Dr. Burns, ’72, wants to continue mission of alma mater

Detroit — Who says you can’t go home?

Whoever it was, it wasn’t Dr. Elizabeth Burns, who on Jan. 18 was named the ninth president of Marygrove College.

Dr. Burns is familiar with the IHM-sponsored Detroit college, graduating from Marygrove in 1972 with a bachelor of science in chemistry. She later went on to a highly successful medical career after graduating from the University of Michigan and earning a master’s in education from the University of Iowa.

She moved on to the University of Iowa College of Medicine, where she spent 11 years as a faculty member, before serving eight years as the department head in family medicine at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Dr. Burns made a career stop at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences before heading to the Michigan State University’s Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies and later Western Michigan University’s Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine.

Dr. Burns was always in contact with her alma mater, serving 10 years on the board of trustees before being made interim provost of Marygrove College in August and finally, president, taking over for interim president Dr. James F. Birge.

“It’s not a very traditional path to being a president,” Dr. Burns told The Michigan Catholic. “I really wanted to give back to the college. My mother went here, my grandmother served on the board. Being from the area, I’ve been around Marygrove since I was a baby, so it’s a natural fit.”

Growing in Bloomfield Township, Dr. Burns graduated from Marian High School in 1968 before deciding on Marygrove as a chance to continue her education on a campus that was comfortable and down the road from her grandparents, who lived near Gesu Parish.

“The 1960s were an interesting time to be on a college campus,” Dr. Burns explained about her decision in picking Marygrove over the University of Michigan. “U of M was shut down because of student protestors. Marygrove was closer to home, seemed more comfortable.”

Looking back at her time on Marygrove, Dr. Burns admits the buildings more or less look the same — she lived in Denk Chapman Chapel and Florent Gillet while she was a student.

She also noted the curriculum, while rooted in the liberal arts, has expanded since she attended classes.

“The focus is still on the liberal arts, the enrollment is focused on keeping a low number of students, but the cost is higher, even compared to the cost of living,” Burns said of the college, whose enrollment annually is around 2,000 students. “We seem to have more careers students are focused on. When I was here, it was mostly education and teachers at the school.”

Being in the medical field for most of her career, Dr. Burns was responsible for delivering hundreds of babies and overseeing thousands of patients. She admits in her role as president she won’t be delivering babies — but would if called upon — but there is some overlap between being a medial administrator and being a college president.

“Being a family physician, it was my job to take care of problems, keep people healthy,” Dr. Burns said. “As a college president, you sometimes have to deliver hard messages, make difficult decisions, while at the same time looking out for the health of the college, the faculty and the students.”

Dr. Burns said she is still learning her new role, but assures Marygrove’s mission is the same as it was when the school was founded in 1927 by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

“Our goal here at Marygrove is to strive and be bold with leadership in Detroit, focusing on a curriculum that makes a difference,” Dr. Burns said. “We go out into the community for our classes, and that’s not new. Our students are expected to learn about Detroit. Outreach at Marygrove is very much alive, and it will continue to be in the future.”