Kathleen Koch Headlining 50th Anniversary University Forum

Thu, 10/03/2024 - 12:21pm | By: Dr. David Tisdale

An award-winning broadcast journalist and author who holds dear her alma mater and home state of Mississippi will be the guest speaker for the 50th anniversary celebration of The University of Southern Mississippi’s (USM) University Forum Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 6:30 p.m. in historic Bennett Auditorium on the Hattiesburg campus. Admission is free and the public is invited.

Kathleen Koch, a Bay St. Louis, Miss. native and graduate of the prestigious Southern Miss Honors College, covered the White House, Capitol Hill, and Pentagon, along with multiple natural disasters to include Hurricane Katrina during her 18 years as a correspondent at CNN.  She is the author of Rising from Katrina: How My Mississippi Hometown Lost It All and Found What Mattered, and her two documentaries on Bay St. Louis’s recovery earned her a Peabody Award. In 2018, she was named to The University of Southern Mississippi Alumni Hall of Fame.

At University Forum, Koch will speak about her experiences as a journalist, the importance of persistence, and pathways to creating lasting change in the world.

“I was so flattered when the Honors College asked me to speak at University Forum. What a surprise!” Koch said. “I’m a huge fan of University speaker forums. They are such a wonderful way to bring the best and brightest to cities across the country that otherwise wouldn’t have in-person access to such prominent thinkers. So, the fact the University Forum staff felt I belonged in such eminent company is so gratifying, and to also find out I would be speaking at the program’s 50th anniversary event? This is just such a huge honor. I hope to move and inspire the audience and help them see how anyone can make a difference in the world, especially now in our country as we face the challenge of recovering from the disastrous effects of Hurricane Helene. I believe it’s so important to try – and persist – even when others say something can’t be done. I love proving people wrong.”

University Forum Director Dr. Andrew Haley looks forward to welcoming Koch back to Southern Miss for her presentation and marking the program’s golden anniversary.

“Could there be a better way to celebrate University Forum’s 50 years of bringing world-class, inspirational speakers to Southern Miss than a talk by Kathleen Koch? I doubt it,” said Dr. Andrew Haley, director of University Forum. “I encourage everyone to join us to hear her inspirational story, including her experiences at CNN and her on-the-ground coverage of the aftermath of Katrina.  And after, I hope you will join us as we recall University Forum’s rich history by cutting some cake and raising our glasses to a distinguished Southern Miss tradition."

University Forum is presented by the USM Honors College, with additional support from the USM Office of the President.