In each issue Redbird Impact highlights an Illinois State faculty or staff member who exemplifies the University’s core value of civic engagement. The spring 2022 Campus Hero is Dr. Dawn Beichner, a professor in the Criminal Justice Sciences Department and Women’s, Gender, and Sexualities Studies program.
Illinois State’s civic engagement and responsibility minor is for every student, representing five of the University’s six colleges, and encourages students to engage in community service.
Genetics professor Dr. John Sedbrook and a cooperative of regional institutions takes on an important environmental and economic challenge through research on the pennycress plant.
Illinois State offers an alternative and unique vehicle to discuss social issues through the establishment of ReggieCon, ISU’s home-grown comic convention with a focus on equity, diversity and inclusion.
Deliberative Dialogues are guided conversations on a variety of topics often difficult to discuss. The program uses issue guides from the National Issues Forum Institute (NIFI) to direct conversations among small groups. Participants practice conversational skills as they learn to respect and appreciate the perspectives of others.
Professor of English Ricardo Cortez Cruz has been awarded the Outstanding University Service Award. Assistant Professor of Teaching and Learning Kristina Falbe and Assistant Professor Anne Shelley of Milner Library have been awarded Service Initiative Awards.
The YWCA McLean County, a long-time campus partner, is offering a variety of free racial justice resources, both in honor of Black History Month and beyond.
Illinois State University is hosting two events in February in conjunction with its participation in the national Economic Literacy Project cohort. These opportunities are designed to promote economic literacy throughout the Illinois State University community and emphasize the impacts fiscal policies have on federal, state, and local budgets and communities.
Restorative practice is important to the classroom for educators to understand the benefits of relationships and community building with their students.
The National Center for Urban Education (NCUE), a unit of the College of Education, serves the Illinois State University community by providing opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to deepen their understanding of culturally relevant and restorative practices both in and out of the classroom.
