[3] Determined to instill perseverance, his parents demanded hard work from him, which is a key reason he balanced academics and athletics so well, ultimately earning the Rhodes Scholarship.
Burse was a well-rounded student in his early years with a strong work ethic and numerous academic achievements.
Justin Burse attended Georgetown Law and is now an executive lawyer handling financial matters in Kentucky.
After graduating from high school, Raymond Burse attended Centre College in Danville, KY, where he majored in chemistry and mathematics.
This led him to study at Oxford University in England from 1973 to 1975, where he focused on organic chemistry and participated in multiple sports, including basketball, track, crew, and rugby.
Although Burse initially planned to attend medical school, he later decided to pursue a career in law.
[3] During his term as president in 2014, Burse also completed KSU football player Deshon Floyd's goal of an internship abroad by paying the remaining $2,000 the player needed, and he offered school shooting survivor Javaugntay Burroughs a full scholarship later that year.
[11] Burse received the Living Legacy award from the Kentucky Black Legislative Caucus,[12] recognizing his personal and career achievements, particularly during his time as KSU president.
He was involved with several local and regional institutions, the Louisville Public Library Advisory Commission, the Kentucky YMCA, and the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence.
Some of his most significant accomplishments include securing over 60 million dollars in funding for campus improvements and the opening of Whitney M. Young College of Leadership Studies.
After stepping down from his work at KSU, Raymond Burse returned to his first firm, Wyatt, Tarrant, and Combs.
[19] After working at GE Appliances and Lighting, he returned to Kentucky State University as interim president, replacing Mary Evan Sias.
One of the most pressing matters for KSU as Raymond Burse became interim president was the seven million dollar budget deficit that the university was in.
To address this, Burse decided to unenroll around a quarter of KSU's students due to unpaid bills, allowing enrollment once again when paid.
In March 2015, Burse instructed Tsegaye and Silitonga to fire the Director of the Rosenwald Center for Families and Children.
In June, Tsegaye was informed that he was demoted from vice president and dean/director of the College of Agriculture to a tenured professor at the University, including a $30,000 salary cut.
In July 2017, Governor Matt Bevin appointed Burse to the University of Louisville Board of Trustees, replacing Junior Bridgeman who resigned earlier that year.
Peter Smith, who was faculty senate president at KSU with him described his leadership as "brusque and negative"[21] also stating that "When you treat people the way he did, it generates a lot of opposition".
Both have similar goals, striving to bring back transportation to magnet and charter schools and police accountability.
[11] During the ceremony, Burse says "We got to be in a position to review and evaluate the data and information on the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) as it comes forward to be able to do that.