Noonan Named Associate Vice Provost At UB; Kaars Appointed Director of Academic Advisement

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Office of the Provost at the University at Buffalo has made two appointments in the area of undergraduate education.

Karen K. Noonan, Ph.D., has been named associate vice provost for undergraduate education.

Janina Kaars has been appointed director of academic advisement.

Noonan will oversee the operations of university undergraduate academic services, including academic advisement, the Thomas J. Edwards Learning Center and the University Honors Program.

She joined the UB staff in 1985 as assistant to the dean in the Office of Graduate and Professional Education. She also has served as assistant director for admissions in the School of Dental Medicine, director of the Office of Research in Dental Education and executive assistant to the vice president for sponsored programs.

Most recently, Noonan has served concurrent appointments as interim dean of undergraduate academic services and director of academic advisement.

She has worked with undergraduate students for more than 15 years, teaching anthropology at the State University College at Buffalo, Niagara Community College and Erie Community College.

She is a member of the American Higher Education Association, the Society for the Study of Higher Education, the National Academic Advising Association and the New York State Transfer and Articulation Association.

She has been active in community service as a member of the Development Council of Studio Arena Theatre and as a trustee of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Amherst and the Williamsville Central School District Board of Education.

Noonan received her doctoral degree in higher education and a master's degree in anthropology from UB.

She resides in East Amherst.

In her new position, Kaars will oversee the effectiveness of the undergraduate academic advisement program and implement a system of faculty advisement. She recently served as interim director of academic advisement.

She previously was a senior staff associate for resource management in the Office of the Provost and assistant to the vice provost for undergraduate education.

She started her career at UB more than 20 years ago as a research assistant in the Department of Physiology. For almost 10 years, she was an instructor in the Department of Biochemistry and coordinator of the undergraduate program in biochemistry. She has had a particular interest in building faculty mentoring relationships through undergraduate research opportunities.

Kaars was a co-investigator on a $50,000 National Science Foundation project to integrate the use of microcomputers in teaching laboratories. Copyrighted software was developed as a result of this work.

She received a master's degree in science education from UB and a bachelor's degree in biology from SUNY Stony Brook.

She resides in Clarence.