Southwestern Magazine | Fall 2019

Nevertheless, Burger is proud of how the University has inspired foundations, alumni, parents, and friends to support Southwestern through more than $100 million in gifts and pledges. During his presidency, SU also achieved a balanced budget for six consecutive years, as well as a healthy increase in the endowment, growing nearly 25% from $253 million to $297 million. As Vice President for University Relations Paul Secord attests, “The University is financially strong—not just stable but vibrant and planning optimistically for an even brighter future.” But according tomany members of SU’s advisory boards, senior staff, and faculty, perhaps Burger’s greatest contribution has been a comprehensive strategic vision and direction for the University. “I think his major gift to Southwestern has been to create an exciting vision of the promise of Southwestern’s future and to invite all of us to see how we might be a part of making it happen,” says Board of Trustees member Henry Joyner. Elizabeth Yeager P’17, a fellow trustee whose family has been connected with SU for five generations, adds that Think. Create. Connect. “encap- sulates that vision succinctly. SU students have always been change makers, but Dr. Burger h e l p e d f o c u s the mission and raise awareness of the true value of a liberal arts education.” Yeager adds that Burger i n s t i l l e d t ha t vision in students, faculty, alumni, friends, and board members. “Not many leaders are able to do that,” she says. John Shearn Chair and Associate Professor of Business Debika Sihi remembers the president speaking at an event for visiting students. According to Sihi, Burger told the audience about a former student who had once remarked loudly, “You’re wrong!” in response to a math problem the class was trying to solve. Burger explained that if the student had only thought about the puzzle in a different way, they would have seen that the proposed solu- tion was, indeed, possible. “Dr. Burger encouraged the visiting students to use the university experience to not only share their existing knowledge but also develop new ways of thinking and appreciate others’ ideas and viewpoints,” Sihi recounts. “With this simple story, Dr. Burger eloquently captured the mission of a Southwestern education…. He truly helped to reinforce and reinvigorate the lifelong learning that happens at Southwestern.” A professor and a president When Burger was selected as president of Southwestern University, the choice was, as reported by The Chronicle of Higher Education , an “unconventional” one. After all, in 2013– 2014, only 1% of new university presidents were selected from faculty ranks; most had previously served as leaders of other institutions or else as provosts, vice presidents, or deans. Burger, meanwhile, interviewed for the position while serving as the Francis Christopher Oakley Third Century Professor of Mathematics at Williams College, having joined the Williams faculty in 1990. He was also a nationally recognized innovator in education, having coauthored The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking (Princeton University Press, 2012) with Michael Starbird, starred in thousands of online mathematics videos, and won numerous awards for teaching. “We on the [hiring] committee thought that bringing in an academic of Ed’s stature would be a great thing for the school, and it has been,” Tipps recalls. Joyner agrees. “Dr. Burger’s expe- rience as an in-classroom educator and his innovative teaching career have brought great perspective to his role as president,” he says. “At the same time, it was a new experience for him to become the chief executive of a large organization with a diver- sity of activities. His ability to master the new necessary skills has been impressive. He is a gifted leader and learner.” For SU faculty, Burger’s longtime experience as a professor meant that he would possess both credibility and empathy as an administrator. “I knew him to be a fantastic and charismatic educator…. I was excited to have a president who was one of us, a professor and a mathemati- cian, who had a strong vision for Southwestern,” reflects Fumiko Futamura, a fellow professor of mathematics, as well as Lord Chair in Mathematics and Computer Science. “He understood our job and our many roles as researchers, educators, mentors, and advisors. He understood that we needed time and compensation for the work that we do—and the importance of making sure the faculty had the resources to do their jobs well.” Futamura echoes Marr and Alisa Gaunder, professor of political science and dean of the faculty, in expressing further appreciation for Burger’s support of the faculty through fund- raising. “As an academic, Dr. Burger was able to raise money for things that directly impact the work faculty do at Southwestern,” Marr comments. Those efforts have supported new midcycle sabbaticals; multiple new endowed chairs and professorships; the new laboratories, offices, and classrooms of the Fondren– Jones Science Center; and the creation of the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship and the Center for Integrative Learning. Burger’s commitment to supporting faculty simultaneously resulted in expanded opportunities and new facilities for SU students. “Having an academic president was significant. President Burger has been laser focused on the academic program, and it is stronger from his leadership,” Gaunder reflects. In addition to assuring that Southwestern students benefitted from a rigorous curriculum, David Gaines, professor of English "Working with Ed was like spending time with a human light bulb, " shares Sylvia J. Sydow Kerrigan ' 86, a member of the Southwestern Board of Trustees. " He illuminated, energized, cheered, and suddenly made the impossible seem possible. " 20 SOUTHWESTERN