Dean Robert McDonald to take position in Texas
Provost Russell Moore announced today Robert McDonald, dean of University Libraries and senior vice provost of online education and extended education, has accepted the position of senior vice provost and director of the University of Texas Libraries at the University of Texas at Austin. McDonald’s last day at CU Boulder is June 30, which coincides with the last day of the academic year.
Dean Robert McDonald
In the coming days, Moore will announce interim leadership and a search process to name McDonald’s successor in both roles.
“I want to thank Robert for his seven years of service as both dean of libraries and senior vice provost of online education—a dual role that has helped to transform how CU Boulder understands, curates and conveys information to a new generation of learners,” Moore said.
Moore recognized McDonald for his accomplishments, which include:
- Leading Colorado and Wyoming institutions in negotiating new library materials agreements with the academic publisher Elsevier, an effort that saved money for all Colorado higher education libraries.
- Championing open-access information resources for the CU Boulder libraries and campus, while working closely with the Boulder Faculty Assembly on new licensing priorities for the campus.
- Developing annual traditions for incoming students, such as the Buffs One Read and the campus Culture Crawl.
- Re-establishing online education as a campus priority, centering CU Boulder faculty expertise and supporting colleges/schools in launching six new online degree programs.
- Creating endowed funding for library student worker scholarships and establishing the University Libraries outstanding undergraduate student award for values-based service.
“Because of these accomplishments, CU Boulder is ready to take bold new steps as a leader in both library services and online education,” Moore said.
McDonald said, “I am grateful for the collaborative and entrepreneurial environment at CU Boulder, which supported my efforts to advance student success and belonging, strengthen faculty research and scholarly impact, and bring the vision of an information-empowered world to life.”
As part of that collaboration, McDonald in 2020 founded the Culture Crawl, an annual event that helps students spark friendships and build belonging through engaging with arts and culture institutions on campus. Over 1,100 attendees visited 13 arts and culture spaces across campus including the University Libraries in September 2024 during the fourth annual Culture Crawl—85% of whom were students and 22% were new students to campus.
McDonald served as associate dean for research and technology strategies and librarian at Indiana University prior to becoming dean at CU Boulder.