Illinois State had a big year by any measure in 2022. The University received approval to launch a College of Engineering, welcomed its largest freshman class in 35 years, and returned to a relative sense of normalcy as events such as Gamma Phi Circus’ home show, commencement, and Homecoming were back in full swing.
Innovation and growth were the big themes this year. The University opened a new cybersecurity space; began work on Athletics’ new indoor practice facility and the Mennonite Lab Building renovation; expanded the use of virtual reality in the classroom; and announced a $4.5 million program to support the recruitment, retention, and success of faculty members who promote equity, diversity, and inclusion.
The University also found new ways to spotlight Redbirds in 2022, including the Redbird Buzz podcast, which has featured interviews with Illinois State luminaries such as President Terri Goss Kinzy and Illinois Department for Human Rights Director Jim Bennett ’87, and The College Tour documentary, which highlighted Illinois State students on Amazon Prime Video.
Those were just a few of the exciting things that happened at Illinois State this year. Here are 22 of our favorite Illinois State stories you may have missed or want to revisit from 2022 (in chronological order).
Image of Research showcases Illinois State students’ creativity, scholarship
The fourth time’s a charm. On February 9 at University Galleries, Illinois State’s Office of Student Research was finally able to host an in-person finalists’ reception and exhibit for the Image of Research competition.
The Onyx Connect expands efforts to link students of color with positive stories and resources
When journalism major Tiffani Jackson launched The Onyx Connect in 2018, she aimed to provide the Illinois State University community with a campus news source dedicated to telling positive stories—and countering stereotypes—about students of color. Over the past four years, The Onyx Connect has flourished into a prominent registered student organization (RSO), growing from a staff of two to more than 20 reporters, photographers, graphic designers, and marketers.
Redbird women’s basketball win Missouri Valley Conference championship, head to NCAA Tournament
Illinois State women’s basketball defeated the University of Northern Iowa 50-48 in the tightly contested championship game of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament to win the Redbirds’ first conference title since 2008 and their fifth overall. The Redbirds eventually fell in the first round of the NCAA tournament to second-seeded Iowa, but they are off to a winning start this season.
Rewriting the narrative: Redbirds blazed trail for women before Title IX
Born nearly 30 years before Title IX—legislation passed in 1972 that prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs and activities—Dr. Jill Hutchison is among a revolutionary cohort of trailblazing women from Illinois State who dedicated themselves to rewriting the national narrative of women’s athletics.
Chemistry Professor Dr. Shawn Hitchcock shines in national spotlight
The National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) honored Illinois State Professor of Organic Chemistry Dr. Shawn Hitchcock for his approach in the classroom and laboratory with the Dr. Henry C. McBay Outstanding Teacher Award. The prestigious, national award annually recognizes one educator who demonstrates outstanding contributions to the education and mentoring of young scientists and engineers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM).
Choose your own adventure: Students demonstrate creations at Games Showcase
A chorus of 8-bit arcade music, rolling dice, shuffling cards—and laughter—reverberated throughout the first-ever Games Showcase, hosted by Illinois State University’s Creative Technologies (CTK) program May 6 in the Center for the Visual Arts. A steady stream of visitors throughout the four-hour event were invited to play more than 25 board, card, mobile, and video games all created by Illinois State students, many of whom are enrolled in CTK’s game design sequence, while others are studying in programs such as information technology or are involved in gaming registered student organizations.
Spring Commencement 2022 recap: Your best photos, tweets, posts
Illinois State University conferred approximately 3,349 baccalaureate degrees and 695 graduate degrees at the spring 2022 commencement. The University provided several options for its spring and summer 2022 graduates, including separate commencement ceremonies for the graduates from each academic college and a personalized Redbird Stage Crossing event.
Shea Grehan ’20 captures sister Leah Marlene’s journey to American Idol finale
Normal native Leah Marlene captured the hearts of locals in her journey to being a top-three finalist in American Idol. Redbird alum and current university photographer Shea Grehan ’20 captured his sister’s burgeoning music career, from live shows to album art portraits.
Hope Chicago agreement to provide debt-free education for CPS students
Hope Chicago is an innovative, two-generation college scholarship program committed to investing $1 billion in postsecondary scholarships for Chicago Public Schools students and their parents. Hope Scholars who are accepted into Illinois State will receive full tuition, fees, room, and board. Hope Parent Scholars have the option to apply and attend the following year, with full tuition, fees, and a stipend for living expenses.
“The agreement with Hope Chicago is an exciting avenue to give students access to the academic innovation happening at Illinois State,” said President Terri Goss Kinzy. “Hope Chicago provides opportunities for students and parents as well as reinforces the University’s strong connections with Chicago.”
Engineering the future: Plans for new college fit ISU’s mission
History is being repeated at Illinois State University as creation of a College of Engineering advances following approval in the spring by the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) and ISU’s Board of Trustees (BOT). The effort and energy invested by administrators in establishing what will be Illinois State’s seventh college mirror the motivation that drove the University’s founders in the 1800s—to help fill a professional void.
Illinois State’s Mennonite College of Nursing expands to Springfield
To address a critical need for more nurses, Memorial Health and Illinois State University’s Mennonite College of Nursing (MCN) are partnering to open a new MCN location in Springfield to increase the capacity to educate more individuals to become nurses in Central Illinois. Memorial Health will provide just over $6 million over the next 10 years to help establish and support the new location.
“Plain and simple, we need more nurses, and we need them here in South Central Illinois,” said Dr. Judy Neubrander, dean of Mennonite College of Nursing.
Passing it on: Students shop secondhand at Front Yard Free-Cycle
Held during move in and Welcome Week, the Front Yard Free-Cycle was a large-scale extension of the Share Shop, a new resource for Illinois State students to shop secondhand, free of charge. Located in the Office of Sustainability at 305 North School Street the Share Shop was developed over the past two years by Avery Spranger ’22, a political science graduate student who sought to fulfill an unmet need.
Jeff Mavros discusses historic incoming class on Redbird Buzz
In August, Illinois State welcomed its largest freshman class in 35 years and its most diverse one in university history. In this Redbird Buzz podcast, Jeff Mavros, M.S. ’06, executive director of Admissions, shares some of the fun facts that the Office of Admissions learned about this year’s incoming class throughout the recruitment cycle, including their favorite candy bar and how one student met a former president of the United States as a newborn.
Big vision for tiny particles: Dr. Mahua Biswas creates building blocks of future tech in nano lab
Dr. Mahua Biswas and her student researchers are fabricating nanoscale patterned materials as building blocks for futuristic technology—thousands of times smaller than the width of a human hair follicle—through an innovative and tedious process using an atomic layer deposition tool, a spin coater, a centrifuge, and furnaces, among other tools. The researchers meticulously document the fabrication process and the characteristics of their newly created structures, which have the potential to be utilized in emerging applications such as compact circuit boards, data storage devices, and solar cells.
Elton John rocked Horton Field House 50 years ago
Wearing a green sequined suit, platform shoes, and rounded white-rimmed glasses, 25-year-old Elton John electrified Horton Field House’s capacity crowd with a two-and-a-half-hour spectacle of theatrical musicianship 50 years ago.
“It was magical,” said John Dallinger ’74, a junior when Elton John performed at Illinois State University October 11, 1972. “I remember him standing, playing the piano, kicking his legs backward, high up in the air. He was almost parallel to the ground, still playing the piano. We’d never seen anything like it before.”
Stephen and Sharon Hagge Innovation Institute established to foster ‘big ideas’
The Stephen and Sharon Hagge Innovation Institute, a new resource for generating and fostering innovative interdisciplinary ideas, was dedicated during a ceremony during fall 2022. Located on the first floor of the State Farm Hall of Business, the Hagge Innovation Institute was established through a $1 million gift by Steve ’73 and Sharon Hagge ’73.
First-generation students reflect on college journeys
Of Illinois State University’s 18,000 undergraduates, more than 3,000 students—17% —are the first in their family to attend college. Three first-generation students—Ash Ebikhumi, Christian Arceo, and Makiah Watson—share their stories of navigating college.
Redbird Esports is here: Nationally recognized program continues growth with new facility
Meet the Illinois State University students, faculty, and staff who built Redbird Esports into a national powerhouse in competitive gaming and into a popular student organization. Also, get a look at the University’s new state-of-the-art gaming center.
Latino and Disability Awareness Cultural Dinner: Lauren Ridloff shares journey from teacher to Marvel superhero
Actor Lauren Ridloff discussed her intersecting identities November 10 for a sellout crowd in the Aaron Leetch Stadium Club as the keynote speaker for Illinois State’s Latino and Disability Awareness Cultural Dinner.
Ridloff, who taught for nine years at a dual-language school dedicated to bridging the Deaf and hearing communities in New York City, was a regular on AMC’s The Walking Dead, guest-starred in CW’s Legacies and NBC’s New Amsterdam, and was approached by Marvel Studios to star in the film Eternals as Makkari, Marvel’s first deaf superhero.
40 years and counting: Design Streak Studio celebrates a big birthday
Design Streak Studio celebrated its 40th anniversary with an opening reception and exhibit at University Galleries that was marked by an appreciative, upbeat mood from the 100 or so people gathered in Uptown Normal on November 3. Design Streak Studio Creative and Art Director Archana Shekara, a professor of graphic design in the Wonsook Kim School of Art, played host and emcee for the occasion. She welcomed colleagues, former colleagues, friends, current students, and a panel of alumni for whom their Design Streak Studio experience has been integral to their success.
A memorable win: Redbird basketball ‘awakens echoes’ of Horton Field House
Harouna Sissoko’s gutsy hustle play—seemingly fueled by 3,420 buzzing fans packed shoulder-to-shoulder—helped the Redbirds hold off Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE), 77-71, Saturday, December 10, 2022, in the first men’s basketball game played at Horton Field House since December 2, 1988.
“I love this place,” said Redbird men’s basketball legend Doug Collins ’73 following the “Return to Horton” victory. “To have a day like today was so important—I think that our guys got a chance to feel what I felt every night I played. This was the kind of crowd that we had. The energy and the excitement and the love.”
