distinguished alumni award
John A. Burroughs
Achievement 1996
John A. Burroughs, Jr., 59BA, a former
UI football star, has dedicated 40 years of service to the U.S. government.
Born in Washington, D.C., Burroughs received his bachelor's degree
in political science at the University of Iowa. He played in two Rose
Bowl games for Coach Forest Evashevski and the Hawkeyes and earned
recognition as an honorable mention all-American. After graduation
and a brief stint as a professional football player with the Philadelphia
Eagles, Burroughs returned to Washington, DC, to begin his public service
career.
First employed as a passport examiner with the Department of State,
Burroughs became assistant chief of the Special Services Branch of
the Passport Office in 1963. In 1964, he was selected to participate
in the Department of State's Management Intern Program and later became
an administrative assistant in the Bureau of Economic and Business
Affairs.
Burroughs transferred to the Department of Navy in 1966. During his
11-year tenure with the department, Burroughs' responsibilities focused
primarily on equal opportunity, although he was also involved with
the All-Volunteer Force Initiative, military recruiting, advertising,
research and development, and the Department of Defense Domestic Action
Program.
While with the Department of Navy, Burroughs was awarded a Merrill
Trust Fellowship to attend the Stanford Executive Program at Stanford
University in Palo Alto, California. In 1977, he received the Department
of Navy's Superior Civilian Service Award from the Secretary of the
Navy.
Burroughs returned to the Department of State in 1977 as deputy assistant
secretary for Equal Employment Opportunity. In 1980, he received the
department's Superior Service Award from the under secretary of management
for his efforts in increasing the number of minorities and women in
the US Foreign Service Officer Corps.
Burroughs became US ambassador to the Republic of Malawi in 1981.
In 1984, he joined the Joint Center for Political and Economical Studies
in Washington DC, as a senior research fellow. In 1985, he became the
first African-American assigned US consul general in Cape Town, South
Africa, where he served for three years. In 1988, he was named US ambassador
to Uganda. Burroughs became a diploma-in-residence at Lincoln University
in Oxford, Pennsylvania, in 1991. While at Lincoln University, he conducted
seminars on major foreign policy issues and taught several courses
on African politics, chiefly South African politics. In 1993, he became
special coordinator for Sudan, managing humanitarian assistance to
that country. Burroughs retired in April 1994 after 36 years of government
service.
Burroughs is a life member of the Alumni Association.
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