Valgene L. Dunham has been appointed to the new position of Associate Vice President of Grants, Contract Administration and Research Planning. A former dean of Coastal's College of Natural and Applied Sciences, Dunham will coordinate all the university's grant and sponsored research activities, seek institutional grant opportunities, oversee all non-credit academic programs offered through the university, and develop strategic plans for external laboratory facilities.

Dunham joined the Coastal faculty in 1995 after having served as professor of biology and head of the Department of Biology at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green. Dunham earned a bachelor's of science degree in general science in 1962 from Houghton College in Houghton, N.Y., and a master's degree in general science in 1965 and a Ph.D. in botany in 1969, both from Syracuse University in Syracuse, N.Y. He conducted post-doctoral research from 1969 to 1973 at Purdue University. He is immediate past president of the South Carolina Academy of Science.

Douglas Nelson has been named dean of the College of Natural and Applied Sciences. A professor of geology and marine science at Coastal, Nelson has served as associate and interim dean of the college. He joined the Coastal faculty in 1973. Nelson earned a Ph.D. in geology from the University of South Carolina in 1973 and a bachelor's degree in geology from the University of Minnesota in 1968.

Deborah Vrooman has been named associate dean of the College of Natural and Applied Sciences. Vrooman is an associate professor of mathematics at Coastal. She joined the faculty in 1976 and was chair of the Department of Mathematics from 1993 to 2002. Vrooman earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Coker College, a master's of education degree from the University of South Carolina and a Ph.D. in secondary education-mathematics, also from the University of South Carolina.