The following is a portion of an essay written by UIS Chancellor Susan Koch. It was published in a July 3, 2012, edition of the State Journal-Register.
"What does the flag mean to me? Any other year but this year I might have answered this question by discussing, as a university’s chancellor probably should, that important purpose of a university education — the preparation of citizens in a country that needs citizenship.
But this year when I think about what the flag means to me all I can think about is a woman I know who, like me, is a mother of four."
Read the full essay on the SJ-R website
