Dr. Gregory P Noone, a political science and law assistant professor at Fairmont State University, has been conferred with the 2012 Professor of the Year Award and a $10,000 cash prize by the Faculty Merit Foundation.
Noone, who was the runner-up for the award in 2011, is director of the National Security and Intelligence Program at the university since 2007
Fairmont State President Maria Rose said that Dr. Noone initiated the process to establish the National Security and Intelligence Program and an Open Source Information Exchange lab.
The lab especially has provided the University students an opportunity to assist the U.S. government intelligence community while the students gained invaluable practical experience from the intelligence program.
This years' runner-up for the award was Kenneth H. Yount, a professor of political science and history at Alderson-Broaddus College.
Noone earned his doctorate degree in political science and international relations from West Virginia University; a J.D. degree in law from Suffolk University and a master's in defense studies and international affairs from the Royal Military College of Canada and Catholic University of America, respectively.
He has also a bachelor's degree in political science from the Villanova University.
The Faculty Merit Foundation of West Virginia honors an outstanding faculty member at a West Virginia college or university every year
Noone was a member of the Public International Law and Policy Group, which was nominated for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize and worked for the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) to promote research, education and training on the prevention, management and peaceful resolution of international conflicts.