Q & A with Associate Athletic Director Brian Burns
Q. Where did you go to school, and what was your major?
A. I went to Plattsburg State and majored in political science with a minor in journalism.
Q. What is your favorite thing about the Mount?
A. I love working with our student athletes. The best part about D3 athletes is that they’re not here on full scholarships or getting paid to be here, they’re here because they want to be. So, our student athletes are often times some of the hardest working people that we’re going to meet, and what goes into their daily schedules is often not recognized by people outside of athletics. The time management skills and the work ethic that our student athletes put in make it easy for me to come into work every day.
Q. What do you love about working in the Athletics Department?
A. Being able to be hands-on with all the different sports allows me to work within athletics while being behind the scenes and letting our coaches and student athletes shine.
Q. What’s something you wish students knew about the Athletics Department?
A. How much our student athletes and coaches care about the campus as a whole. A lot of times people have the impression that we only care about our student athletes, but we would really love it if our entire campus used our fitness center. We don’t just focus on sports, we also focus on wellness and mental health, so we would love for the entire campus to be involved, and we really care about the well-being of our campus as a whole.
Q. Do you have a favorite food spot in Newburgh?
A. Johnny’s Pizzeria
Q. What’s your favorite TV show at the moment?
A. I could rewatch “New Girl” any day of the week.
Q. How can students, faculty, and staff benefit from your work in Athletics?
A. Athletes and coaches can tell you, the biggest benefit from athletics is the “family feeling” you get with your team—and the more that we support each other in athletics and across campus the more we get that feeling of school pride. It’s great when you get people to go to a soccer game, but it’s also great when the dance team has people at their performances, or the drama club has people at their shows in the theater. The more that you support each other, the more you foster that familial feeling across campus.