For design professor Leslie Burns, being a scholar has meant seeing her research change the world for the better in ways she never even imagined.
Just one example: Her work with Sharron Lennon of Indiana University on the role of appearance in social perception has been used to refute rape defendants’ claims that what the victim was wearing was responsible for the defendant believing she wanted to have sex.
“Social perception is as much about the perceiver as it is who is being perceived, and so the judgments made often can’t be generalized beyond the perceiver,” Burns explained.
That means that whereas once upon a time an accused attacker could attempt a sexy-dress defense in court – as ludicrous as that may sound – Burns and Lennon scientifically disproved the notion that a particular type of apparel could be generally taken as consent.
Burns, who is retiring following spring term after 30 years at Oregon State, grew up in northwestern Montana in Cut Bank, a town of about 3,000 people 30 miles south of the Canadian border.
“I started designing clothing when I was in grade school, but I didn’t know that could be a career,” she said.
At Washington State she studied clothing and textiles and also developed a fondness for marketing research. Moving on to Purdue, she earned a Ph.D. in consumer sciences and retailing.
Burns was an instructor at San Diego State for a year and an assistant professor at Utah State for three before arriving in Corvallis, where her work has included five years in academic affairs; she helped create the degree partnership programs now in place between OSU and Oregon’s community colleges.
Burns is gratified by the partnership, along with her impactful research, and of how OSU started what is now a highly respected Ph.D. program in design and human environment.
“Seeing it grow and become acknowledged as one of the top doctoral programs in the country, I’m really proud of that,” she said.
In retirement, Burns will operate a startup, Responsible Global Fashion, LLC., which will produce educational materials aimed at helping the fashion industry make socially conscious decisions such as the ones she emphasizes to her students.
“I want to get to the decision makers of the future, that’s where the difference can be made,” she said. “These students, they are going to be the decision makers. I have a vision of where I see our industry headed.”
Burns is one of two longtime College of Business professors retiring this year. The other is Erik Larson, who will be featured in the COB blog later this week.