Former La Salle president Brother Joseph Burke dies
Former La Salle University president Brother Joseph Burke died early Monday morning, the university said in a statement. Burke, 70, who was president of La Salle, in the city's Logan section, from 1992 to 1998, was active at the university up until his death, serving as chairman of its Psychology Department.
Former La Salle University president Brother Joseph Burke died early Monday morning, the university said in a statement.
Burke, 70, who was president of La Salle, in the city's Logan section, from 1992 to 1998, was active at the university up until his death, serving as chairman of its Psychology Department.
"Brother Joe was a dynamic leader during a transformative time at La Salle," current President Colleen Hanycz said in a statement about her predecessor's tenure as president.
Brother Burke, a Philadelphia native, grew up in Kensington, attended La Salle College High School and joined the Christian Brothers at the age of 18, the statement said.
He graduated from La Salle University with a bachelor's in English, earned a master's in educational administration from the University of Miami and a Ph.D. in psychology from United States International University, now Alliant International University.
He returned to La Salle in 1973 to teach psychology and won the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching three years later.
Brother Burke served as chairman of the department from 1978 to 1986, then left for a fellowship at the University of Hartford. He returned to La Salle again in 1990 as provost and then was selected as La Salle's 27th president in 1992, the statement said.
Brother Burke also had "a strong commitment to diversifying La Salle's student body and faculty," the statement said.
During his last year as president, 58 percent of La Salle's students were female, and 20 percent were minorities, the statement said.
A viewing for Burke is scheduled from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, followed by a funeral Mass, both at the De La Salle Chapel on the university campus, at 1900 W. Olney Ave. Burial will be at the Christian Brothers Cemetery in Ammendale, Md., at 11 a.m. Friday.
"Your continued prayers for Brother Joe and his friends, family and Christian Brothers are requested at this time of enormous loss and sadness," Hanycz said in the statement.
A La Salle spokeswoman said by email Monday that the university would not be releasing Burke's cause or place of death "as it would be inappropriate for us to do so publicly" and that it would be up to his family to release that information.
She said further information would likely not be available on the July 4 holiday.
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