USD Magazine, 1993 Winter-Spring 1994

Under Burke's leadership, the university has added four residence halls, an award-winning dining service and catering operation, a university student center, a Division I athletic program and numerous student services including drug and alcohol education, AIDS awareness and an international student office. But Sister Furay says Burke hasn't just added buildings and programs; he's created something else intangible and every bit as important. "There's a spirit, an environment about the university that wouldn't be what it is without Tom Burke," she contends. "He has put his stamp on the·whole non– academic side of the university." STUDENTS BLOW HIS COVER That stamp starts with Burke's philosophy toward the students. "I view these young men and women as adults who are responsible for their actions," he explains. "Their college experience is going to be one of growth and change, and they're going to make mistakes. That's why we're here, to make sure they learn from those mistakes and to be a presence that sets standards we believe are right." Those student mistakes run the gamut, from tossing objects off the dorm balcony to causing thousands of dollars worth of damage. "You can't take this stuff personally, or it will drive you nuts," Burke admits. "When a kid punches a hole in a wall, he's not punching a hole in Tom Burke. You have to maintain perspective." In addition to that perspective, Burke takes a hands-on approach when it comes to serving the students. "He is very service-oriented," says Karen Reed '75, director of special pro– jects. "I remember one of the first things he said to me was, 'If a student comes to you for help and you can't help them, don't just tell them where they need to go. Walk them there.' He's always available to a student if they need to see him.'' In Burke's mind, service is paramount. "Students don't come back to see buildings," he reasons. "They come back to see people.'' Hughes says he has seen student affairs operations at many universities that operate with very different philosophies. "In some, students' actions are very controlled, and others are the opposite, where the dean wants to be a buddy to the students. Tom isn't here to be their buddy. He's here as a mentor, a counselor and a guide, but not as a buddy.'' Perhaps the ultimate compliment for a man in Burke's position is to be thought of as fair, and that is one of the first words students use to describe him. "With Dean Burke, you know he will always listen to you," says Valerie Attisha, a USD senior. "He may not always say what you want to hear, but he's fair, and he'll try his best for you.'' "That's really something, when you consider that nobody ever knows all the different factors that go into the decisions Tom has to make," says Hughes. "To be perceived as fair in my mind is quite an accomplishment.'' In 1991, the students showed their appreciation by dedicat- ing the yearbook to him with the words, "Based on his example of complete dedication to his profession and community, he instills loyalty and dedication in those who work for him.... It is a great pleasure to dedicate the 1990-91 Alcala to Dean Thomas F. Burke.''

That yearbook isn't the first time Burke has appeared in a student publication. "One year, the students ran a big picture of Tom in the Vista with the caption, 'Who is this big teddy bear?"' laughs Barbara Burke. "Tom came home and said, 'Well, I guess I better start looking for another job. My cover is blown.'" But the students weren't very far off the mark, says Pam Bourne, Burke's secretary for the past four years. "Tom can be an intimidating presence, but once you get in to see him and talk to him, you discover what a nice person he is.'' Trifiletti remembers being intimidated by Burke when he was a student. "I was scared to death of the man," he remembers with a grin. "If someone back then had told me that one day we'd be friends and colleagues, I would have told them they were crazy!" Trifiletti (his Italian heritage notwithstanding) is now a member of the "Irish Mafia," an informal group of Burke friends that has been enjoying lunch together for years. But another facet of the job, the serious issues Burke faces in student affairs, often is troubling. Leaning forward in his chair, his face suddenly seeming older, Burke says softly that it is his inability to help truly anguished students that leaves him feel– ing inadequate. "Within the last few years, I have met with parents who had to withdraw their daughter from school because she was addicted to crystal meth," he says quietly, "and recently, a student witnessed her boyfriend's suicide. These kids are pained in a way that didn't seem possible just 10 years ago.''

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Turning problems into opportunities during the past 20 years at USD, Burke (far right) has developed a strong student affairs division. Along the way, he has earned the respect of the students and his colleagues alike.

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