SJCC President
SJECCD Board of Trustees names Dr. Michael Burke new San José City College President January 10, 2007The Chancellor and the Board of Trustees of the San José Evergreen Community College District are proud to announce that Dr. Michael Burke has been appointed permanent President of San José City College.
San Jose, CA – Chancellor Rosa G. Perez, the Board of the San Jose/Evergreen Community College (SJECCD) and San José City College are proud to announce the appointment of Dr. Michael Burke as president of San José City College. A nationally renowned educator with over 25 years of experience in community college management and a passion for civil and student rights, Dr. Burke will assume the presidency this spring.
“The Board and I are very happy that we were able to hire such a strong, devoted and dynamic leader, “ said Rosa G. Perez, Chancellor of the SJECCD. “I was most impressed with the way he has extended North Idaho College and his institutions in Texas into various neighborhoods to meet local adult ESL and workforce needs. He has created strong noncredit programs, built meaningful school partnerships, is an aggressive fund developer, and is a visible tireless leader who believes it is his personal business to do all he can to help each student achieve. Dr. Burke is also one of the few college presidents who has taught English as a Second Language, one of the most important programs in our District. His greatest achievement in Texas was an impressive growth and development of the ESL program in an area that had many low income, immigrant students that had been neglected by his college. I expect that his experiences will match well with our needs in San Jose."
Dr. Burke has extensive experience in community colleges. He was named President of North Idaho College in June of 1998. Prior to moving to Coeur d’Alene, he spent 13 years at Eastfield College of the Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD) in Texas. He served there as Division Chair, Dean of Educational Resources, Dean of Career and Continuing Education, and Vice President of Finance and Planning. He began his career as a faculty member at a community college on the Texas-Mexico border in South Texas
Dr. Burke looks forward the challenges and opportunities that San José City College will offer him. Dr. Burke notes that, "My family and I are thrilled to be joining the SJECCD community. I have served community colleges in south Texas, in the Dallas area, and in north Idaho and have enjoyed each place immensely. I look forward to developing outstanding relationships with the communities in San Jose, Milpitas and the greater Silicon Valley. Without question, the vibrant culture of the region is part of the reason I am so anxious to be joining SJCC. I am happy and honored for the opportunity to lead San Jose City College. It is an extraordinary institution, and I am anxious to begin work with the faculty, staff and students to advance the mission of SJCC.”
Dr. Burke has a doctorate in Educational Administration from the Community College Leadership Program at the University of Texas at Austin, Masters and Bachelors degrees in English from the University of Houston, and certificates of completion from Harvard University’s Institute for Educational Management and the League for Innovation’s Executive Leadership Institute. Nationally, he currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and also serves on the AACC Commission on Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity. Locally, he serves on the board of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Rights and Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA). He is a past board member of the Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce, the Holy Family Catholic School, and the Kootenai County United Way.
San José City College provides San Jose and Milpitas residents with community college education of the highest quality. San José City College delivers its educational mission with integrity and vitality. As part of the San Jose/Evergreen Community College District (formed in 1963) San José City College serves more than seven hundred thousand residents within its 303 square mile boundaries, including the San Jose and Milpitas Unified School Districts and East Side Union High School District.