FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 29, 2002 CONTACT Lisa Lacher, (515) 271-3119 LORAS COLLEGE ADMINISTRATOR NAMED DEAN OF DRAKE'S COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES John M. Burney, vice president for academic affairs and academic dean of Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, has been named dean of Drake University's College of Arts and Sciences and professor of history, Drake Provost Ronald Troyer announced today. Dr. Burney, who was selected through a national search, will begin his new position by July 1, 2003, to give him time to complete several major initiatives at Loras. "We are so convinced that he is the best person for the position that we're willing to wait for one year," Dr. Troyer said. Interim Dean Susan Wright will continue to lead the college for another year. "I am delighted that someone with John Burney's exceptional talents has agreed to become dean of arts and sciences," Dr. Troyer said. "He is an outstanding academic leader who has demonstrated a capacity for working with faculty members to bring about curricular innovation. I am confident that he is the best person for the position and look forward to working with him to achieve our educational goals." Drake sociology professor Joseph Schneider, chair of the search committee, said the group was impressed with Dr. Burney's "appreciation of the student at the center of the process of learning and inquiry as well as his experience with and passion for undergraduate, liberal arts education; his leadership in setting up a first-year seminar experience and developing a core curriculum at Loras; his personal manner that invites people to speak and be heard; and his deep commitment to interdisciplinary and collaborative projects." With 140 faculty, 16 departments and seven interdisciplinary programs, the College of Arts and Sciences is the largest of Drake's six colleges and schools. "It is with great anticipation that I look forward to becoming dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Drake University in the summer of 2003," Dr. Burney said. "I am impressed with many of the qualities of Drake, including the high caliber of its students, the impressive combination of scholarship and good teaching that is practiced by the faculty, the strength of the alumni support, and the vision displayed by the University and its leadership in carrying out an extensive Program Review to establish clear five-year goals for further development. "I think I can contribute strengths on academic process; knowledge of research on student learning and best practices in teaching; a commitment to developing an interdisciplinary learning community; and a passion for the importance of the liberal arts and sciences," he added. "I appreciate the manner in which the Drake administration is allowing me a year to complete several initiatives at Loras College before moving to Des Moines. I will work with the administration and faculty to educate myself further about Drake and its plans during the coming year so that I can hit the ground running in July 2003." Dr. Burney, 49, holds a bachelor's degree from Creighton University as well as two master's degrees and a Ph.D. in modern European history from the University of Kansas. He taught at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Nebraska-Omaha and Southwest (Minnesota) State University before joining Loras College in 1986 as assistant professor of history. He was promoted to associate professor and then professor before becoming vice president for academic affairs in 1999. He is the author of a book on French educational history that appeared in both English and French editions as well as several articles and essays published in scholarly journals. At Loras, Dr. Burney chairs the General Education Committee, the Academic Council and the Faculty Council. He also coordinates the First Year Experience program and directs a $400,000 National Endowment for the Humanities Challenge Grant to develop a Modes of Inquiry First Year Seminar project. He has earned many honors, including the Loras College Cardinal Newman Award for Teaching and Service and the Outstanding First Year Student Advocate Award from the National Center for the First Year Experience and Students in Transition at the University of South Carolina.