Pulitzer Prize Winner and Leadership Studies Pioneer James MacGregor Burns to Rejoin Jepson School Faculty
September 5, 2001
James MacGregor Burns, prominent American scholar of leadership studies and Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer of President Franklin Roosevelt, will rejoin the faculty of the Jepson School of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond.
A member of the Jepson School's founding faculty in 1992, Burns is author of the 1978 book, "Leadership," considered the seminal work in establishing leadership studies as an academic discipline. Over the past 10 years, Burns has solidified his work on leadership theories, lecturing and writing extensively around the country and teaching at the University of Maryland.
He will collaborate with Jepson School faculty on new research, help with next year's launch of a new master's in leadership studies program, and assist with developing an institute for leadership research and outreach programs, said Acting Dean Fredric M. Jablin.
In addition, as a senior fellow, Burns will mentor faculty and students, give public lectures, lead special discussions in Jepson School classes, participate in faculty seminars and share expertise and ideas.
"Burns is to leadership studies as Peter Drucker is to management and Sigmund Freud is to psychology," Jablin said in announcing the appointment. "He is the dean, the elder statesman, the wise pioneer. He understands not only the history of leadership, but also the practical challenges and realities of the exercise of responsible and values-based leadership."
Student leaders at the school also expressed excitement that Burns will be joining the faculty.
"It will be great to have one of the original scholars in our discipline come into our classrooms. He is the ideal mentor to help us achieve the Jepson mission of educating students for and about leadership," said Jonathan Carlson, president of the Jepson School's Student Government Association.
Burns won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for his biographies, "Roosevelt: The Lion and the Fox" (1956) and "Roosevelt: The Soldier of Freedom" (1970). But, he says it was "Leadership" that defined an entirely new field of scholarly work.
Since the book's publication, Burns' theory on transformational leadership has served as the basis of more than 570 doctoral dissertations. His concepts of transformational leadership-essential to systemic organizational change and societal change-is a process by which leaders and followers raise each other to higher levels of morality, responsibility and performance. Burns collaborates on leadership research with scholars around the world.
The Jepson School awards a bachelor's degree in leadership studies. Building on the foundation of its undergraduate program as it approaches its 10th anniversary, the school is developing a master's degree in leadership studies and launching the research institute. Burns will have pivotal creative and leadership roles in both ventures, but his focus will be collaborating with the university's faculty on research about leadership, Jablin said.