Now retired, Ruth Vassar Burgess has devoted her career to the field of education for more than five decades. She has worked as a Professor at Missouri State University for 28 years and as Professor Emeritus for the past 17 years. Currently, Dr. Burgess is an Instrumental Enrichment Trainer for the Feuerstein Institute in Jerusalem. She also served on the board of the North American Feuerstein Institute.

 

Among her academic achievements, Dr. Burgess earned her Bachelor of Science in Education in 1960 from Texas Tech University, her Master of Arts in 1968, and her Doctor of Philosophy in Speech-Language Pathology in 1979 from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She also holds a teaching certificate in Texas, Michigan, and Missouri. In addition, she has been clinically certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

 

Throughout her extensive career, Dr. Burgess served as a member of the Science Advisory Board for the International Center for the Enhancement of Learning Potential, beginning in 1993. From 1993 to 1996, she served as a field reviewer for the U.S. Department of Education and a member of the Title I evaluation team for the Springfield Public School District.

 

A renowned author, Dr. Burgess is widely published in her expertise in speech-language disorders and cognitive psychology. She is a regular contributor to professional journals and books and has authored several works over the years, including “The Status of Education Resource Teacher,” in 1981, “Shantistan: Enabling a Land of Peace,” in 2005 and 2020, “Challenging Brain Structure through Cross-Cultural Learning: The Life of Reuven Feuerstein,” in 2008, “Spirited Sisters,” in 2014, and “Longing for Home,” in 2015. More recently, she published alongside her husband, Dr. Stanley M. Burgess, “Two Millennia of Memorable Christian Women: Showing Strength without Power,” in 2020, as well as “Untold Legacies: The Men Speak Out,” in 2021.

 

Having been born in India, Dr. Burgess continues to be actively engaged in intercultural educational and peace-related activities. Dr. Burgess has been affiliated with the American Association of University Women and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. She has received grants from the U.S. Department of Education, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the Mellon Foundation.