The board of governors of the University College of the Cayman Islands has appointed Robert Robertson, US academic and former president of the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute, as the college’s new president.
He replaces Stacy McAfee, who stepped down as president and CEO at the end of 2021 after her three-year contract was not renewed. Since then, provost and vice president of academic affairs J.D. Mosley-Matchett has been the acting president.
Chairman Gilbert Mclean announced the appointment in a statement on Tuesday, saying the board had conducted “a thorough local, regional and international search to secure the candidate best suited to lead UCCI to the next level”.
He added, “We are pleased to have Dr Robertson join UCCI as we continue to build a globally competitive academic institution.”
According to a brief biography of the new president included in the announcement, Robertson holds dual citizenship as a Canadian and American, and is based in Tampa, Florida.
It noted, “He has more than twenty-five years of experience leading award-winning organizations in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors.”
Robertson has served as a business faculty member, MBA director, dean of business, vice president of academic affairs and, most recently, as the first president of the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (2016-2022) in Nassau, Bahamas.
He holds a doctorate in management and organisation (Stirling University, Scotland); master of studies in environmental law (Vermont Law School); master of public administration (Dalhousie University, Canada); master of arts in geography (Eastern Kentucky University); bachelor of science in geography (East Tennessee State University); post-graduate diploma in international management (University of London); post-graduate certificate in conflict resolution (Queen Margaret University, Scotland); graduate diploma in international development (London School of Economics and Political Science); executive certificate, innovation and strategy (Massachusetts Institute of Technology); and executive certificate, leadership and negotiation (Harvard University).
Robertson attended East Tennessee State University on a cross country and track scholarship. He was inducted into the Cornwall, Ontario, Canada Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.
He was named a Fulbright specialist (2016) by the US Department of State; an
emerging leader in the Americas (2016 and 2020) by Global Affairs Canada; and a senior research fellow (2022) with the School of Advanced Studies, Commonwealth Institute, University of London.
He is a member of the editorial board of the peer-reviewed Florida Political Chronicle, the journal of the Florida Political Science Association. He is also a Rotary International Paul
Harris Fellow.
Robertson said in the statement that he is “excited to join the team at UCCI. Education is changing in the post-pandemic era and there are many opportunities to assist in preparing students for the new future of work.”
Related Videos
