Kevin Burke

Kevin heads a talented team of media relations managers, writers, photographers, and video specialists responsible for preparing and disseminating important news and information about Ball State.

Since his arrival in early 2007, the university has realized a significantly higher level of visibility through increased exposure in all media—traditional and “new.” With fresh emphasis on highlighting the growing number of nationally ranked and recognized programs and faculty at Ball State, the media team has helped extend the university's name, reputation, and influence from Muncie to the far corners of the world, at the same time it continues to engage important audiences and enhance key relationships with media colleagues throughout Indiana and the Midwest.

Kevin brings more than 18 years of experience in educational settings to his work for Ball State. Most recently, he was director of media relations at Earlham College, a Quaker-founded national liberal arts college located just down the road in Richmond, Indiana. Prior to that, he was director of television productions and photography at the University of Notre Dame—writing, producing, and directing much of the institution's live action film, video, and television communications for a decade while also directing both studio and location still photography on campus (two major pictorials of the historic landmark were published with his photographic contributions and guidance). The New York-born son of a former naval aviator-turned-public schoolteacher and administrator, Kevin began his career in education as director of public information at the Culver Academies, private boys and girls college preparatory schools sharing a lakeside campus in Culver, Indiana, since 1894.

In a “previous life,” Kevin was a daily journalist for 13 years, first as newspaper writer and photographer and later as a broadcast reporter, producer, and editor. He earned his first professional byline while on the staff of the Shenandoah (Pennsylvania) Evening Herald, where he worked as a general assignment reporter for two years before accepting a staff writer's position with the South Bend Tribune and moving to Indiana. Twice, stories he broke for the Tribune earned statewide recognition as among the Top 10 Stories of the Year in the eyes of the Indiana Associated Press. They also grabbed the attention of station executives at the local NBC affiliate, who introduced Kevin to television as an on-camera correspondent before ultimately promoting him to assignment editor in charge of most day-to-day operations of the station's 50-person newsroom. During the 1988 U.S. presidential election campaign, Kevin also worked as a field producer for NBC News covering the winning Republican ticket of George H.W. Bush and Dan Quayle.

In addition to overseeing the university's media relations efforts, Kevin lends his creative energies, writing, editing, and production skills toward the successful development and execution of many university communications projects, particularly as they involve the Office of the President, major action by the Board of Trustees, key initiatives of Education Redefined: Strategic Plan 2007-2012, distinguished visitors, video production, special projects, and Ball State Bold: Investing in the Future, the university's current capital campaign.

A graduate of Western Michigan University with a degree in English and journalism, Kevin and his wife, Paula, maintain their home in Richmond. They are the proud parents of two grown children, Elizabeth and Stefan.