Dear Prairie Star Nation,
 
As I reach the one-year mark since I joined the UIS team on June 16, 2024, I wanted to share some thoughts on the first year and open a new channel of communication that I plan to use more often in the coming year. 
 
First, I am honored and grateful to have the opportunity to serve as the director of athletics at UIS. I felt that way on day one and feel even more strongly now that this is the time and place for me. I've been greeted warmly by the student-athletes, coaches, athletics staff, the university and the Springfield community. There is a genuineness about the people in this community, and you can tell they care about UIS. 
 
Second, I feel excited that we have an opportunity to do something special at UIS, leaving a legacy as one of the premier Division II programs in the Midwest, which is a goal that predated my tenure. This will benefit future Prairie Star student-athletes, but it will also benefit the university and the community. One of the biggest objectives is building the connection between the Springfield community and the athletics program. I'm pleased with those that partnered with us this past year and look forward to more robust relationships in the coming years. It's often said that the biggest improvement under a new leader comes in the second year, so I have big aspirations for the 2025-26 community engagement activities!
 
Third, I'm grateful to be part of an athletics program that strives for excellence. The fact that our student-athletes had an average GPA over 3.55 in both the fall and spring semester is exceptional. The NCAA honored UIS with the President's Award for Excellence because of the outstanding graduation success rate. We were one of five public Division II schools honored. When we went to honor the graduating senior with the highest GPA, we had four student-athletes with perfect 4.00 cumulative GPAs. 
 
Plus, we have great leaders among our student-athletes. Student-athletes took home four of the five awards at the Student Affairs awards event this year, demonstrating how our department impacts the university community. And our student-athletes willingly volunteered for more leadership learning at the NCAA Student Athlete Advisory Committee Super Regional and the GLVC Leadership Summit. The Student Laureate Award from the Lincoln Academy of Illinois was awarded to a student-athlete, and the Chancellor's Academic Professional Excellence Award was earned by an athletics staff member. UIS Athletics is contributing to the university! 
 
Fourth, I was thrilled to have the chance to cheer for our Prairie Stars. The spring season was remarkable with both the baseball and softball teams advancing to the GLVC championship contests before ending the postseason run. Maddie Miller, who earned All-America honors in indoor track, met qualifying standards and raced in both the 5K and 10K at the outdoor national championship. And, the women's golf team rallied at the end of the season and earned the program's third straight NCAA regional appearance. 
 
We had the chance to show off our community to our conference and regional peers by hosting five GLVC championships (men's and women's cross country, men's and women's tennis and volleyball) plus the NCAA Midwest men's basketball regional, working in partnership with top seed Missouri S&T. We love sharing the things that make Springfield special. And, thanks to our gameday staff that made sure our events were special! 
 
Congratulations to our two All-Americans, 16 first-team All-GLVC student-athletes, numerous record setters, our coach that earned her 300th career win, and the more than 60 student-athletes and staff that graduated this year! Thank you for letting me join you on this journey through the 2024-25 season. I'm so glad I had the opportunity and am already looking forward to 2025-26!  
 
Mike Hermann
Director of Athletics