[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 83 (Tuesday, May 20, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E971-E972]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING JOHN F. BURNESS FOR HIS SERVICE TO DUKE UNIVERSITY AND THE 
                             CITY OF DURHAM

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DAVID E. PRICE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 20, 2008

  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
career of John F. Burness, Senior Vice President for Public Affairs and 
Government Relations at Duke University. Mr. Burness will retire on 
June 30th after nearly 40 years of service in higher education. His has 
been a distinguished career that helped revolutionize the way 
universities handle communications and public affairs. In Durham, North 
Carolina, he has transformed the relationship between the town and the 
university in a way that few other institutions have been able to 
replicate.
  After graduating from Franklin and Marshall College, where he 
currently serves as a trustee, John began his career in 1970 as 
Assistant to the President at the State University of New York at Stony 
Brook, rising through the ranks to become Deputy to the President for 
University Affairs and Secretary of the Stony Brook Council. From SUNY, 
he moved to the University of Illinois, where he was first Director of 
Public Affairs and then promoted to the newly created position of 
Associate Chancellor for Public Affairs. Following his time at 
Illinois, he returned to New York to assume the role of Vice President 
for University Relations at Cornell University. Regarded as a national 
expert in university public affairs, he became the founding chair of 
the Association of American Universities' Public Affairs Committee, as 
well as a founding member of the steering committee of The Science 
Coalition, a consortium of universities, scientific societies, and 
business groups that takes a grassroots approach

[[Page E972]]

to promoting investments in scientific research.
  John Burness's considerable talents are reflected in the many 
leadership positions he has held in his field: director of the National 
Association of College and University Business Officers; chairman of 
the Consortium on Financing Higher Education's Public Issues Committee; 
and co-chair of the Ad Hoc Tax Group, a consortium of educational 
institutions that monitors Federal tax policy. He has also served on 
the Board of Directors of the National Association of Independent 
Colleges and Universities, the Committee on Institutional Relations for 
the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, and The College 
Board's Government Relations Advisory Panel.
  I came to know John after his arrival at Duke University in 1991. 
Over the years, we have conferred and collaborated on a wide range of 
policy and funding issues in higher education as well as the special 
needs of Durham. During his time at Duke, he built an award-winning 
news office and guided a well-respected government relations operation. 
But it was his tireless efforts in Durham that had the most profound 
impact.
  Under John's leadership, the Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership was 
created in 1996. This partnership has led to increased home ownership, 
improved student achievement, and greater access to health care for 
residents in several of Durham's neighborhoods. John was also the 
founding chairman of the Board of Directors of the Durham Communities 
in Schools dropout prevention program, and he serves on the board of 
MDC, a nonprofit organization located in Chapel Hill. North Carolina, 
which seeks to expand opportunities, reduce poverty, and build 
inclusive civic cultures in Southern communities.
  Through his public endeavors and his behind-the-scenes work, John's 
efforts to improve the quality of life for his fellow Durhamites have 
touched countless citizens and have earned him the respect of leaders 
throughout the community. As a testament to John's dedication and 
achievements, the science center at E.K. Powe Elementary School in 
Durham has been rededicated as the John F. Burness Science Center, and 
the Duke University Board of Trustees has established an endowment in 
John's name to support collaboration between the Duke and Durham 
communities. I recently attended a retirement reception for John in a 
community center and was struck by the many tributes from those whose 
lives and endeavors John has touched.
  It is thus with great pleasure that I congratulate John Burness for 
his outstanding contributions to the Nation's system of higher 
education, to Duke University, and to Durham, North Carolina. My wife 
Lisa and I wish him and Ann all the best in retirement, and in the many 
activities they will still be engaged in as active and caring members 
of the community.

                          ____________________