The University of Illinois Board of Trustees on Thursday appointed outgoing University of Illinois at Springfield Chancellor Susan J. Koch as chancellor and vice president emerita.
Koch has announced her retirement from UIS effective June 30. The appointment, which will be effective July 1, confers upon her these honorary titles, which reflect her longstanding service to the university and University of Illinois System.
Koch has been chancellor at UIS since July 2011 and has led the university through a period during which it expanded academic program offerings and increased both its fundraising and its partnerships with the city of Springfield as well as outlying areas.
“Susan’s leadership and vision helped broaden the horizons for the University of Illinois at Springfield and prepare it for a future of increasing impact on the community it serves,” U of I System President Tim Killeen said. “With this emerita appointment, we’re thrilled to both honor her legacy and cement her place in the university’s history.”
Koch expressed pride in the university and in its progress.
“It has been a privilege to serve as chancellor at UIS and vice president of the U of I System for the past nine years,” Koch said. “I’m proud of all we’ve done together at UIS to create an exceptional and personalized university experience for students and I look forward to following the continued growth and success of the entire U of I System.”
Since Koch became chancellor, UIS added programs designed to meet the needs of local and regional employers, including information systems security, data analytics, theater, exercise science, and a new bachelor of science degree in nursing through a partnership with University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and Memorial Health System.
Under her leadership, the university also achieved record fundraising that helped build the new $21.7 million Student Union, provided an increase in scholarship support, launched “The Sangamon Experience” exhibition space and research initiative, and laid the groundwork for the planned Center for Lincoln Studies.
Koch was instrumental in the university’s 2018 acquisition of Innovate Springfield, the downtown innovation and business center that became the first hub of the Illinois Innovation Network.
Koch also oversaw the expansion of the university’s NCAA Division II athletics program, whose teams have won individual and conference championships.
Trustees were scheduled to meet Thursday in Springfield but instead met and voted virtually.
Preliminary budget
Trustees also approved a preliminary operating budget for the fiscal 2021 to keep the U of I System operating after its current fiscal year ends June 30. The preliminary budget, which maintains spending levels at 2019-20 levels, is required to pay bills and maintain operations until the state legislature finalizes a new state budget for the new fiscal year that begins July 1.
Trustees will consider the system’s operating budget for fiscal 2021 after a new state budget is approved. The operating budget for fiscal 2020 was $6.97 billion.
Capital projects
Designs for the renovation of Altgeld Hall and replacement of Illini Hall, both at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, also were approved Thursday.
The renovation and restoration of Altgeld Hall will provide state-of-the-art classrooms. The new building that will replace Illini Hall will provide faculty and departmental offices and instructional spaces, as well as a digital science center that will link to the U of I System’s Discovery Partners Institute in downtown Chicago.
The board in November approved a combined $35 million budget for the two projects. Funds are available from the Urbana-Champaign operating budget and from state capital appropriations.
Student health insurance
The board set student health insurance premiums for the 2020-21 academic year for the University of Illinois at Springfield.
Premiums will increase 3 percent, or $26 a semester, to $892 per semester for the 2020-21 academic year for students in Springfield. The increase is based in large part on an increasing number of claims.
Students can opt out of coverage with proof of comparable coverage from other sources.
Rates for Urbana-Champaign and Chicago universities were approved earlier this year.
Appointments
Also on Thursday, trustees appointed Joseph T. “Jay” Walsh as interim vice president for Economic Development and Innovation, effective July 1. Walsh has served in that role in a designate capacity since May 16.
Walsh previously held a number of leadership roles over a career of more than 30 years at Northwestern University (NU). A bioengineering professor, Walsh most recently served as senior advisor to the NU president in the area of research and science.
Walsh is a three-time graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, earning bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering, as well as a PhD in medical engineering from the joint Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology.
He succeeds Edward Seidel, who in July will become president of the University of Wyoming.
Trustees also appointed Lucas Yaklich as head men’s basketball coach at UIC, effective May 22. Yaklich has been serving in an interim capacity since March 25.
Yaklich previously was associate head coach of men’s basketball at the University of Texas.
Yaklich has a bachelor of science degree from Illinois State University and master’s degrees in education and educational administration from Olivet Nazarene University. He succeeds Steve McClain.
Contract extension
Trustees extended the contract of Nancy Fahey, head women’s basketball coach at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, through 2024-25.
Fahey was hired in May 2017 and her initial contract was due to expire in April 2023. Her contract now will extend through April 2025.
Fahey was hired as head women’s basketball coach in Urbana-Champaign after serving as head women’s basketball coach at Washington University in St. Louis. She led the Bears to five national championships and is the only coach in NCAA Division III history to win five national titles.
She has a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Wisconsin, where she was a four-year letter-winner in basketball and served as captain her senior season.
