Memorial Tribute to Joe Burch Set for Aug. 17
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 16, 2011) — A memorial tribute will be held for Joseph T. Burch, a longtime University of Kentucky administrator who died April 4, and funds have been set up in his name to assist UK students.
The memorial program will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 17, in Worsham Theater in UK's Student Center and is open to the public. Speakers will include Charles T Wethington Jr., former UK president; Robert Mock, vice president for Student Affairs; John Herbst, Student Center director; Marian Moore Sims, UK Alumni Association and former trustee; Robert Lawson, professor in the UK College of Law; Andrew Oppmann, UK alumnus and former editor of the Kentucky Kernel; and Frank Harris, friend and former UK Student Center director. Music will be provided by Richard Domek, professor in the College of Fine Arts.
Upon his retirement in 2001, Burch was serving as vice president for University Relations under then President Wethington. Burch had enjoyed an over 40-year career at UK, which is also his alma mater where he earned bachelor's and law degrees.
Among his other various positions at the university, Burch served as dean of students, deputy general counsel, assistant to the vice president for business affairs, acting director of Athletics, and acting director of the Tobacco and Health Research Institute.
Two funds have been established in honor of Burch that reflect his love and concern for students. He desired that funds be established to aid deserving students who are faced with emergency hardships that might otherwise require them to leave school.
The Joseph T. Burch Student Endowment Fund and the Joseph T. Burch Emergency Student Non-Endowed Fund Account have been established to assist students in need. The return on the endowed principal in the endowment fund will be used for student awards and the non-endowed account will permit use of funds immediately for students in emergency need. The principal from this account may be awarded.
These new funds are in addition to the Joseph T. Burch Society, which was established in 2008 to honor Burch and to recognize individuals who have made a gift of $5,000 cash or securities to UK Division of Student Affairs.
Anyone interested in donating to the Joseph T. Burch Endowment Fund and Emergency Student Non-Endowed Fund Account can contact UK's Office of Development at (800) 875–6272 or (859) 257–3911. Anyone interested in donating to the Joseph T. Burch Society can contact Larry Crouch in the UK Division of Student Affairs at (859) 257-5216.
Anyone wanting more information on the memorial tribute can contact John Herbst at (859) 257-5781.
MEDIA CONTACT: Kathy Johnson, (859) 257-3155 or kathy.johnson@uky.edu