Paul Koch

Dr. Koch, a professor at Olivet since 1992, is grateful for the opportunity to bring Christian reflection to bear on economic issues in the classroom. He was a member of the teaching cohort in the University’s Honors Program from 2010-2012, and again from 2013-2019. In 1996, he received Olivet’s Richard M. Jones Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence.

As a member of the faculty for the International Business Institute program for the past 20 years, Dr. Koch has taught in both Europe and Asia during the summer. He is a member of the American Economic Association, the Association of Christian Economists and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. His most recent article is, “Whose Community? Market Economics and the Concept of Solidarity,” which was published in the Fall, 2020 issue of Faith and Economics.

In 2015, Dr. Koch was honored to have the Aurora, the Olivet student yearbook, dedicated to him. In 2016, he played the role of “Doc” in the University’s production of “West Side Story.”

A graduate of George Fox College in Newberg, Oregon, Dr. Koch holds a master’s degree in economics and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction. Both advanced degrees are from Illinois State University, where he also taught for several years. While at Illinois State, he helped develop and teach workshops offered through the Center for Economic Education for public school teachers.

Dr. Koch’s wife, Debra (McCray) Koch, is the retired program coordinator for 4-H Youth Development in Kankakee County at the University of Illinois Extension. She is also an alumna of Olivet’s Master of Organizational Leadership degree program. For a number of years, she volunteered as a costumer and board member with the Kankakee Valley Theatre Association.