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By Amy Karagiannakis
Michael Andrechak worked at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for 35 years before moving to Georgia in 2014 with his wife Kathryn Seybert to serve as Emory’s deputy provost. While living and working in Champaign-Urbana, Michael served as the associate chancellor and vice provost for budgets and resource planning. In this role, he provided strategic budget planning and allocation advice to the chancellor and the provost. Michael’s depth of knowledge of academic finance and breadth of experience with the inner workings of university budget planning made him an invaluable asset to any higher education institution. Following a seven-year term as deputy provost at Emory, he retired in 2021. Kathryn spent her entire career at UIUC in human resources, for the first 20 years in the campus-level Academic Human Resources and the last 13 years of her career as Director of Human Resources for the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences. She retired when they moved to Atlanta, Georgia. Kathryn and Michael are now enjoying retirement and their new hobby of boating in Savannah, GA.
Kathryn and Michael have fond memories of their time in Champaign-Urbana despite no longer living there. They both have a strong appreciation for the arts and would often attend productions at Krannert Center and visit the Krannert Art Museum. They recently became Colwell Society members at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts after committing to a generous one-time gift. In 2022, Michael and Kathryn designated a significant portion of their estate to be split evenly between Krannert Center and Krannert Art Museum. As someone who is very familiar with university finance and resource planning, Michael is aware of the need for private funding, especially when it comes to facilities. This recent gift qualified for the matching funds from the Illinois Legacy Challenge. Thanks to another generous donor, Michael and Kathryn were able to direct an additional $10,000 from the Legacy Challenge matching pool to Krannert Center. These planned gifts to Krannert Center and Krannert Art Museum will be allocated at the discretion of the directors based on the greatest need.
giving
If you are passionate about the arts and would like to learn more about how you can leave a lasting legacy with a planned gift to Krannert Art Museum or Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, please contact Brenda Nardi or the Krannert Center Advancement Office.