Ronald J. Burke, professor emeritus of organization studies at York University’s Schulich School of Business, died on March 19 in Toronto at the age of 81.
Ronald J. Burke
Burke, born in Winnipeg on Oct. 22, 1937, earned a BA from the University of Manitoba and an MA and PhD from the University of Michigan. In 1966, he took a job teaching at the University of Minnesota, and two years later joined York University’s newly established Faculty of Administrative Studies (now the Schulich School of Business).
He spent more than 40 years as a professor of organizational studies and earned the title of senior scholar at York University. His teaching reached students from undergraduate to doctoral level, and he was frequently nominated for MBA teaching awards.
His research focused on the relationship between an individual’s work environment and well-being, and he became an expert on topics including workplace stress and women in management. He also spent time researching gender in organizations, corporate reputation, occupational health and safety, crime and corruption, human resource management in various sectors and the development of healthier workplaces.
Burke authored and contributed more than 600 articles for a great many academic and professional journals, edited approximately 50 books and presented more than 500 papers at academic events. He was the founding editor of the Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, and he participated in more than 300 management development programs. He was also a Fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association.
His research earned many research grants from the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada, as well as from Schulich, York University, the Ivey Business School and the Donner Foundation, to name a few.
Burke is survived by his three children, Sharon, Rachel and Jeff. In keeping with his wishes, there will be no public service or funeral arrangements.