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Burn remembered as a leader in by Daniel J. Fitzgibbons, Chronicle staff
When Burn arrived on campus in 1968, fewer than 100 students took part in international exchanges. Today, more than 1,000 students study abroad each year, while double that number of foreign students, scholars, and faculty study at the University. Also under her direction, the University established exchange agreements in more than 100 countries. Burn was called "the leading personality in the higher-education exchange field," by Jack Egle, chairman of the board of the Council of International Educational Exchange. Under Burn's leadership, said interim Chancellor Marcellette G. Williams, "the influence of international programs at the University of Massachusetts extended far beyond the campus. Her contributions in the field of international education have been recognized nationally and internationally. She is known in many parts of the world as the veritable dean of international education." President William M. Bulger also praised Burn as "a loyal and valuable member of the University of Massachusetts community. We have been fortunate to have her commitment and her fruitful service. ... She helped to provide many, many students with life-transforming experiences. " Former Chancellor David K. Scott, who traveled to many parts of the world with Burn between 1993-2001, said her death was "the end of an era." He added, "As chancellor, I had the privilege of traveling to many countries with Barbara and viewed first hand her continuous efforts to expand the international role of the University and to advance international understanding. She was indefatigable in both mind and body on this mission. "Although I knew well of her legendary role, it was still amazing to see the love, reverence, and awe she received from leaders in academe and government in countries around the world who she never failed to challenge in every language with penetrating and even blunt questions. Her interests in all aspects of education were both deep and wide. The book she had just finished on the future of general education was a fitting legacy to her extraordinary career in international education for over half a century." Her awards included a University Medal from the Board of Trustees for outstanding service; the Hugh H. and Mabel M. Smythe International Service Citation, presented by InterFuture, a New York-based international education organization; an honorary doctor of civil law degree from the University of Kent in England; and the Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, the highest award given to non-German citizens in the name of the president of Germany. She published broadly and had just finished a book of essays on the future of general education for the International Association of Universities. She was also a board member and consultant on policy questions for institutions such as Tufts University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy; the Rockefeller Foundation; the Asia Foundation; and the Ford Foundation. She attended Bryn Mawr College and the University of Michigan, receiving a bachelor's degree, cum laude, and with election to Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi. She received her master's degree and Ph.D. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in 1955. Before joining the University, she was a professor of international law and organization at the Foreign Service Institute; a program specialist at the Asia Foundation; and staff assistant in the UMass President's Office, studying international programs at the University. She was named director of International Programs in 1968 and promoted to associate provost in 1988. She leaves a son
and a daughter. Her late husband, North Burn, was the first Five
College coordinator. |
