Candidate for President Elect
Adam Burke, Ed.D.
Biography
Dr. Adam Burke is the Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Life at the University of Minnesota Duluth. In this role he oversees a comprehensive campus recreation department in addition to a portfolio of student engagement and wellbeing departments including the Career Center, Disability Resources, Student Health and Counseling, the Student Union, and an 18,000 acre Environmental Learning Center. Adam has a unique educational background in the environmental sciences, college teaching and higher education administration giving him a broad lived-experience within higher education. He received his Doctorate of Education in Higher Education Administration from the University of Wyoming where he focused on the impacts of professional staff on student success in U.S. higher education.
Dr. Burke has served multiple institutions in a variety of roles within student affairs and collegiate recreation. His career began as an undergraduate student where he served as a resident assistant and intramural sports official at Colorado State University. He then served as a graduate assistant in sports and special programs at Oregon State University before graduating and moving into a professional role at the University of Wyoming. While at Wyoming, Adam served in multiple roles, including as the Assistant Director of Programs where he oversaw sport clubs, intramural sports, and outdoor programming. He then moved onto the University of Minnesota Duluth to serve as the Director of the Recreational Sports Outdoor Program, a comprehensive collegiate recreation department. Dr. Burke continues to oversee campus recreation within his current role at UMD as the Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Life.
Dr. Burke has been a NIRSA member since 2012 and has served the association in multiple roles at the state, regional and national level. He has been an active NIRSA member in attending and presenting at NIRSA conferences, at all levels, throughout his career providing him with a broad perspective of the association and its members. Adam has been an active volunteer on the NIRSA Assembly, Recreational Sports Journal Editorial Board, has authored NIRSA publications, served on NIRSA committees, conference host committees, work teams, and has been a NIRSA Championship Series volunteer.
How are you currently advocating for collegiate recreation’s value in higher education?
I constantly strive to advocate for collegiate recreation and its value within higher education in both my professional work as well as my work within NIRSA. I believe that collegiate recreation plays a pivotal role within student engagement, community development, connection to a sense of place, and addressing student wellbeing needs. Collegiate recreation is uniquely positioned within higher education to be able to influence both institutional recruitment as well as institutional retention of students, two areas of emphasis within all higher education institutions. One area that I have worked to better understand is the impact of professional staff on student success with higher education. This was the topic of my doctoral work, which resulted in findings that support the notion that professional staff, as individuals, have positive impacts on student success. Beyond my academic work, I am actively involved in work that advocates for the value of collegiate recreation, through my service within NIRSA, at a variety of levels. I have served on the NIRSA Assembly where we explored topics that may impact or interest the membership into the future. I serve as an editorial board member for the Recreational Sports Journal, a role in which I can help promote research that will continue to drive the association forward, while also communicating the field’s values in a peer reviewed setting. Lastly, I co-authored the NIRSA Campus Recreation Essentials- Sport Clubs publication which was intended to help guide small programs and new professionals in creating sport club programs. These three areas of NIRSA service demonstrate some of the ways that I have advocated for the value of collegiate recreation within higher education.
Using the strategic values as a frame of reference, what do you believe are two critical issues for the field over the next three to five years? What are action steps for addressing those concerns?
As anti-DEI legislation is put into place, including mounting political pressure to reshape DEI within Higher Education, it is imperative to understand the changing landscape, and how it impacts the field’s ability to provide inclusive and welcoming programs, facilities and services. This is a particularly difficult challenge to navigate as legislation may differ at the national and state levels, creating different limitations, guidelines and abilities for campuses looking to engage in meaningful DEI work. NIRSA has been a leader in the JEDI space, and will need to continue to center the work within its values to ensure that institutions and practitioners have the skill set, working knowledge, and ability to benchmark DEI work across the country and within their own states to best serve all their students within their own unique circumstances. The DEI landscape over the past year has evolved at a rapid rate within Higher Education, and NIRSA will be proactive in advocating and addressing DEI issues within the new landscape for the collegiate recreation field.
Amid enrollment concerns, changing demographics of enrolled students, and budget concerns within many higher education institutions, the strategic value of health and wellbeing will need to be central to the work of the association. Health and wellbeing work tied to students, student staff and professional staff continues to be a critical area of work to ensure that these groups are able to thrive within the higher education environment. Student success can be tied to health and wellbeing work, and NIRSA is positioned to help guide the industry in understanding systemic challenges that may be creating anxiety, stress and other challenges for institutions. While health and wellbeing programming is often a focus, NIRSA can help institutions understand and address policies that may be negatively impacting student wellbeing that could truly move the needle.
What attributes could you contribute to the NIRSA Board of Directors?
If given the opportunity I would bring a breadth of attributes to the NIRSA Board of Directors as a result of my professional experience and education. When I attended undergrad I took an educational path within forestry and learned about the field as a student employee which opened a whole new set of career possibilities for me. Since then, I have had the opportunity to attend and work at four different institutions, of different sizes, within different regions of the country giving me a broad understanding of collegiate recreation. I was able to complete my Doctorate of Education in Higher Education Administration at the University of Wyoming, which has helped me gain a deeper understanding of organizational structure, research and assessment methods and has enhanced my critical thinking skills. I continue to perform research and serve on the editorial board for the Recreational Sports Journal to stay up to date with current research and practices within the field. Currently, at the University of Minnesota Duluth I serve as the Director of Recreational Sports Outdoor Program, a comprehensive collegiate recreation department, in addition to serving as the Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Life. In this role I oversee a portfolio of engagement and wellness departments that strive to serve our students in meaningful ways that further their success. I am an analytical thinker that will bring systems thinking, and outcome driven productivity to the board which I’ve demonstrated through my organizational leadership. My strong volunteer background within NIRSA at the local, regional and national levels, combined with my professional roles and educational background provide me with a strong foundation to uplift and lead within the NIRSA Board of Directors.
