Naomi Burgos Lynn (born 1933) was the first Hispanic woman president of an American public university. She served as president of Sangamon State University in Springfield, Illinois, beginning in 1991 and through its entrance into the

University of Illinois system The University of Illinois System is a system of public universities in Illinois consisting of three universities: Chicago, Springfield, and Urbana-Champaign. Across its three universities, the University of Illinois System enrolls more than ...

as the

University of Illinois Springfield The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) is a public university in Springfield, Illinois. The university was established in 1969 as Sangamon State University by the Illinois General Assembly and became a part of the University of Illinois ...

. She retired as chancellor of UIS in 2001. At her retirement the Naomi B. Lynn Distinguished Chair for Lincoln Studies was created at the

, where Dr. Phillip Paludan served as its first recipient. Born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

in 1933, Naomi Burgos was the daughter of Puerto Rican parents. Her sister, Ruth Burgos Sasscer, also became a university president, leading a community college in San Antonio, Texas. Naomi attended

Maryville College Maryville College is a private liberal arts college in Maryville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1819 by Presbyterian minister Isaac L. Anderson for the purpose of furthering education and enlightenment into the West. The college is one of the ...

Maryville, Tennessee Maryville is a city in and the county seat of Blount County, Tennessee, and is a suburb of Knoxville. Its population was 31,907 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Knoxville Metropolitan Area and a short distance from popular tourist de ...

, where she met Robert Athan Lynn, whom she married in 1954. She received her Ph.D. in political science from the University of Kansas and went on to become a professor of

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

, and then department head, at Kansas State University. She was also on the Kansas Social and Rehabilitation Review Commission. In 1988 she moved to

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

, where she became the dean of the College of Public and Urban Affairs at

Georgia State University Georgia State University (Georgia State, State, or GSU) is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1913, it is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities. It is also the largest institution of hig ...

. She has served as President of the

American Society for Public Administration American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) is a membership association of almost 10,000 professionals in the United States sponsoring conferences and providing professional services primarily to those who study the implementation of gover ...

, the

National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

Pi Sigma Alpha Pi Sigma Alpha ( or PSA), the National Political Science Honor Society, is the only honor society for college and university students of political and social sciences in the United States. Its purpose is to recognize and promote high academic ...

and the Women's Caucus for Political Science. She has also served on the boards of the American Political Science Association, the

American Association of State Colleges and Universities The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) is an organization of state-supported colleges and universities that offer degree programs leading to bachelor's, master's or doctoral degrees. AASCU grew out of the Association o ...

, the National Academy of Public Administration, and

. She has authored several books including: ''The Fulbright Premise: Senator

J. William Fulbright James William Fulbright (April 9, 1905 – February 9, 1995) was an American politician, academic, and statesman who represented Arkansas in the United States Senate from 1945 until his resignation in 1974. , Fulbright is the longest serving chair ...

's Views on Presidential Power'' (1973), ''A Research Guide in

Women's Studies Women's studies is an academic field that draws on feminist and interdisciplinary methods to place women's lives and experiences at the center of study, while examining social and cultural constructs of gender; systems of privilege and oppress ...

'' (1974), and ''

Public Administration Public Administration (a form of governance) or Public Policy and Administration (an academic discipline) is the implementation of public policy, administration of government establishment (public governance), management of non-profit est ...

: The State of the Discipline'' (1990). She also edited ''Women, Politics and the Constitution'' (1990). She has four daughters, Mary Lou, Nancy, Judy, and Jo-An. She also has ten grandchildren.

Awards

Naomi Burgos Lynn was inducted as a Laureate of

The Lincoln Academy of Illinois The Lincoln Academy of Illinois is a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to recognizing contributions made by living Illinoisans. Named for Abraham Lincoln, the Academy administers the ''Order of Lincoln'', the highest award given ...

and awarded the Order of Lincoln (the State's highest honor) by the Governor of Illinois in 2012 in the area of Education.

References

* * Interview with Jessica Lynn Wilson, granddaughter. *

External links

The University of Illinois

The University of Illinois Springfield

The National Academy of Public Administration

Georgia State University

Maryville College
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lynn, Naomi 1933 births Living people Educators from New York City Georgia State University faculty Kansas State University faculty Leaders of the University of Illinois Maryville College alumni University of Illinois at Springfield University of Kansas alumni American women academics 21st-century American women Women heads of universities and colleges