Vice Provost and Director of the University of Texas Libraries

The University of Texas at Austin has selected Robert H. McDonald to be its next Senior Vice Provost and Director of the University of Texas Libraries, effective August 16, 2025. McDonald currently serves as Dean of University Libraries and Senior Vice Provost of Online and Extended Education at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he has led transformative initiatives in digital scholarship, online learning and library services.

At CU Boulder, McDonald has overseen strategic initiatives in digital library services and online program development, including the expansion of alternative credentialing programs and learning technologies that support researchers and students across disciplines. He guided adoption of an open-source, community-based Library Services Platform to secure sustainable and affordable software for CU Boulder’s Libraries.

A prolific speaker and writer, McDonald has been an editor for “EDUCAUSE Review,” and has extensive experience supporting and organizing professional conferences, most recently serving as co-chair for the 2025 UPCEA Annual Conference. He has also held governance positions on the boards of notable professional organizations, including the Association of Research Libraries, the Association of College & Research Libraries, the HathiTrust Board of Governors and the Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries.

Prior to his time at CU Boulder, McDonald served in leadership roles at Indiana University Bloomington, where he helped build national infrastructure for digital preservation and cyberinfrastructure initiatives, including work with the HathiTrust Research Center and the IU Data to Insight Center. He has also held positions at the San Diego Supercomputer Center at UC San Diego, Florida State University, and Auburn University. 

McDonald holds a Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of South Carolina. His undergraduate degree was from the University of Georgia, where he also earned a Master of Music degree.

Visit here for the full announcement.

Anita Tien and Sean Farrell led the search with Robin Dougherty and Drew Chang.