Burks Named Department Chair
Coordinator of magazine sequence to lead journalism department into the 21st century
SLUG! REPORT
Acting Chair John Burks, a popular professor and coordinator of the journalism department's magazine sequence, will become chair of the department in the fall.
Burks, who has been teaching in the department since 1982, was unanimously elected to the post during a faculty meeting on March 27. He succeeds Erna Smith, who has been on leave from the university since the Spring 1999 semester.
Burks' distinguished journalism career includes writing, editing and consulting for newspapers, books, magazines and Web sites. He was the first managing editor of Rolling Stone and was the editor-in-chief at San Francisco Focus, The City and City magazines. He was a reporter with Newsweek, The Oakland Tribune and the San Francisco Examiner. He is the author of five books, including Let It Bleed: Rolling Stones At Altamont, California: The Golden Coast, and Working Fire.
Burks holds a bachelor's degree from San Francisco State. He was awarded his doctoral equivalency at SFSU in 1983.
So what does Burks plan to do in his new position? Click here to find out.
