Harper College will be closed on Wednesday, February 12 in observance of Lincoln's Day.
President, Moats Office Properties
Larry Moats has seen Harper College from two perspectives.
He was a student during the campus' first years in existence, when some classes still were taught in trailers, and he served 15 years on the College's Board of Trustees - becoming, at the time of his first election, the state's youngest elected official.
Moats cites Robert Powell, his Harper English professor, as one of the voices who encouraged him to challenge the Board incumbents while Moats was still in school. The two grew close after Powell took the time to get to know Moats after class - a gesture that's stuck with him for years.
"Education happens with interaction between faculty and students, and that's what I found with Robert Powell," Moats says. "He honed my focus and taught me about people and human nature."
Moats is a successful businessman and generous benefactor with a strong public service background. After leaving Harper, he attended the University of Illinois at Chicago, started his first business while still a student there, and eventually earned an MBA from the University of Chicago in 1986.
Under Moats' ownership, Moats Office Properties, a community-based organization that leases and rents buildings in three states, continues to flourish. His electrical contracting business provides power, control systems and other specialty services to critical organizations like Fermi National Accelerator Lab, Great Lakes Naval Base and the Facility Management Systems at the University of Illinois.
"I can't emphasize enough what an extraordinary impact Harper had on me and how lucky I was to attend," Moats says. "The lessons Harper taught me gave me the confidence in business and the sense to go for it all and to take risks. It is the foundation of my adult life."
He was a member of the Harper College Educational Foundation President's Circle, which raises money for scholarships and educational programs. Additionally, he's long held an interest in fostering a Harper alumni program in hopes of reconnecting former students with cherished faculty.
Moats also has served the community as a member of the boards of the Northwest Cultural Council and the Palatine Area Chamber of Commerce. He also was on the board for Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation (TART) Trails Inc. in Traverse City, Mich., a nonprofit bicycle and pedestrian advocacy group.