The CAST Persistence Fund was created in 2019 to encourage and support deserving students in the College of Applied Science and Technology with demonstrated need and/or high academic impact. The grants awarded from this fund have been making a significant difference in the lives of CAST students
From a young age, donor and former Illinois State staff Dr. Elizabeth Chapman dreamed of becoming a teacher. Her parents were encouraging but made it clear that Chapman would have to find means beyond their support to finance her education. That’s when she began applying for the scholarships that made it possible for her to pursue a degree in education. When looking back on how these opportunities impacted her life, Chapman said, “I graduated from college with minimal debt. I couldn’t have done it if I had not had the scholarships I had.”
The Department of Criminal Justice Sciences has set a goal to endow the Barbara J. Adkins Memorial Scholarship, supporting first-generation students with financial needs.
Growth abounds in the College of Applied Science and Technology’s affiliate programs and centers: the University Farm, the Horticulture Center, the Child Care Center, and the Gamma Phi Circus.
Here is a message from College of Applied Science and Technology Dean Dr. Todd McLoda.
Meet Dr. Jenny Ting, an Illinois State alum who is now a prominent professor and researcher.
Play of Color showcases 15 ensembles that range in style, occasion, texture, and season while telling a color story.
One of the College of Applied Science and Technology’s (CAST) hallmarks is the opportunity for experiential learning. Not all of this learning happens on campus, however, and a lot of it would not happen at all without committed partnerships. When GROWMARK approached the School of Information Technology (IT) about a new internship opportunity, it was consequently an easy ‘yes.’
CAST Dean Dr. Todd McLoda announced the establishment of a college-level diversity, equity, belonging, and inclusion (DEBI) committee in the fall of 2021. Members include faculty and staff representatives from all college schools and departments. The committee’s charge is to monitor existing and future DEBI initiatives and advance an anti-racist culture in CAST. Committee members, appointed by their department chairs or school directors, will serve a two-year term. The new committee has several goals including fostering a community of practice dedicated to diversity, equity, belonging, and inclusion; and assisting the dean in promoting and implementing the college’s diversity, equity, belonging, and inclusion goals.
As a professor in the School of Kinesiology and Recreation (KNR), Dr. Emily Jones is finding new ways to get to know the student body through her research. She focuses on the concept of belonging when it comes to recruitment and retention of students in the Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) major.
