James (Jim) Burkee is the 15th President of

Avila University Avila University is a private Roman Catholic university in Kansas City, Missouri. It is sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and offers bachelor's degrees and master's degrees. Its 13 buildings are situated on a campus of in Ka ...

. Burkee served as Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at the

College of Mount Saint Vincent A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

in New York, Executive Vice President at Concordia College New York, and longtime professor of history at

Concordia University Wisconsin Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW) is a private Lutheran university in Mequon, Wisconsin. It is part of the eight-member Concordia University System operated by the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS). The university is a coeducational in ...

and Concordia College New York. He is author of the award-winning 2011 book, ''Power, Politics and the Missouri Synod: A Conflict That Changed American History.'' Burkee is a long-time advocate for civility in public discourse, running for office in 2008 with a unique, bi-partisan campaign for Congress in the fifth congressional district of

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

for the U.S. House of Representatives.

Personal life

Jim Burkee was born in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

and was raised both there and in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

, now considering both his hometowns. Burkee's father, who flew the S-2 Tracker on two tours to Vietnam aboard the USS ''Kearsarge'' ,died in 1978. Burkee graduated from Lutheran High School of San Diego, now Victory Christian Academy in Chula Vista, California.

Education

Burkee then attended

, graduating with degrees in business, marketing, and history. Working in manufacturing, the automotive industry, and finally as in accounting, Burkee matriculated in 1995 at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

’s graduate school, where he earned his Ph.D. in History in 2003, Burkee began his career of teaching.

Career

Burkee taught at two schools within the

Concordia University System The Concordia University System (CUS) is an organization of seven colleges and universities and one satellite campus in the United States that are operated by the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS). All of the institutions are named "Concordi ...

Concordia College, Bronxville Concordia College (CCNY) was a four-year liberal arts college in Bronxville, New York. Concordia College was sponsored by the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) and was a member of the Concordia University System. It was chartered by th ...

and

, the largest Lutheran school in the nation by enrollment. In 2019, Burkee joined the

in Riverdale, New York. Burkee now serves as the 15th President of Avila University.

Political views

Burkee's 2008 campaign began as an experiment, based in part on the experience of Minnesota's Senator Paul Wellstone, who had been a Political Science professor at Carleton College prior to his election to the US Senate. Running with a faculty colleague and staff composed of students at

, Burkee generated national news with the bipartisan campaign, ultimately earning a ruling from the Federal Election Commission allowing both a Democrat and Republican to raise funds through a joint campaign structure. Longtime incumbent F. James Sensenbrenner defeated Burkee in the 2008 primary, with Burkee earning 29% of the district's vote.

Higher Education Reform

Burkee has been an advocate for reform in higher education, particularly through public-private partnerships. In April 2018 Burkee joined a panel of college and university executives at George Mason University to discuss the promise and challenges of partnership-related growth in higher education. He is a strong advocate for public-private partnerships between colleges and universities and private organizations, and with the corporate sector.

References

External links

* New York Times, "Rare Bipartisan Tag Team Takes On Wisconsin House Veteran

* Concordia University Wisconsi

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burkee, James Living people 1968 births Politicians from San Diego Politicians from Milwaukee Northwestern University alumni Concordia University Wisconsin alumni Activists from California