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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate Susan J. Koch Ph.D. on the
4occasion of her retirement as chancellor of the Springfield
5campus of the University of Illinois and thank her for her
6years of service to the university and within the Springfield
7community; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Dr. Koch earned a bachelor's degree with honors
9from Dakota State University in South Dakota; she earned her
10master's and doctoral degrees in Community Health and Education
11from the University of Northern Iowa; she delivered the
12commencement address at South Dakota State in May of 2016 and
13was also presented an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree
14during the ceremony; she holds a tenured faculty position at
15UIS in the College of Education and Human Services; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Dr. Koch previously served as provost and vice
17president for Academic Affairs at Northern Michigan
18University, a large regional public university in Marquette,
19Michigan; she also served as associate provost and graduate
20dean at the University of Northern Iowa, where she was
21professor of Health Education and co-founder of the UNI Global
22Health Corps, a field-based organization that provides public
23health services for underserved populations in the U.S. and

 

 

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1abroad; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Appointed as chancellor in July of 2011, Dr. Koch
3led the successful completion of the Brilliant Futures
4Campaign, which surpassed its $28 million goal and set new
5expectations for fundraising success; FY2014 and FY2015 were
6successive record years for fundraising with a new Student
7Union for the campus and student scholarships being top
8fundraising priorities; and
 
9    WHEREAS, As UIS Chancellor, Dr. Koch served as the chief
10executive officer of the Springfield campus, one of the
11top-ranked regional public campuses in the Midwest; she also
12served as a vice president of the University of Illinois and is
13a member of the University of Illinois President's Cabinet,
14assisting the president and board of trustees in guiding the
15overall operations of the University of Illinois system, an
16academic community that includes more than 80,000 students and
17almost 25,000 employees; and
 
18    WHEREAS, As chancellor, Dr. Koch provided leadership for
19the priorities, operations, and programs of UIS, a campus known
20for exceptional public affairs programs that align with the
21campus' state capital location, outstanding professional
22programs that serve regional needs, and high-quality liberal
23arts education that prepares effective citizens and leaders;

 

 

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1and
 
2    WHEREAS, Dr. Koch and her leadership team worked in
3partnership with the faculty, staff, and students to ensure an
4intellectually rich and supportive educational environment
5while also collaborating with the community in mutually
6beneficial exchanges and activities; and
 
7    WHEREAS, A highly-visible campus leader, Dr. Koch
8established productive communication channels with students,
9faculty, staff, and alumni, including the popular "Chocolate
10with the Chancellor" events for students, regular faculty
11consultations and gatherings, and periodic "Letters from the
12Chancellor"; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Dr. Koch is an active member of the Springfield
14community, serving on the Greater Springfield Chamber of
15Commerce's Q5 Strategic Leadership Council, as well as on
16several boards including the Memorial Health System Hospital
17Board and the United Way of Central Illinois; she also writes a
18popular monthly column, UIS Perspectives, for the local
19Springfield newspaper, the State Journal-Register; and
 
20    WHEREAS, In October of 2015, Dr. Koch received the State
21Journal-Register Legacy Award presented to an educator, a
22recognition to honor extraordinary leadership in education in

 

 

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1Sangamon County; and
 
2    WHEREAS, With her departure, Dr. Koch retires with her
3husband, Dennis, to four children and ten grandchildren after
4serving the Springfield Campus of the University of Illinois
5and the Springfield community in a public capacity for nearly a
6decade; therefore, be it
 
7    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
8HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
9we congratulate Susan J. Koch Ph.D. on the occasion of her
10retirement as chancellor of the Springfield campus of the
11University of Illinois, and we thank her for her years of
12service to the university and within the Springfield community;
13and be it further
 
14    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
15presented to Dr. Koch as an expression of our esteem and
16respect.