A prominent scholar in American religious and cultural history, Noll became a history professor at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana this fall. Noll, who previously taught at Wheaton College in Illinois, is the co-author of The Search for Christian America and the author of other books, including The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, The Rise of Evangelicalism and The Civil War as a Theological Crisis.

At the Oval Office ceremony on Nov. 9, President Bush recognized Noll along with nine other recipients of the medal, which honors individuals or groups that have contributed to the nation's understanding of and involvement in the humanities.