Following the untimely death of President John Rendleman, Vice President and Provost Andrew J. Kochman became the acting president of SIUE on March 11, 1976. Kochman had enjoyed a long and productive career at Edwardsville, having joined the faculty in 1960. He had served as a speech and theater associate professor, department chair, and dean of the fine arts division, before being designated as the first provost to hold that title. Kochman aspired to follow Rendleman as president and strove mightily to keep SIUE moving forward during a difficult time, but resigned his acting appointment on October 14, 1976, when his name was not included in the pool of finalists for the job.
