Hall of Fame
Working tirelessly and passionately behind the scenes, Dr. Paul E. Burd played an instrumental role in the rise of Cal U Athletics rise as one of the premier programs in NCAA Division II.
Burd served California University for 35 years. Interim Vice President for Student Development and Services from January 1992 to August 1993, he was appointed Vice President for Student Development and Services on August 1993. He held that position until he retired in January 2004.
The recipient of the Cal U Alumni Association’s John R. Gregg Award for Loyalty and Service in 1993, Burd began his tenure at California in May 1969 as fulltime faculty member. Before becoming vice president, he served as assistant director for Financial Aid, assistant dean of men, dean of students, and attained the faculty rank of professor.
Burd worked under Cal U Presidents George Roadman, John Watkins and Angelo Armenti, Jr. He served for more than 30 years alongside his mentor, Elmo Natali, now retired from his post as vice president for Student Development and Services.
Understandably Burd praised Natali, who was part of the initial 1995 Hall of Fame Class.
“I would not be going to this banquet and up on the stage if not for Elmo Natali,” Burd said. “I was indeed fortunate to work with him and he gave me the opportunity administratively to work and be involved with athletics. I cannot emphasize all that he has done for me, and what he has done for this campus. He’s the man.”
Active on campus, Burd was a member of the President’s Cabinet and Administrative Council. He held a seat on the Cal U Forum’s Executive Committee, was executive director of the Student Association Inc. (SAI) and was the athletic council’s faculty representative for 30 years. He also served as interim athletic director on three separate occasions in the late 1970s.
In terms of athletic administration, Burd was a vice-president representative member of the PSAC Board of Directors for two years, and he chaired the NCAA self-evaluation of the athletic program. He worked directly with other administrators to establish the first athletic gender equity and athletic fundraising/marketing/promotions committees, and to obtain two NCAA grants to participate in their drug and alcohol awareness programs.
His overall support and lead role in Cal’s aggressive athletic fundraising helped produce NCAA championships in softball (1997-98) and the women’s basketball team in 2004. This past athletic year Cal U won five NCAA Regional team championships and ranked a PSAC-best eighth nationally in the he Sports Academy Directors' Cup. As both an administrator and fan, Burd has endured and enjoyed both the good and challenging times.
“There have been ebbs and flows in Cal athletics and I have fond memories of both,” he said. “There were times when the budget of the university was not sufficient enough to fund the library at a sufficient level much less athletics. However those times make you appreciate what’s going on now all the more. As much as I celebrate last fall’s 13-1 football season I temper that by remembering the not-so-great seasons.”
Along with Natali, Burd praised the recent past and current university presidents for guiding Cal to unprecedented levels on the athletic surfaces and in the classroom. As well as the university’s commitment to having all of its academic programs earn national accreditation that qualify, Cal’s average SAT of incoming, first-year baccalaureate-seeking students is at an all-time high (1,020).
“Thank goodness we had presidents such as Michael Duda, George Roadman and John Watkins who saw the university had to have a nice blend and managed to find ways to support university-liked programs when things were tough,” he said. “Then Dr. Armenti came along with his great vision. He built upon the fine work of those men and we have not looked back since. The administrational and financial support we have here today is outstanding and 15 years ago who would have ever thought our campus would evolve into what it has now?”
Though noticeably moved by receiving Cal U’s highest athletic honor, Burd prefers to look at the purpose and history of the Hall of Fame rather than his own invaluable contribution.
“It took us 140 years to get it started and it was a tremendously challenging responsibility,” said Burd. “I was proud to be part of the group that founded the Hall of Fame because we realized that we needed to recognize and establish this for all of this university’s athletic excellence. To be included as an inductee is a great honor and something I will cherish for some time.”
He is originally from Brownsville, PA, and a graduate of Brashear (now Brownsville) High School, where he was an offensive lineman on the football team and a member of the track and field team that was coached by the late Jack Henck.
Burd earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from West Virginia University in 1965 and then a master’s degree from WVU in counseling psychology. He worked for three years at WVU Tech as assistant dean of student affairs, where his primary responsibility was being director of financial aid.
While his desire to attend college away from home physically took him to the Mountain State, Burd’s heart was always with Cal U and the Keystone State.
“I always knew I wanted to work at Cal U and raise my family in western Pennsylvania,” said Burd. “Coming back to Cal was a dream come true. I used to joke with Elmo how lucky we were that part of our jobs was going to go to see games and you talk about doing something you loved to do! If I could go back and do it all over again I would not change anything because Cal is that big a part of my life.”
Community-oriented, Burd was a volunteer firefighter in Brownsville for 25 years; he was both president and chief of the unit. An emergency medical technician, he is also a Pennsylvania-certified public school psychologist and secondary counselor. Always a loyal Vulcan fan, Burd regularly attends many Cal U athletic events both at home and away. He lives in Brownsville with his wife, Elizabeth. The couple has two grown children—Scott ’92 and Megan.
