Awards
- Bicentennial Medal - 2020
- President's Medal for Excellence - 2019
- Republic Building Dedication
- Columbus, Indiana
- Presenter: Michael A. McRobbie
- Partners in Philanthropy - 2012
- Keystone Award
Burnett is president and CEO of the Community Education Coalition of Columbus and is co-founder of the nationally acclaimed CivicLab, an institute that advances civic collaboration.
He has played a key role in involving Columbus in the establishment of the J. Irwin Miller Architecture Program and in raising funds to renovate the Republic Building. He also played a central role in establishing the Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence, the state-of-the-art education and workforce center in Columbus dedicated in 2011.
Burnett serves on the Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus Board of Advisors, and his leadership has made possible the establishment of the Columbus Learning Center, the IUPUC Center for Teaching and Learning, and the Arvin Computational Analysis Simulation and Engineering Lab.
In 2020, John M. Burnett was presented the Bicentennial Medal for his distinguished contributions to Indiana University.