Dear Faculty Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Robert “Rob” McKee as the new Interim Campus Faculty Director of Education Abroad. He assumed this role on January 3, 2022.

Rob joined the UCR Bioengineering department in 2018 as a lecturer and is now an Assistant Professor of Teaching. He teaches courses in biotechnology, wound repair, and bioengineering design. He believes in constructing environments that foster a life-long learning mindset of actively engaging with new material. His call to teach dates back over a decade where, as an undergraduate at St. Vincent College, he was involved with starting the Collaborative Learning Program. In the summers, he spent time performing research at Duquesne University. After graduating, Rob attended The University of Notre Dame for graduate study, where he researched nephron regeneration using the zebrafish animal model. Upon completion of his Ph.D. Rob relocated to Delaware to work on a ventilation-perfusion system for the ex-vivo culture of neonatal mouse heart-lung blocks.

The Interim Campus Faculty Director serves to preserve and ensure the academic integrity of the programs being promoted by the Education Abroad office, which includes UC Education Abroad Programs (UCEAP), Opportunities Abroad Programs (OAP), and Faculty Led Education Abroad Programs (FLEAP). The Faculty Director guides academic matters, engages in special projects and campus outreach, and assists students in achieving their goals of studying abroad.

During the one-year appointment, Rob will work closely with the Education Abroad team and will serve as an ex-officio member of the Academic Senate Committee on International Education (CIE). He will also work closely with the Assistant Provost for Strategic Initiatives on academic, administrative, and student issues and initiatives in Education Abroad and provide a crucial faculty perspective and academic credibility.

I want to extend a special thank you to the members of the Academic Senate Committee on International Education for their time and thoughtful participation in the review process.

Please join me in congratulating Rob in this new role. We look forward to working with him!

Sincerely,

Marko Princevac
Interim Vice Provost of International Affairs
Associate Dean of Engineering