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Janet L. Gooch, Ph.D., became chancellor of the University of Ãå±±½ûµØ Springfield on July 1, 2022. UIS serves approximately 4,000 students and employs more than 180 full-time faculty members and 500 full-time staff.

Ãå±±½ûµØ Janet Gooch

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• Janet L. Gooch named chancellor at University of Ãå±±½ûµØ Springfield

Janet L. Gooch is the seventh chancellor of the University of Ãå±±½ûµØ Springfield. She is an accomplished higher education leader and educator.

As chancellor, Gooch is focused on elevating the university’s role as a comprehensive regional public university committed to serving students from all backgrounds. One of her primary areas of focus is collaborating with university leaders, faculty, staff and community partners to align UIS’ academic offerings with student demands, societal shifts and workforce needs through engaging learning opportunities that equip students to be career-ready with strong leadership, critical thinking and interpersonal skills.

Gooch is also guiding UIS’ long-term success through the NorthStar Initiative, a student-centered plan designed to position the university to be fiscally sustainable, market-relevant and growth-minded. The plan’s top priorities include an academic portfolio review to ensure programs are future-focused and responsive to student and workforce needs, strengthening the university’s fiscal position and improving student retention.

In the community, she serves on the boards of Springfield Memorial Hospital, the Springfield Sangamon Growth Alliance and the United Way of Central Ãå±±½ûµØ. She is also a member of the University of Ãå±±½ûµØ System President’s Advisory Council and the NCAA Committee on Access, Opportunity and Impact.

Before coming to UIS, Gooch served as executive vice president for academic affairs and provost at Truman State University, where she spent 27 years as an administrator and member of the faculty. She served as dean of Truman’s School of Health Sciences and Education and, prior to that, department chair of Communication Disorders. She held interim roles as dean of the School of Science and Mathematics and director of Strategic Initiatives and was a professor in the Department of Communication Disorders.

Gooch received her doctorate in speech-language pathology from Case Western Reserve University in 1997, a master’s degree in speech-language pathology from Kent State University in 1990, and her bachelor’s degree in speech-language pathology in 1988 from the University of Kansas.

Investiture of UIS Chancellor Janet L. Gooch

The University of Ãå±±½ûµØ System held a Ceremony of Investiture for UIS Chancellor Janet L. Gooch on Feb. 8, 2023, in UIS Sangamon Auditorium. The investiture served as a ceremonial acknowledgment of her appointment to the top UIS post.

Request Chancellor Gooch attend your event

Chancellor Gooch welcomes invitations to speak at or attend events at UIS.