Hello friends of CAST! It is my honor and pleasure to serve as the new dean of the College of Applied Science and Technology. I began my faculty career in CAST two decades ago, and Illinois State was an incredible place for me to develop as a teacher, scholar, and leader from 2002-12. I am thrilled to rejoin the Redbird family and to serve the college as dean, working alongside so many talented faculty, staff, and students in the college to help move our work forward.
Both Illinois State and CAST continue to enjoy robust enrollments this year. CAST set another college record for enrollment with 4,795 students this fall. Nearly all our departments have realized growth over the last year, particularly at the undergraduate level, where CAST enrolls more than 4,200 students. Strong enrollments are important for us, but they also pose challenges with delivering more classes, serving more students and maximizing our limited spaces. CAST was approved for nine tenure-track faculty searches this year to help meet that student demand. We also have several facility projects underway or recently completed. The former Town of Normal fire station at the corner of Gregory and Adelaide streets has been renovated for laboratories and classrooms for the departments of Criminal Justice Sciences and Technology. In Technology, the space and high ceilings of the truck bays serve as additional lab space for our construction management major, while Criminal Justice Sciences benefits from new space for forensic science laboratories. Eventually, students will be able to investigate mock crime scenes in the building and analyze evidence in the laboratory—all under one roof. Other recently completed projects include the addition of Wi-Fi throughout the University Farm and modernized classrooms for the Department of Health Sciences in Felmley Hall.
One of our newest projects in the planning stages is a lab where we will use hydroponics to vertically grow vegetables in a repurposed shipping container on campus near the Office of Sustainability on School Street. This sustainable farming project will help teach our students in the Department of Agriculture, while many other Illinois State students will benefit by being able to eat the produce grown in the lab in the residence hall cafeterias on campus. Our students will truly experience farm-to-table eating in this way!
We were excited to see years of planning come to fruition this fall when we welcomed the inaugural class of 13 students in the Master of Public Health program. This fully online program prepares individuals for the numerous challenges facing future health professionals.
A key initiative in the college this year will be to make progress on a new strategic plan. Work on the University’s strategic plan is also underway, and these two aligned documents will help us chart our path forward through the remainder of the decade.
Finally, under the leadership of director Tamekia Bailey, our CAST Connections program, focused on advancing student success, has continued to grow its efforts. The number of students served by CAST Connections grew by 40% this past year, and the program sponsored 15 academic, professional and social workshops for our students. Twenty-nine students participated in the CASTing Change Social Impact program engaging with local social service agencies. We launched First Gen Fellows, a new initiative to support our students who are the first generation in their families to attend college, and our first cohort included 26 students. Please consider donating to CAST Connections and the CAST Persistence Fund as ways to truly support the success of our students.
We hope this issue of ForeCAST shows you some of the amazing work our faculty, staff, and students do throughout the college. Please stay in touch with us through our social media channels, and please introduce yourself at a college or university event if you are able. I look forward to meeting many of you in my new role as dean.
Go you Redbirds!
Chad McEvoy, Ph.D.
Dean, College of Applied Science and Technology
