Barbara Burke:

 Leader at the NCAA Division I-A Level

Eastern Illinois University

There have been nine full-time directors of athletics at Eastern Illinois University. Recently, Barbara Burke became the first woman to hold the position. Her accomplished and lengthy career in athletics has prepared her for every facet of her new job. She began her athletic career as a studentathlete, grew into coaching, and finally administered athletics in several capacities. The spectrum of opportunity that she experienced will provide a unique perspective whether she is looking for qualities when hiring a coach, relating to student-athlete needs, or representing the university in conference, national, or corporate decisions. Burke’s leadership will guide Eastern Illinois into the next century of its athletic and academic endeavors in championship style.

 

She is no stranger to the daily dedication and commitment that is required for student-athletes to reach championships. Burke was a talented athlete in both softball and basketball while attending Western Michigan University from 1976 to 1980. Hard work became second nature because there was no off-season for her. The native of Kalamazoo, Michigan, reaped the benefits from Title IX, while leading the Western Michigan Broncos to the Women’s College World Series in 1980 before graduating with a bachelor’s of science degree. Her commitment to athletics did not cease upon graduation, as she immediately began her coaching career.

 

Burke broke into the coaching profession at Kalamazoo Central High School, but was soon up for another challenge, as she began her collegiate coaching career at Tennessee Temple University in 1980. Again, Burke did not understand the meaning of overcommitment. She was hired as the head softball coach and the assistant basketball coach for the university. Four years later, she found the time to earn her master’s of education from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to further her understanding of collegiate athletics and ultimately her career. Her coaching career took her south, back north, to the Midwest, and to the East, with stops at Clearwater Christian College (Florida), Cornerstone College (Michigan), Indiana University Southeast, and West Virginia State College. At each one of these stops, her commitment to softball and basketball continued, and so did her success. She was named district coach of the year three different times during her journey. Only eight years removed from her alma mater, the Broncos enshrined her into their hall of fame in 1988 for her post-collegiate achievements in athletics.

 

Soon after Burke’s induction, she took yet another step into athletics and pursued a career in administration. Her experience began with West Virginia State University from 1992 to 1994. She went on to hold administrative roles at Marshall University from 1994 to 1997 and the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) during the 1997–98 school year. Burke learned the game and its rules adeptly and honed her talents quickly. When UTEP faced a chasm between their past and future directors of athletics, they instilled their confidence in Barbara Burke to guide them through the transition. Her experience and professionalism made her an excellent choice for the University of Wyoming as they faced a new conference alignment. Burke began her career at Wyoming by serving as one of the original members of the Mountain West Conference Joint Council. The conference took shape and so did her 10-year career at Wyoming. She served on several conference- and national-level committees committed to educational merit and veracity for studentathletes. The most notable of these appointments was the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Women’s Basketball Committee. Since she had experienced the sport as both an athlete and a coach, it was her opportunity to shape and guide the sport on a national level.

 

She actively participated in the National Association of Collegiate Directors of America (NACDA) and the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators (NACWAA). She still managed to direct the day-to-day operations of the athletic department

of Wyoming and determined and implemented a strategic plan for the university and its athletic program. The variety of roles available to her at Wyoming prepared her to become deputy director of athletics and senior women’s administrator during the last two years of her tenure at Wyoming. She also served as interim athletic director for Wyoming during a similar transition period, which included the management of all 17 sports and their $19 million budget.

 

Burke accelerated her career to encapsulate a lifetime of experiences, and so her name certainly circulated as some director of athletics positions began to open during 2008. Programs were looking for someone with professionalism and a rich fabric of experiences, and Barbara Burke’s name was promptly put on the short list. Burke credits Dr. Tom Buchanan, president of the University of Wyoming, and Mr. Tom Burman, director of athletics for the University of Wyoming, with her development through the experiences that they created for her under their leadership.1 Dr. William Perry and Dr. Daniel Nadler saw an opportunity for their university, Eastern Illinois, to hurriedly acquire Burke’s experience, brilliance, and passion. She

immediately stood out from the other short-list candidates according to President Perry when he announced her as the new director of athletics for Eastern Illinois University. “Barbara stood out as the top candidate in an extremely strong pool of candidates for the position. Her career experience, planning skills, and organizational abilities are first rate. Her commitment to our objectives in the integration of the athletic department into the life of the university, to the development of our student-athletes, and to the progress of our athletic programs is first rate.”2

 

Burke echoed the sentiments of Perry and described her decision to accept the position as simply the right thing to do. “When the offer came (from Eastern), I had a very good feel for Dr. Perry and Dr. Nadler,” she said. “It just felt right. I can’t explain it. For those of you who have done job searches before, you just know. North Dakota was a wonderful opportunity, but Eastern Illinois was ahead of Dakota and I had made a commitment to Eastern and that was the right thing to do. I have no regrets, not one.”3

 

Burke’s impact at Eastern Illinois will be felt almost immediately, as she will begin to shape her new athletic department by striving to find those qualities she admires in a new swimming coach. She also plans on implementing various program development strategies to elevate Eastern as a prominent athletic power. Given Burke’s background as a student-athlete and coach, she will enthusiastically greet Eastern’s athletes and coaches and together they will partner to develop a better future for all of the programs. Burke assumes responsibility for 21 sports, 108 years of athletic tradition, and the relationship with the school’s primary conference, the Ohio Valley Conference, which hosts 17 of Eastern’s 21 sports in conference play throughout the year. The Mountain West Conference recently bestowed her with the prestigious Dr. Albert C. Yates Award, to recognize her as an individual that successfully supported the University of Wyoming, one of its member institutions, and promoted the ideals of athletic and academic excellence. Burke begins her new journey with a tremendous vote of confidence from her peers and a lifetime of enthusiasm for athletics. More awards and tremendous contributions to athletics are sure to follow her footsteps.

Notes

1. Eastern Illinois University Athletics, “Barbara Burke Hired As EIU Athletic

Director,” Eastern Illinois University Athletics, http://www.eiupanthers.com/News/

gen/2008/3/21/08barbaraburkeadhire.asp.

2. Ibid.

3. Matt Daniels, “It Just Felt Right,” The Daily Eastern News, March 21, 2008,

News Section.

 

The exerpt above was written by Stacy Martin-Tenney