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Date(s)
- 1968-2008 (Creation)
Extent
6.0 libnear feet (6 record boxes)
Name of creator
Biographical history
Robert (Bob) Burns was born in Flandreau, South Dakota, in 1942, the youngest of six children of Joseph and Marie Burns. While attending Flandreau High School, he developed a strong record of participation and leadership, achievements that earned him a four-year Briggs Scholarship to South Dakota State University in 1960.
Burns graduated from SDSU in June 1964 with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army through ROTC later that summer. That same year he married Donna Bozied. He was awarded a three-year National Defense Fellowship from the University of Missouri–Columbia, which provided full support for his doctoral studies in political science. He completed his M.A. in 1966 and Ph.D. in 1973 with the aid of this fellowship and Donna’s support.
In 1968, Burns reported for active duty at Fort Benning, Georgia, serving two years as an Army officer, including one year in Vietnam as a captain. For his service, he received the Bronze Star for Meritorious Service and the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster.
While still in Vietnam, Burns was invited by his undergraduate mentor, Professor Hendrickson, to join the SDSU political science faculty on a one-year appointment. That temporary role became a 38-year career. He earned recognition as an outstanding teacher, receiving the College of Arts and Sciences “Teacher of the Year” award seven times, the Burlington Northern Faculty Achievement Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1989, and was named Distinguished Professor of Political Science in 1994 by the South Dakota Board of Regents. In 1995, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching named him South Dakota Professor of the Year for his dedication to undergraduate teaching.
Burns also held key leadership roles at SDSU. He served nearly 20 years as head of the Departments of Political Science and Philosophy and Religion, acted as Director of the USD Farber Center in 1998, and in the last decade of his tenure became the first Dean of the SDSU Honors College while continuing his teaching and administrative duties. Beyond campus, he conducted summer policy research for Governors Kneip, Wollman, and Janklow and served as a Humanist-in-Residence for the South Dakota Committee on the Humanities on three occasions.
Upon retiring in 2008, the South Dakota Board of Regents granted him the titles Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Dean Emeritus of the Honors College. That same year, the SDSU Alumni Association honored him as a Distinguished Alumnus for Service to Education.
In retirement, Burns has remained active as a commentator on South Dakota and national politics, government, and legal issues. He has also continued his service in higher education and civic leadership, including membership on the National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education (1997–1998) and long-term service as South Dakota’s Commissioner on the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (since 1996). Guided by his belief in the importance of citizen engagement and a strong civil society, he has served on and often led numerous boards, commissions, and councils. He continues this work in retirement, including chairing the South Dakota Budget and Policy Institute and the South Dakota World Affairs Council, as well as teaching courses for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in Sioux Falls and Brookings.
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Scope and content
The Robert V. Burns Papers document his professional service, teaching, and involvement in state and national commissions between the late 1960s and early 2000s. The collection includes material from the 2000 NAFTA Conference on Canadian–United States agricultural trade issues organized by Burns, with correspondence, government official communications, publicity, talking points, publications, proceedings, and Governor William Janklow’s keynote speech.
Extensive records relate to the South Dakota Executive Branch Reorganization (1968–1973), including correspondence, staff documents, legislation, reports, research files, and recommendations from the Citizen’s Commission on Executive Reorganization. Burns’s work with the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) is represented through agenda books, publications, and policy studies.
Additional materials reflect his participation in the National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education, the Constitutional Revision Commission, and the Governor’s Task Forces on education and wages. Files also include material on judicial elections, Brookings railroad safety, higher education assessment, civic service, and Burns’s 1980 State Representative campaign. The papers preserve a record of Burns’s role in shaping higher education policy, state governance, and civic engagement in South Dakota and beyond.
This collection is a resource for understanding South Dakota’s political, educational, and policy development during the late 20th century. It provides insight into Burns’s leadership in higher education reform, state reorganization efforts, agricultural trade policy, and public service. His involvement with regional and national commissions underscores South Dakota’s participation in broader discussions on governance, education, and economic policy.
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English
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Copyright and Use Statement
In Copyright This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses, you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
Materials in this collection may be subject to Title 17, Section 108 of the United States Copyright Act. Users are responsible for ensuring compliance with copyright, privacy, trademark, and other applicable rights for their intended use. Obtaining all necessary permissions is the user's responsibility. Written authorization from the copyright and/or other rights holders is required for publication, distribution, or any use of protected materials beyond what is permitted under fair use.