Dr. Paul J. Croft currently serves as Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at Kean University. He earned his doctoral degree from Rutgers University studying weather related stress on cranberry growth. His research has focused on operational and applied meteorology, climate, environmental sensors, and cranberry scald. As the initial Executive Director of the School of Environmental and Sustainability Sciences at Kean University, he helped organize faculty, labs, and foster research-based learning. Dr. Croft has held numerous leadership roles in professional organizations and received several awards for his research and teaching.

1. Bio information Dr. Paul J. Croft
www.linkedin.com/pub/paul-j-croft/12/713/aba/ February 2018
Croft Bio-Sketch information
Dr. Paul J. Croft currently serves as Associate Vice President for
Academic Affairs at Kean University (USA, Union Campus) and
has been a faculty member of the School of Environmental and
Sustainability Sciences (SESS, located within the College of
Natural, Applied, and Health Sciences). He served as the initial
Executive Director of SESS. Croft earned his doctoral degree at
Rutgers University in Meteorology and Horticulture studying
weather related stress on cranberry growth and production.
His research projects and publications in operational and applied meteorology and
climate have ranged from severe weather to snowfall, and air quality to thunderstorm
initiation and fog prediction, environmental sensor systems, and cranberry scald. These
mesoscale hazards and environmental issues have been intertwined with both operational
strategies, educational aspects and pedagogy, and Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary
Studies, Training, and Policies review and development. These include work related to
community environmental networks for the use of real-time data in decision-making
applications.
Croft’s intent has been to “ensure that people are safe, able to protect their property and
interests, and can make informed decisions” in a timely manner to minimize
socioeconomic impacts. “When in an operational setting, it is the only way we can
manage and maintain a safe and productive environment” that is sustainable over time
so as to “limit the repercussions of any environmental hazard” Croft said. In an era of
billion dollar disasters, climate extremes, and global climate change, Croft finds he is
busier than ever as he has begun to examine Climate History in New Jersey through the
use of surrogate measures to better understand societal impacts. Previously he
conceptualized and organized a panel discussion with Dr. Feng Qi about water
resources as related to global climate change on the Kean University campus.
The Panel posited issues associated with water resource availability for society and the
evolving dilemmas posed by global climate change – something Croft has followed for
many years. The Panel’s theme was “Water Access & Transfer – Equalizing Resources
under Climate Change Scenarios” as global changes impact water availability and
access, water quality and observation, changes in freshwater and glacial landscapes,
resource variability and drought, conflict resolution and policy, and associated dangers.
These impact socioeconomic and political structures, the distributions of plants,
animals, insects, and disease transmission on Earth; and determine what infrastructures
around the world will remain viable over time. This has become an underlying theme
to his work on Climate History in New Jersey.
“Climate variability and change infers multiple and inter-related scenarios” that reveal
“our vulnerabilities and risks” Croft said. The use of climate models “by scientists,
decision-makers, and even analysts in catastrophe modeling” allow us to examine “both
our resiliency and our needs with regard to insurance plans and responses” Croft added.

2. Bio information Dr. Paul J. Croft
www.linkedin.com/pub/paul-j-croft/12/713/aba/ February 2018
In fact he worked with Dr. Kikombo Ngoy and students to use a global climate model to
examine change scenarios and impacts in New Jersey. The prior Panel, a forerunner to his
current efforts, was part of an academic year program sponsored by SESS in cooperation
with the Karl and Helen Burger Gallery. The Gallery hosted the exhibit "GLACIAL
DIMENSIONS: Art and the Global Ice Melt" in association with the "ArtSCAPES"
program by SESS: “Art in Science, Climate, and Adaptation: Picturing Environments and
Sustainability”. The trans-disciplinary program of events highlighted learning via in-situ
environments and according to experiential methods and deliveries to reach a broad
spectra of audiences.
When the School of Environmental and Sustainability Science (SESS) formed at Kean
University in the summer of 2013, Croft served as its first Executive Director during to
organize the faculty, lab space, and create a setting to foster research-based learning for
both science majors and in service to education and non-science students across
campus. Working with the Dean of CNAHS, Dr. George Chang, the intent was to set-
up viable and evolutionary academic and research programs to respond to society’s
everyday concerns and demands of the natural environment while considering benefits
of sustainable management practices for the environment from a societal point of view.
“It’s all about trans-disciplinary research,” Croft indicated, as that teaches students that
“science is not completed one discipline at a time or in isolation” from the rest of the
world. For that matter “science is best understood in the context of systems, their
internal workings, interactions, and feedbacks” Croft said “whether in a classroom, lab,
or real-world setting.” Included in the formation of SESS was Kean University’s goal
to bring forth global experiences for students by providing international opportunities
with faculty sponsors. Therefore, SESS reached-out to China to teach and conduct
research with students at the Wenzhou-Kean campus and to partner with Wenzhou
University and Central China Normal University. Croft worked with SESS faculty to
develop these as well as the initiation of projects for the Kean Highlands Center and in
Costa Rica.
During his time with Kean University, Croft has been involved in a variety of outreach to
K-12 students and teachers, including Upward Bound and CAMS-FOS; and programs at
Kean University including McNair, STEMPACT, and LSAMP. These have included
presentations and assistance to the NJESTA, Epsilon Corps, Environ-Mentors, and many
other local and national programs. He has previously received a Presidential Excellence
Award for Distinguished Teaching and was named the Research Mentor of the Year at
Kean University. He has assisted new faculty orientation activities and led the creation of
a Faculty Development Network. He sponsored students to attend and present research at
national conferences as part of their professional development and his students have been
recognized and/or received awards for their work.
Croft has taught a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses since 1988 and has
served as an academic advisor and has supervised award winning student meteorology
clubs and other student activities. His focus has been on the emerging program of
undergraduate student research and professional development at several institutions.

3. Bio information Dr. Paul J. Croft
www.linkedin.com/pub/paul-j-croft/12/713/aba/ February 2018
Croft has made numerous presentations to K-12 students and educators and has provided
news and information to local newspapers and television stations. He has served as a
consultant for air quality studies, textbooks, an atmospheric encyclopedia (fog), and
online fog module development (COMET/UCAR). Croft has served as a reviewer for
numerous journal publications and proposals, including international and open source
peer reviewed journals.
Croft contributed to Kean University as a member of the Steering Committee for the
MSCHE self-study. He has worked on a wide variety of committees and initiatives that
include: The Writing Task Force (Co-Chair), Weathercasting Panel, Program Committee
Annual New Jersey Advisors Conference, Tenure Track Faculty Network Steering
Committee (and service as coordinator and co-chair), Academic Standards Committee
(and a term as Chair), Admissions Committee, Writing Emphasis Committee; Research
Committee; and Epsilon Corps Graduate School and Professional Development
Committees. He has participated in Student Athlete Luncheons, Honors Convocations,
Science Celebration Days, Earth Week, Early College Awareness Days, Open House
activities, and other Luncheons, and Commencement Exercises. Croft has served on the
Kean University Senate and as a member of the Senate Executive Committee.
Dr. Croft has served as President of the National Weather Association and as a member
of its Strategic Planning and Education Committees and also served on the Broadcast
Committee. He was Vice President, served as NWA Annual Meeting Co-Program Chair,
worked on the NWA Broadcast Committee (including rewrite and implementation of the
broadcast seal examinations). He served as Co-Editor of the National Weather Digest –
an operational meteorology research peer reviewed journal – prior to its change to the
online Journal of Operational Meteorology. Croft’s work has been recognized around the
world as he receives requests for input with regard to current research and application of
his research and educational methods and findings.
Croft is a Member of the American Meteorological Society and served as a subject matter
expert on the Editorial Board of the American Meteorological Society including its peer
reviewed journal. He also served as Chair of the Board on Continuing Education, and the
AMS Board on Higher Education. Croft has served on Program and Steering Committees
for the NOAA Diversity Conference and has served as a UCAR Academic Affiliate
Representative. He also served as a co-chair of the Committee to Improve Climate
Change Communication and as a member of the NJDEP Science Advisory Board. He has
written a series of online articles on science education and policy and posted materials on
inter- and trans-disciplinary learning. Additional information about Croft’s work may be
found at www.linkedin.com/pub/paul-j-croft/12/713/aba/ and
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Paul_Croft2/.