A message from President Daniels on the passing of Morgan Burke

June 15, 2020

Dear Purdue colleagues,

I write today to confirm the terribly sad news that our dear friend Morgan Burke died Monday (June 15) at his home in West Lafayette, where he lived with his beloved wife, Kate.

I know I do not have to tell most of you of the tremendous impact Morgan had on Purdue University during his years here — first as an undergraduate student-athlete, captain of the swimming team, and a member of Phi Beta Kappa scholastic honorary, and later as our director of intercollegiate athletics, where, beginning in 1993, he built Purdue’s reputation as a program of integrity that develops champions, scholars and citizens. His 2016 retirement from Intercollegiate Athletics didn’t slow him down or take him away from Purdue. It only meant that his tremendous expertise and energy were pointed toward helping with key University projects, chief among them the transition to Purdue Global. There wasn’t one aspect of our work to build Purdue Global in which Morgan was not involved.

Stories are multitude of Morgan’s dedication to students and those around them, of his great love for Purdue, of his vision and commitment to the growth of thousands and thousands of student-athletes. I know you’ll hear many over the next days. I can tell you they are all true — and I urge you to listen to the tributes and know what a difference Morgan Burke made in the lives of so many of us.

I will miss him. Boilermakers the world over will miss him. On behalf of all, I send our sincerest condolences to Kate, their children and grandchildren.

As Morgan ended all his messages,

Boiler Up. Hammer Down.
Hail Purdue.

Mitch