William M. Burke was founding President of the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars, established in 1975 as a nonprofit, nonpartisan, educational organization that allows college students from all around the country and the world to have access to academic internships in Washington, D.C

Bill Burke was an indefatigable leader, brimming with vision and ideals -- a mentor, a teacher, a friend, and, most importantly, the source of inspiration to countless young leaders.

The institution that he built and nurtured for almost 30 years has earned a lasting place in higher education. Under Bill Burke's leadership, The Washington Center educated thousands of young people from the United States and abroad, and achieved great respect in the academic, business, nonprofit, and legislative communities.

Bill Burke shaped The Washington Center into an institution to mentor, nurture, and develop leaders in politics, the nonprofit sector, media, business, and other fields. It was Bill's desire that our young people learn those values that are important in our future leaders: self-respect, selflessness, dedication, ethics, courage, teamwork, and the highest standards of performance.

He believed that it is important for young people to discover that they are already leaders, and that they inherently possess qualities that they can take back to their communities and college campuses, whether they are from a village in Mexico, a small town in our heartland, or a big city. He saw that the world was full of possibility and promise, opportunity and optimism, and that we can change it, one person, and one neighborhood, at a time.

Bill Burke passionately believed that an interchange between our young people is essential in furthering understanding, here and abroad, and in giving people the tools to develop their communities, block by block. He said that it was important for a young person from Kansas to meet a student from Kenya, and a student from Mexico to meet peers from Canada and California, and see that our differences are not that vast, and it is our great commonality of purpose that unites us.

He grasped the importance of experiential education in international development, and at the time of his death, The Washington Center was well on its way to establishing programs where students go back to their communities with the skills and contacts to better people's lives.

Bill Burke was a master presenter and motivator. He used to look at a sea of young people, and proclaim that they should get to know the person sitting on their right and the person on their left, because Washington is a small town, brimming with former interns, and you can never tell for whom you will be working, and who will make a difference in the world! He had an encyclopedic knowledge of all of the personalities of Washington, and he could inspire students with his vast knowledge of who, at one time, had served as an intern.

He was known to bring up the name of an important leader and finish the comment with: ''And he was an intern!''

Bill Burke tirelessly championed the involvement of members of Congress and the executive branch, corporate CEOs, foreign dignitaries, media luminaries, leaders in philanthropy, nonprofit leaders, state legislators, and college and university presidents, and The Washington Center’s 33,000 alumni in various aspects of The Washington Center.

Bill Burke's innovation and singular belief in the importance of providing college students equal access to The Washington Center led to the development of such offerings as the Women as Leaders Program, Minority Leaders Fellowship Program, Diversity in Congress Program, NAFTA Internship Program, Initiative for Students with Disabilities, Native American Leadership Initiative, Americas Program and The Washington Center's growing international programs.

In addition, in order to assure accessibility of programs regardless of the students' economic background, Bill Burke perseveringly sought philanthropic partnerships for scholarship support for the students who participate in these programs.

A native of Norwood, Massachusetts, Mr. Burke earned a master's in education from the University of Massachusetts , his bachelor of science in management from American International College in Springfield , Massachusetts , and an associate's degree in accounting from Norwalk Community College , Norwalk , Connecticut . He also received an honorary doctorate of laws from The Richard Stockton State College. He once remarked that he loved every job he had ever held.

His colleagues, friends, and the thousands of former students who were touched by his life and example find comfort in the knowledge that his legacy and life's work go on.

Dates & Deadlines

Early Deadlines begin for Summer 2011 Term, Quarter and Postgraduate Programs on September 27, 2010.

Regular Deadline for Spring 2011 D.C. Semester & Postgraduate Programs is November 12, 2010.

Regular Deadline for Spring 2011 D.C. Quarter Program is January 15, 2011.

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