Michael McDonald is the Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs and Chief International Officer for Florida Gulf Coast University. Prior to taking up this role, he served for two terms as President of the Florida Gulf Coast University Faculty Senate and as a Trustee on the Florida Gulf Coast University Board of Trustees. Dr. McDonald is a Professor of Anthropology and a founding member of the FGCU faculty. Prior to joining FGCU, he served on the faculty of Alverno College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and St. Patrick’s College in Maynooth, Ireland. Over the course of his career, Professor McDonald conducted ethnographic research in the Caribbean, Central America, Ireland and Croatia. He has authored two books and received several awards for teaching, service and scholarship including a Fulbright Scholars Award to Croatia in 2012. He has led numerous study-abroad projects to locations in Europe and Central America and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Benin, West Africa. A native of Lakeland, Florida, he received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Florida and a Master’s and Doctoral degree in Anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh.