New School of Sciences and Mathematics Dean Named

June 24, 2002

College of Charleston President Lee Higdon has announced the appointment of Dr. Norine Noonan as the new Dean of the School of Sciences and Mathematics.

Dr. Noonan is currently the Executive Director of the National Space Science and Technology Center (NSSTC) in Huntsville, Ala., a joint research and development venture between NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and a consortium of Alabama research universities. From October 1998 to January 2001, she served as the Assistant Administrator for Research and Development at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where she was responsible for three headquarters offices, three national research laboratories and two national centers, all organized around a strategy of risk assessment and risk management to address environmental and human health problems.

“Dr. Noonan's selection follows a search which attracted an excellent pool of applicants and included on-campus interviews with four outstanding candidates,” said President Higdon. “She brings to the campus a broad and unique set of experiences and perspectives, as well as a great deal of energy and enthusiasm. I want to commend the members of the search committee for their thorough job, thank all of the individuals who provided input in the process, and laud Jim Deavor whose service to the School as Interim Dean has been invaluable.”

Prior to going to the EPA, Noonan was Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School at Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida, for seven years. In this capacity, she had institution-wide responsibility for pre and post-award administration of research grants and contracts, all Federal compliance issues and technology transfer as well as oversight of all graduate programs and admissions.

Before joining Florida Tech, Dr. Noonan was Chief of the Science and Space Programs Branch, Energy and Science Division, at the Office of Management and Budget in Washington, D.C. She was responsible for the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Smithsonian Institution, the National Space Council and the National Gallery of Art. She prepared all budget materials on research and development as well as special materials for the President of the United States and his senior advisors, and she coordinated the administration's budgetary and legislative programs in Research and Development. She had a lead role in developing and implementing civil space policy and for monitoring and evaluating federal research and development enterprises, including education.

Dr. Noonan previously held an American Chemical Society Congressional Science Fellowship (1982-1983) and positions as Research Associate Professor of biochemistry at Georgetown University School of Medicine; Expert Consultant for the Subcommittee on Science, Research and Technology (U.S. House of Representatives); and Associate Professor of Physiological Sciences at the University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Noonan is a member and Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and was elected to the AAAS Board of Directors in 2001. She is also a member of the American Society for Cell Biology, Sigma Xi and Phi Beta Kappa. Her professional activities include Chairmanship of the NASA Planetary Protection Advisory Committee, membership on two advisory committees for the National Science Foundation, and Visiting Faculty at the Eastern and Western Management Development Centers, Office of Personnel Management.

Dr. Noonan received her B.A. from the University of Vermont, summa cum laude, in zoology and her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in cell biology from Princeton University.

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Contact: Patrick Harwood
College Relations
(843) 953-2548
harwoodp@cofc.edu