KINGSTON, R.I. — March 2, 2012 – U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced Thursday she has appointed University of Rhode Island President David M. Dooley to a newly-formed academic panel to address national security issues.
The 19-member Homeland Security Academic Advisory Council will advise the Department of Homeland Security on matters related to the recruitment of domestic and international students and recent graduates, academic research, campus and community resiliency, security and preparedness and faculty exchanges.
“The formation of this council represents an important milestone toward engaging the academic community in our homeland security efforts,” Napolitano said Thursday in Washington. “Their collective expertise will be a critical asset to the department, and I look forward to working with them.”
Dooley was selected to join the council in part because the University has provided knowledge and support in explosives research to domestic agencies such as the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and to foreign governments for nearly 20 years. The University also launched in 2008 its Center of Excellence in Explosives, Detection, Mitigation, Response and Characterization through a $5.15 million award from the Department of Homeland Security.
Dooley’s appointment will last two years and the council will meet quarterly during that time. The council will meet for the first time March 20 in Washington and the meeting is open to the public.
Dooley became the 11th president of the University of Rhode Island in July 2009. He joined the University with nearly 30 years of experience in public and private higher education. Prior to joining the University, Dooley was the provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Montana State University.
Earlier at Montana State, Dooley led the university’s chemistry and biochemistry department and served as a chemistry professor. As provost, he also maintained an active laboratory with research funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.
The panel, which will be chaired by Wallace Loh, president of the University of Maryland, underscores the department’s commitment to working with the academic community to identify recruits, new technology and best practices to help keep the country safe from terrorism.
The council also includes presidents from the University of North Carolina, Northeastern University, Auburn University, the University of Minnesota, Texas A&M University, the University of Maryland, New York University, the University of Montana-Missoula, St. Augustine’s College and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, as well as the leaders of various academic organizations.