CEDAR FALLS - A University of Northern Iowa administrator is leaving the Panther purple for Northern Michigan green.

Susan Koch, the university's associate provost and dean of the graduate college, recently accepted the job of provost and vice president for academic affairs at Northern Michigan University, effective July 1. The university serves about 9,700 students, compared to UNI's 12,000.

"Though I didn't seek out the position, when I was nominated, I began to take a close look at the institution and realized it would be a very positive match for me and my interests," Koch said.

Koch, who is originally from South Dakota, has been part of the UNI staff for about 23 years, including several years as a faculty member in health promotion.

"It is going to be very difficult to leave all our wonderful colleagues at UNI and friends in the community. But, we will keep those friends, they will just be a little further away," Koch said. "We certainly plan to come back and see our Panthers play basketball once in awhile."

Interim Provost Jim Lubker said Koch's presence will be missed in his office and campuswide.

"Susan does so much for us and in so many ways that it is difficult to describe them all, and it is even more difficult to think of her not being here to do them. If you want something done right and well, all you need to do is ask Susan. She's been an exceptionally effective associate provost, an innovative and highly successful graduate dean, and a wonderful colleague and friend," Lubker said. "I wish her all the best, and I know that she'll do extraordinarily well in her new position, but this is really a major win for Northern Michigan and a major loss for Northern Iowa."

In her new position, Koch will serve as the chief academic officer for the university, which will only build on her experiences at UNI. Her work as the graduate dean included the oversight of 70 programs, the graduate college budget and personnel and strategic planning, policies and procedures. As associate provost, she is responsible for budget and personnel for summer school, the honors program, the office of academic assessment and the center for the enhancement of teaching. She also oversees the undergraduate curricula and academic policies and procedures.

"The most important thing I will take with me is just knowing that when you work collaboratively with good faculty and good staff you can really achieve great things for the institution and the students," she said. "I will also take the day-to-day experiences of knowing that UNI faculty and staff really do work very hard and very creatively to provide a very personalized and high quality educational experience for students. That is certainly a philosophy I plan to take with me to my new position."

Contact Emily Christensen at (319) 291-1520 or emily.christensen@wcfcourier.com.