retired

Robert A. Kirken, dean of the College of Science at the University of Texas at El Paso, recently announced his retirement effective this June. He had been with UTEP since 2005 and dean since 2013.

Kirken, professor and former chair in the Department of Biological Sciences, and director of UTEP’s Border Biomedical Research Center, declined an opportunity to talk about his time at UTEP and his future plans.

According to a UTEP message, Kirken advanced Hispanic representation in STEM fields, and helped develop new undergraduate and graduate degree plans. He also managed the growth in enrollment and degree completion, and established a comprehensive undergraduate advising center that led to a reduction in academic probation and suspension rates.

The university has honored him for his faculty mentorship and his ability to attract more than $10 million in philanthropic gifts, which helped expand the BBRC, as well as over $74 million in extramural grants.

Kirken earned his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry in 1986 from Olivet College in Michigan, and his Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from Wright State University in Ohio five years later. He started his academic career in 1998 as an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Houston Medical School.

The institution shared that it would appoint an interim dean after it consults with college leaders, and will launch a national search in the fall for a permanent successor.

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