Raymond Burse, who recently assumed his role as interim president of Kentucky State University in Frankfort, has done it again. Earlier President Burse voluntarily reduced his salary as university president from $349,869 to $259,745 so that university employees who had been earning minimum wage would have their hourly rate boosted to $10.25.
Now President Burse has made another gesture of goodwill. On August 15, President Burse came to football practice to announce that he would support senior football player Deshon Floyd’s effort to raise money for an internship in New Zealand (see Instagram photo below). Floyd had raised $3,000 for the effort and President Burse said he would cover the remaining $2,000 in expenses. President Burse told Floyd, “As a top psychology student on this campus, you deserve it. Pay it forward.” President Burse was responding to the Pay It Forward Frankfort campaign which is encouraging acts of kindness for the next 100 days.
Burse served as president of Kentucky State from 1982 to 1989. Burse then was an executive at General Electric, serving as vice president and general counsel. He retired from GE in 2012 after 17 years at the firm.
Burse is a graduate of Centre College in Danville, Kentucky, where he double majored in chemistry and mathematics. He studied organic chemistry at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar and later graduated from Harvard Law School.
President Burse, I heard your story on “The Steve Harvey Show” this morning. I thought what you did was beyond truly commendable. Wow!! for you to reach back and help so many people from the employees to the football player was just a class act. What a man of Great Character. I love it!!!!!!!!!!!
Money is not everything, when you have made it and you are willing to share. Paying it Forward. Indeed. What an act of kindness. You are blessed, have been blessed and have been a blessing to others.
You have inspired me. What an inspiration.
Denita Maclin
Chicago, Il.
Burse is full of it… First he get on t.v saying he is giving 90k to the workers.. He didn’t mentioned that he was brought in making more than 140 k than the last president. Also that “pay it forward” check you see in the picture.. Yeah, blank piece of paper. That student is already graduated (this year). Oh wait there’s more, he was asked to resign fro Alabama A&M for micro managing, sued by KY west district courts for him and his partners not repaying a loan on a cinema that they opened. Holy cow it even gets better. How about being mentioned in a testimony from a female GE employee on how he treated her and when she was wrongfully fired for whistleblowing. He is nothing special.. Trying to make himself look good in the public eye.. The WOLF really pull over the wool