Asked what is her most important accomplishment at the University of Illinois Springfield, and Susan Koch, about 100 days into her position as chancellor, names Kimberly Pate.
“The hiring of our athletic director was absolutely critical, and even though I wasn’t on board yet I was very, very involved with the hire through the months of May and June because I knew it was very critical,” says Koch, who began her term as UIS chancellor on July 1.
Formerly provost at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Koch in her first several months has listed numerous priorities ranging from boosting faculty diversity to finding a niche for UIS in Springfield’s growing medical community. With each priority, though, Koch issues a central message – that of making connections, with both the campus and Springfield communities.
Meanwhile, Koch’s first new hire, athletic director Kimberly Pate, says her department and the students representing it are the key to some of those connections. “I hope that athletics can be the front porch that connects the community with the university. I do hope that we will become Springfield’s university, that we will earn the respect and recognition from the community as their college team,” Pate says.
Koch and Pate were featured in an October 13, 2011, article in the Illinois Times.
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