Kim Holshouser Link

Managing the public relations, Web communications and corporate giving for Arch Coal, Kim Link never has a “typical day.”  The Southeast graduate’s time can be spent corresponding with news reporters and investors, or she might be assisting the chief executive officer in developing an internal presentation for the company’s 3,600 employees.  Each day is different.

A native of Cape Girardeau, Kim attributes much of her success to her time at Southeast.  Whether it’s the personal attention she received from professors or the network of friends she developed, Kim speaks highly of her alma mater.  For her, Southeast’s small classes required her to participate and understand the material.  This translated into higher learning and better grades.

“Southeast didn’t/doesn’t churn out diplomas,” she says. “They turn our marketable graduates.”

When asked to give advice to current and future students, Kim said students should get involved and learn balance.  Referencing new studies, she says one’s emotional quotient, EQ, is just as important to obtaining business-world success as is his or her IQ.

“Socializing is a learning experience just as much as the academic side of college,” she says.

She definitely practiced this idea at Southeast with her participation in the Emerging Leaders Program, Homecoming Steering Committee and her sorority, Delta Delta Delta.  These activities also led to some of her favorite college moments.

“From the moment I joined Tri-Delta in the fall of ’88, every day and every weekend was special,” Kim says.  “Among the best times was Homecoming week.  Making floats, meeting alumni, having dances…I really enjoyed every minute.”

Kim and her husband, Brian, and their young son, Will, live in St. Louis.  Kim also completed a master of arts degree in communications at St. Louis University in 1998.

A true supporter of Southeast, Kim is a great example of how students can and do “Experience Southeast…Experience Success.”