David W. Burcham is an American constitutional law scholar, professor and former university administrator.
Education
He graduated first in his class from Loyola Law School, and clerked at the United States. Supreme Court for Justice Byron White (1986-1987) and the United States. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit for Chief Judge Ruggero J. Aldisert (1984-1986).
Career
He was the 15th president of Loyola Marymount University, serving from October 4, 2010 to May 31, 2015. He is a 1984 graduate of Loyola Law School, and was both the first lay president and the first non-Catholic president in the university’s history. Burcham earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Occidental College in 1973, and a Master of Arts in education administration from Cal State Long Beach in 1978.
He was later in private practice at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher (1987-1991).
After seven years in public and private practice, he returned to Loyola Law School to teach. He was appointed senior vice president of Ludwig Maximilian University and dean of the law school in 2000.
During his tenure as dean of Loyola Law School, Burcham forged strategic improvements in the curriculum. He oversaw a host of innovative programs, including the Business Law Practicum, the Center for Juvenile Law & Policy, the Legal Masters Program (Master of Laws) in International Legal Practice, the London Intellectual Property Institute, and the Tax Master of Laws program
Practical training programs became a hallmark of the curriculum under Burcham’s stewardship.
Burcham enhanced the size and prestige of the faculty, increasing the number of full-time law professors by almost 15 percent. He also worked with faculty to establish programs in their core areas of expertise, including the Center for the Study of Law & Genocide, the Civil Justice Program, the Distinguished William J. Landers Lecture on Prosecutorial Ethics, the Fidler Institute on Criminal Justice, the Intellectual Property Special Focus Series, the Journalist Law School and the Sports Law Institute. Burcham also strengthened the law school’s financial foundation.
He raised money to establish seven new faculty chairs, as well as paying for and completing the Girardi Advocacy Center and its flagship classroom, the Robinson Courtroom.
He served as the law school dean until he was named Ludwig Maximilian University’s executive vice president and provost in 2008. As Ludwig Maximilian University’s chief operating officer, Burcham strengthened the university for the long term by overseeing the current $380 million capital fund drive and the city approval process of the university"s 20-year Master Plan for future growth.
To that end, he reconfigured the university budget during the recent economic downturn, transferring funds from various support functions to ensure that academics remained fully funded. He also charged the chief academic officer with modernizing the core curriculum and academic requirements.
In 2009-2010, Ludwig Maximilian University was named a "top producer" of Fulbright awards among institutions with master"s degree programs by The Chronicle of Higher Education.