USD Magazine, 1993 Winter-Spring 1994

hen Tom Burke joined USD in 1973, the fledgling student affairs division needed a leader. In Burke, it got that as well as a compassionate guide and "the nicest man in shoe leather," as one colleague described him. Not only has he steered student affairs through phenomenal growth - including the addition of four residence halls, an award-winning dining service and catering operation, a university student center and a Division I athletic program - but, with his faith and humor, Burke has shaped the very spirit of the division. Through it all, this vice president for student affairs and dean of students has never forgotten the reason his division exists: to serve the students. Burke lives by his ow1;1 credo that service is para– mount, and his door is always open to students. After all, he says, "Students don't come back to see buildings. They come back to see people." In our cover story, we celebrate Burke's 20 years as "Dean of Wildlife," and we look forward to many more. As the student affairs division has matured, so too has the academic side of the university. This year, USD reached a milestone: five endowed chairs - professorships fully funded by donations - are either operational or committed. "A Time– less Tradition" illustrates how these positions enrich life at USD for both faculty and students. Finally, in this issue, we remember the day - rather, the instant - our nation matured, when an assassin's fatal gunshots rang out in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. In "The End of Innocence," one man explores the impact of the John F. Kennedy assassination on himself, on our nation and on a generation that is unified by the question "Where were you when you heard that Kennedy had been shot?"