A professor and students stand in a hallway to watch a small robot on wheels, built and programmed by an engineering student, move blocks across the floor.

Innovation on display

The skills of a robot, built and programmed by students in the College of Engineering, are put to the test.

Student Isabel Romero stands in the atrium of the Science Laboratory Building in front of a staircase and statue

Graduating Redbirds: Resilience carries first-gen student Isabel Romero to graduation

For Isabel Romero, graduating from Illinois State University became more than a chance to earn a bachelor’s degree. Despite setbacks that shook her confidence, Romero was inspired by her parents to persevere as a first-generation college graduate.

A holiday themed image with pine branches, sleigh bells, sheet music.

Music for the Holidays, December 6-7

Illinois State University’s Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts and the School of Music are excited to bring the sounds of the holidays to the Center for the Performing Arts in three concerts December 6 and 7.

portrait photograph of LJ on the quad

Vice President Levester Johnson elected chair of the board of directors for the Institute for Study Abroad

Dr. Levester “LJ” Johnson, vice president for Student Affairs at Illinois State University, has been named chair of the board of directors for the Institute for Study Abroad.

Ian MacKaye with a microphone on stage at the Normal Theatre

Punk rocker, Fugazi frontman Ian MacKaye draws hundreds for School of Creative Technologies talk

Fugazi frontman Ian MacKaye spoke to a sold-out Normal Theater crowd as part of the David Brian Williams Creative Technologies Visiting Artist Series.

Reggie Redbird and students show off the 2026 Reggie's Holiday Pick items that will be available for order starting November 1, 2025.

Reggie’s Holiday Pick 2025: Dream in style. Give with heart.

Reggie Redbird is back for the 2025 holidays with his coziest holiday gift items yet! With Reggie’s Holiday Pick, Redbirds can holiday shop while giving with purpose to the Red and White Scholarship Fund for students in need. Giving opens for orders on November 1.

several graduates in their graduation regalia smile as they hold their diplomas at Commencement

Career tips for graduating Redbirds

Whether you’re heading to grad school, diving into the job market, or still exploring your options, Career Services is here to help you launch your next chapter with confidence.

In the News

More from Media Relations
Two female faculty, one with gray hair wearing red and one wearing black with a off-white hijab

Illinois State AI lab unites nursing and computer science students, faculty

President Aondover Tarhule speaks at a lectern with an Illinois State University seal

Illinois State University president celebrates annual achievements

A person holding up a plant with soil and holding a tray of plants with the other hand.

Illinois State University showcases urban farming could be a welcome resource to many communities

Athletics

Redbird Football Watch Parties To Be Held at Barrel House, 93 Octane on Saturday
Redbird Trio Earns MVFC All-Academic Honors
Final Non-Conference Home Game Ahead for Men's Basketball
Visit GoRedbirds.com

Publications

Baker squeezing icing dollop onto large sheet cake.

The biggest restaurant in town: Around-the-clock dedication makes campus dining ‘indispensable’ to Illinois State

Preparing food for thousands of Redbirds daily requires the perfect mix of dedication, creativity, and care from Event Management, Dining, and Hospitality staff.

Conceptual image of Milner Library with an open book featuring the Open Access logo.

Milner Library’s open-access agreements level academic publishing field

Open access is a global movement to knock down the paywalls that restrict the sharing and distribution of academic research. Dr. Rachel Scott, professor and librarian at Milner Library, is proud of the work Illinois State University is doing to make research free and accessible.

Conceptual image of two people conversing.

Deliberative dialogues revisited

After five years in existence, one of the co-founders of an important program designed to help people navigate discussions surrounding controversial topics saw it as the right time for a research project to measure its effectiveness.

All Illinois State Publications
A dozen people cross a snowy bridge at dusk with glowing lamp posts near Milner Library

Campus snowfall

Redbirds enjoy a snowy walk at dusk across the College Avenue overpass.
The letters ISU traced in powdery snow on the ledge of the College Avenue overpass with Schroeder Hall in distance

Campus snowfall

llinois State was dusted in the first snowfall of the season during fall break.
Two students dash through the snow and toss a football at dusk in front of glowing lamp posts

Campus snowfall

Dashing through the snow, students toss around a football at dusk on the quad.
Windows glow in Fell Hall on the snow-covered quad with bare trees and a gray winter sky

Campus snowfall

A snow-covered quad stretches out before Fell Hall.
Illustration of the Cahokia Mounds

Archeologist Michael Wiant traces 12,000 years of Indigenous ingenuity

Dr. Michael Wiant ’71, M.S. ’77, has dedicated nearly 50 years to researching the communities of Native people who built a legacy of ingenuity in the lower Illinois River Valley.
Student wearing a white shirt, standing on the Quad.

Leading the way: First-generation exercise science major closes in on college dream

Aleena Alfaro, a senior exercise science major on track to graduate this spring, grew up in Lockport knowing how much education mattered.
Rendered image of planned renovations to WKCFA buildings on southeast corner of Quad. Brick buildings, gray rooftops, green grass, off of Beaufort Street in Normal.

Preparations underway for WKCFA renovation project, sidewalk closure planned

Pedestrian traffic along Beaufort Street will be rerouted as construction crews prepare for a two-year project to update and expand Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts.
A person poses in front of a building holding a tuba.

Veteran and music professor Dr. Andy Rummel reflects on service, music, legacy

When Dr. Andy Rummel first set foot on the Illinois State campus as an enthusiastic sixth-grader at band camp, he didn’t know he’d be starting a lifelong relationship with the University.
man holding a pill bottle

New engineering student is an award-winning inventor inspired by his own diabetic journey

Freshman College of Engineering student Stephen Reuter’s Quick-cap design incorporates a slider on the lid of a pill bottle that makes it easier for diabetics to access their medicine.