Bloomfield College News & Events

“Perhaps Jack’s greatest contribution to the College and to the State of New Jersey has been his passionate commitment to cultural pluralism as a strength and a resource,” said Adrian A. Shelby, Chair of the Board of Trustees. “He redefined the College’s mission with great foresight and courage, and transformed Bloomfield College into a vibrant center of opportunity and hope both for the traditional full-time student as well as for the older non-traditional part-time or weekend student.”

A national search for the 16^th President of Bloomfield College will begin immediately, Chair Shelby announced.

Under Dr. Noonan’s leadership, the 134-year old liberal arts college has attained national prominence. Many of its faculty, staff, and students have been invited to speak on diversity issues by colleges and associations around the country. The Association of American Colleges and Universities has identified the College as one of the leading institutions in this important area.

Since 1987, Bloomfield College has increased full-time faculty by 50 percent and increased minority faculty to 26 percent. Last year, Bloomfield College was ranked fifth in campus diversity among Northern Liberal Arts Colleges by U.S. News & World Report.

In 1991, the College instituted a Weekends at Bloomfield College program for people who did not fit the profile of the traditional full-time day student.

The College has added several new academic programs including the Division of Creative Arts & Technology, which integrates the study of new digital media and the traditional arts. Other new programs include a concentration in public administration, industrial/organizational psychology, Internet technology, and education.

In 1998, Bloomfield College launched the Advanced Technology Institute in response to the state’s shortage of highly-skilled IT workers. Today, it is the largest IT training center in New Jersey higher education.

To strengthen the co-curriculum, Bloomfield created a service-learning requirement and an Arts-As-Catalyst program.

Bloomfield College recently set fund-raising records after raising $8.4 million for its capital campaign. Nearly 90 percent of college employees contributed to the Campaign for Bloomfield College, and the College met a $500,000 challenge grant from the Kresge Foundation.

Major philanthropies, such as The Ford Foundation, The William Randolph Hearst Foundation, The Christian A. Johnson Endeavor, The Teagle Foundation, and The Pew Charitable Trusts have recognized the College for its unique mission and supported its work.

In the fall of 2000, Bloomfield College opened its new $7 million library, offering a state-of-the-art research center to the College community with over 130 Internet-linked computers. The three-story building is the first new building on campus in 30 years and doubles the space of the previous library, Talbott Hall.

Background on Dr. Noonan

Dr. Noonan came to Bloomfield from Iona College, where he served as Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences from 1983-1987.

From 1973-1983, he was the Director of The Center for the Improvement of Teaching Effectiveness, at Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Noonan served as Director of the Liberal Studies Program and Associate Professor of English at Findlay College, from 1967-1973.

A former Fulbright Lecturer and visiting Professor of Higher Education at Teachers College Columbia University, Dr. Noonan has spoken on more than 300 college and university campuses. He serves on the Board of Governors of The New Jersey Region of The National Conference for Community and Justice and as a Trustee of the Schumann Fund for New Jersey, and is chairman of the board of the READY Foundation. In 1998, The Association of American Colleges and Universities elected Dr. Noonan to its Board of Directors. In 2000, he became a Director of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. He was elected Vice Chair of the AAC&U Board of Directors and Vice Chair of the NAICU Board of Directors in 2002. He also serves on the Board of the Association of Independent Colleges of New Jersey.

He is a graduate of Wheeling Jesuit College who earned both his M.A. and Ph.D. in English Literature from Bowling Green State University. In 1980, Wheeling gave him an honorary degree, and in 1995, its Distinguished Alumnus Award. In 1997, New Jersey Monthly magazine selected Dr. Noonan to receive the New Jersey Pride Award in Education in recognition of his significant contributions to higher education and to the State of New Jersey.

Background on the College

Founded in 1868, Bloomfield College is an independent, four-year co-educational institution offering programs in the liberal arts and professional studies. For more than 130 years, Bloomfield College has provided educational opportunities for first-generation college students and students whose circumstances and needs threaten to exclude them from higher education. In 2002, more than 50 countries of birth were represented in a student body of 1,900. The Bloomfield College mission, “to prepare students to attain academic, personal and professional excellence in a multicultural and global society,” springs from the College’s history, its tradition, and its present identity.