Tribute to Tom Burns, 1959–2024

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi34.1547

Abstract

This paper pays tribute to Tom Burns as a distinguished and much-loved practitioner-scholar who dedicated his professional life to students and influenced colleagues in and beyond the Learning Development community. A loyal and supportive friend of our journal, Tom was a deeply admired teacher and mentor, a visionary and creative leader and writer, who on these pages is fondly remembered by his four colleagues: John Hilsdon, Debbie Holley, Sandra Abegglen, and Digby Warren. They offer personal recollections of his work and contributions to higher education, which are poetically spliced with editorial mediations that pay homage to Tom’s creative spirit.

Author Biography

Alicja Syska, University of Plymouth

Alicja Syska is Editor-In-Chief at the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, which she has led since 2019. She is a Learning Development Advisor at the University of Plymouth where she also holds lecturing posts in Education and History. Alicja has a Ph.D. in American Studies from Saint Louis University, USA, is a Senior Fellow of Advance HE, an ALDinHE Certified Leading Practitioner, and a co-host of the Learning Development Project podcast. Her research interests include writing, community building, Third Space identity, and researcher development.

References

Abegglen, S., Kamal, S., Burns, T., Akhbari, M. and Sinfield, S. (2023) ‘(Re)Imagining higher education: an inspirational guide for academics’, Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, 29. Available at: https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi29.1099

Buckley, C. and Syska, A. (2023) The Learning Development Project podcast. Available at: https://aldinhe.ac.uk/networking/the-ld-project-podcast/ (Accessed: 10 February 2025).

Sinfield, S., Burns, T. and Holley, D. (2004) ‘Outsiders looking in or insiders looking out? Widening participation in a post-1992 university’, in J. Satterthwaite, E. Atkinson and W. Martin (eds), The Disciplining of Education: New Languages of Power and Resistance. Trentham Books.

Social Science Space (2024) ‘Tom Burns, 1959-2024: A Pioneer in Learning Development’, Sage, 5 November. Available at: https://www.socialsciencespace.com/2024/11/tom-burns-1959-2024-a-pioneer-in-learning-development/ (Accessed: 10 February 2025).

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Published

28-02-2025

How to Cite

Syska, A. (2025). Tribute to Tom Burns, 1959–2024. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (34). https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi34.1547

Issue

No. 34 (2025)

Section

Tribute

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