Bob McKillop, recipient of the Distinguished Teacher Award, 2016

Civil and Environmental Engineering

McKillop is known simply as “Bob” to students and colleagues alike. Since joining the university full time in 1999, he has taught a variety of courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. McKillop is recognized for his one-on-one support of students, consistently high level of preparation, real world relevance in his courses, and setting demanding but realistic standards. These factors contribute to McKillop’s students being more successful. “It is noteworthy,” commented one of McKillops colleagues, “that in recent years, the Electrical, Computer, and Management Engineering programs have begun to implement Bob’s strategies in their 1A term so that their students can benefit from the ‘Bob Effect.’” As a current undergrad noted, “Dr. McKillop is one of the first faces they see, and he stays with them until they have successfully navigated their first year of undergrad.” An alumna elaborates, “In the 15 years that I have known him, there is one thing that has never changed: he is as excited each September to meet his new first-year students as he was the previous September. Bob is not only excited to meet his new students, he is hopeful for their future and what they can accomplish.”