The University of Illinois Foundation has created a fund to honor Chancellor Susan Koch and her husband, Dennis, upon Susan's retirement from the University of Illinois Springfield. The fund aims to provide important opportunities for talented student-athletes to excel both in athletics and in the classroom, while they simultaneously develop leadership skills that will serve them well in the future. Koch was the sixth chief executive in the nearly 50-year history of the university, and retired June 30, 2020. Under her leadership, UIS expanded the university's young Division II athletics program, whose teams won individual and conference championships.