Concordia mourns one of its founders

Joseph Burke negotiated the merger between Loyola College and Sir George Williams University

August 29, 2018

By Louise Morgan

Source: Advancement and Alumni Relations

Joseph Burke, who served as academic vice-president at Loyola College, one of Concordia’s founding institutions, died Friday, Aug. 3, at his home in Albany, N.Y. He was 86.

He was the first layman to hold the position at Loyola, serving from 1970 to 1973. He is recognized for negotiating the merger between Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, which created Concordia University in 1974.

Joseph Burke featured in the Loyola News, September 25, 1970. | Photo courtesy: Concordia Records Management and Archives

“Joseph Burke’s efforts at uniting two distinct universities — a Jesuit college in the west end and a bustling downtown university — set the foundation for the vibrant university we know today,” says Concordia President Alan Shepard.

In 1973, Burke moved on to State University of New York (SUNY) Plattsburgh in N.Y., where he served as vice-president of academic affairs, becoming president the following year.

Burke was appointed provost of SUNY at Albany in Albany, N.Y., in 1986. In 1994, he served as interim chancellor before moving on to become director of higher education with the Rockefeller Institute of Government.

Born in New Albany, Ind. Burke began his career as a professor of history at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio, and Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Joseph Burke at the podium during Loyola College spring convocation in 1973. | Photo courtesy: Concordia Records Management and Archives

Burke organized several political campaigns and ran for office. In 1970, he told the Loyola News it really taught him what it means to lose. “I was defeated every time, but learned that you don’t just pick up your marbles and run because you don’t get things your own way. If you think something is really wrong then you try to change it, at least that’s the way I see it.”

Burke held a bachelor's degree in history and philosophy from Bellarmine University in Louisville, Ky., and master's and PhD degrees in legal history from Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind.

He authored two books on funding public higher education and a biography entitled William H. Miner - The Man and the Myth, on an orphan-turned-businessman and philanthropist.

Concordia mourns one of its founders

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