likely listening to podcasts, I love 90’s grunge and its offshoots. That genre of rock accounts for 90% of my music listening nowadays.

Q. If you could have coffee with one person, who would it be and why?
I’d like to spend time with my great grandfather, Joseph Moffa. He was born in the Benevento Province of Italy (outside Naples) and immigrated to the U.S. in the early 1900s. He lived to be 98 years old. One of my earliest memories is sitting on his lap, but he passed when I was three years old, so I never had the chance to get to know him or learn about his life.

Q. If they made a movie about your life, who would play you?
I asked my two best friends for input on this question and they said John Hamm, Gerald Butler or Hugh Jackman – but all with much less hair on their heads.

Q. What is your desert island food?
Hot wings!

Q. Tell us something most people don’t know about you.
I can squat and deadlift over 500 pounds and bench almost 400 pounds. I compete in powerlifting, and I have a home gym in my basement which makes training accessible since I’m also a busy dad.

Q. What is your secret talent?
I’m not sure I’m talented but I love to write poetry and try to write a poem every day.