Columns:: Campus Closeup

since 12/15/98

Columns::November 5, 2001

Ride of Five: Community re-enacts birth of Athens Nov. 8
Three faculty win NSF grants of $8.7 million for plant research
Educational leadership department to be reconfigured
ICE age
Building a healthy future
Governor presides over dedication for new new center for study of water
Holidays for calendar year 2002 announced
Forest Resources staff awards
College of Pharmacy names its first assistant dean for student affairs
Kudos
Celebrating beginnings (old & new )

Campus News

Campus Closeup

KATHY BURKES
Senior Administrative Secretary
Advocacy Program and Prosecutorial Clinic
School of Law

An avid quilter, Kathy Burkes has one of her quilts, “Fundamenta Justitiae,” hanging in the law school. Pieces of the quilt were made using the neckties of law school faculty. Photo by Peter Frey

YEARS IN CURRENT POSITION: Six.

JOB DESCRIPTION: “I’m the assistant to Kellie Casey, who is the director of the advocacy program, which includes moot court and mock trial. I am also an assistant to Alan Cook, who is the director of the Prosecutorial Clinic.
I fulfill all the administrative responsibilities and coordination for approximately 120 students.”

A TYPICAL DAY AT WORK: “I work with approximately 150 students in both the advocacy and prosecutorial clinic programs. I orchestrate the daily work of my prosecutorial students. They go into the district attorney’s offices and serve as attorneys under the third-year practice act. I also orchestrate the travel plans of the advocacy program, which has 12 nationwide competitions and two international competitions. I am the contact person for all the competitions. I also give counsel and motherly advice to the students. There is always a cookie jar on my desk filled with animal crackers for students.”

THE MOST CHALLENGING PART OF MY JOB: “Balancing the deadlines and everything that has to be done every day to keep up with the competitions. The students write briefs, which have to be written in a certain way. I coordinate that.”

THE MOST REWARDING PART OF MY JOB: “Getting to know the students on a personal level. I love to see the looks on their faces when they win a case or a competition. They tell me about a case they settled or got a person convicted and sent to jail. They put in a lot of work.
“Working with students far exceeds the benefits of any other work. There are so many backgrounds and personalities. I have a grandmother shelf in my office displaying photographs of my law school ‘grandchildren.’ ”

OTHER WORK EXPERIENCE: “I was in advertising sales for nine years before coming to the university. It gave me a lot of experience in dealing with people.”

OTHER UGA EXPERIENCE: “I came in as the senior secretary and I really enjoyed that because I got to know every person in the law school.”

IF I WERE NOT DOING THIS JOB, I WOULD MOST LIKE TO: “Own a quilt/gift/antique shop with my friend Marsha Smith. I would also enjoy teaching children how to quilt.”

OFF-THE-JOB INTERESTS: “Quilting is my passion. I am a member of the Cotton Patch Quilt Guild. I also love to paint and write poetry.
“I really like to be creative, from refinishing and painting furniture to building gingerbread houses from scratch at Christmas. I also love to garden.”

FAVORITE MUSIC: “I like all types of music. Wherever I am going determines the music I listen to. It changes depending on my mood and what is going on around me. I like blues, country, classical, gospel, American Indian flute music and opera--especially Pavarotti.”

A BOOK I WOULD RECOMMEND TO OTHERS: “Whatever I just finished reading is my favorite book until I start another book. ”

THE PEOPLE I MOST ADMIRE: “The female law students. A lot of them are married with small children, and a lot are single mothers. They put themselves through law school and balance everything. They are intelligent and dedicated. They are my heroes.”

THE ISSUE THAT CONCERNS ME MOST ABOUT TODAY’S WORLD: “The war. I have a son-in-law in the special forces and have had a son and husband in the military. I worry about my future grandchildren and the other children living in today’s world. I am worried about the students and about how this is going to affect the world.”

--Jocelyn Newman

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