#futureredbirds

[illinoisstateadmissions]

Faculty Friday!

Meet Jason Reblando

Years he’s worked at Illinois State: 4 years

Specializes in: Photography

Classes he teaches: He teaches Black and White (ART 235), Digital (ART 236), and Digital and Color (ART 335). Some special topics that he’s taught include documentary, portrait, and alternative processes and lighting (ART 333). 

What do you hope students get out of taking a class with you?

“I hope that at the very least, that my students can enjoy the courses and learn about making good photographs. This goes for both intro photography students and those taking advanced topics where they can learn to express themselves in creative ways. I want them to learn the medium on a conceptual level, as well as a technical level. I teach such a wide variety of classes to students from every skill level. I want my students to learn how to be visually literate and to think critically, along with learning how photographs function in the world.”

Fun fact about yourself?

“I lived in the Philippines for 5 months on a Fulbright scholarship. I also met my wife on a train in Boston.”

Favorite Movie?

It varies between Annie Hall and Raising Arizona. I’ve always loved Woody Allen and his New York roots, and I’m a New Yorker. And I like Raising Arizona because it’s very bizarre with dry comedy, as well as quirky and offbeat.

Favorite activity that happens on campus?

The art opening absolutely! I love seeing the work that the University Galleries brings in, and I love seeing student work in every space from the galleries to even the hallways. It’s very inspiring and shows their high level of dedication and craft.

We are so glad that you #FutureRedbirds  get to hear the stories and perspectives of our #RedbirdFaculty, and it does mean a a lot to us. College is a place where you get to see things in a new light, along with being able to experiment with different technology!

We hope you have a great Winter Break!

[illinoisstateadmissions]

Faculty Friday!

Meet Lance Lippert

Years he’s worked at Illinois State: 16 years

Specializes in: Organizational communication, leadership communication, and training and health communication. 

Classes he teaches: Organizational Communication (COM 329), Health Communication, and Communication Training and Development (COM 435), which is a graduate class.  

What do you hope students get out of taking a class with you?

I hope they gain a sense of perspective about themselves and what communication means to them and their lives. Some knowledge and some ability of how to apply it. A useful theory that they can see in a relevant way and what they do and want to be. I think I challenge them to be subject matter experts, and then to be translation specialists. To learn about what they can and how they can translate it into their lives. We talk theory, but then they have to be able to apply it.

Fun fact about yourself?

I’m from Kansas and grew up on a farm. It has been a long journey to come from where I grew up to where I am now. Mentally, physically, spiritually, intellectually. It’s also a figurative place for how much I’ve grown and how much more I’ve continued to grow. I also like looking at sunsets.

Favorite Movie?

I think a good documentary is always useful. There are so many out there that are just so powerful and provocative. The Last Samurai is one I like watching. It’s a journey, there’s growth and realization. There’s an appreciation for a way other than what you know. There’s self-forgiveness, and the cinematography is powerful. And it’s also a movie about friendship between two people that are so different, which gives me a little hope. I also love westerns. I love old Clint Eastwood movies.

Favorite activity that happens on campus?

I enjoy all of the speakers that come in and the opportunities we have for learning outside of the classroom as well. I also love a good sporting event. I love going to volleyball, baseball, football and basketball games and experiencing community through those interactions. But on a lower level, my favorite activity on campus is having a cup of coffee with students.

We love that our RedBird Faculty is here to help our #FutureRedbirds adjust to the life that is college. College is a place where you not only network, but build relationships with others you would probably never meet in another lifetime. 

[illinoisstateadmissions]

Faculty Friday!

Meet Alexis Wolstein

Years she’s worked at Illinois State: 4 1/2 years

Specialized in: Library instruction, which means teaching research skills and talking about informational literacy with incoming freshmen. She’s also the subject specialist for women’s and gender studies and family and consumer sciences.

Classes she teaches: “I teach classes for professors in my departments. I don’t teach a class that meets regularly, but I get to teach library sessions for all sorts of different classes, such as in women and genders studies, family and consumer sciences, and also in COMM 110 and English 101. 

What do you hope students get out of taking a class with you?

I think that feeling like you can find the answer to your own question is every empowering. I hope students leave the classes that I teach or when they meet with me feeling more empowered to ask questions and to seek out the answers for themselves.

Fun fact about yourself?

I went to high school in the border town of El Paso, Texas and the end of my street was in New Mexico, so both places just felt like one.

Favorite Movie?

Probably Heathers. I’m a diehard Winona Ryder fan, and her character in Heathers and Beetlejuice really spoke to me as a teenager. But I think with Heathers, while it does take place in high school, it deals with a lot of the issues that we all have to face with having to be polite and being around  people on a day-to-day basis.

Favorite activities that happens on campus?

I am so proud that we have open hours at the LGBT/Queer Studies and Services Institute now. I think it’s so important to have a safe space on campus where we can have students meet and have awesome events like QUEERtalks. The ISU Pride sponsored Annual Drag Show is usually the highlight of my year. It’s so much fun and I love seeing my students performing.

I also really love the Festival of India on campus each year. The food is amazing and I love seeing the costume parade from all the different Indian communities represented.

We love getting feedback from our Redbird Faculty so that our #FutureRedbirds can get a sense of who is who at Illinois State. College is a time where you not only learn about your major subject, but you expand your knowledge and open your mind to all different possibilities. 

[illinoisstateadmissions]

Faculty Friday!

Meet Thomas Gerschick

Years he’s worked at Illinois State: 24 years

Specializes in: The intersection of gender and the body, and specifically the masculinity of men with physical disabilities.

Classes he teaches: A wide range including Sociological Inquiry (SOC 206),  Research Methods (SOC 271), Senior Experience (SOC 300), Sociology of Gender (SOC 341), and Sociology of the Body (SOC 342). He’s also teaching a new course in the spring, which is Sociology of Disability.

What do you hope students get out of taking a class with you?

An appreciation for what it means to think sociologically first and foremost including the kinds of skills that sociologists bring to analysis and the insights that come from it. I also hope that they come away with a very sound understanding of whatever the subject matter is of the course. So if we’re talking about the sociology of the body, that they understand the various ways in which the body operates in social life.

Fun fact about yourself?

My preferred mode of transportation is anything with 2 wheels. Bicycle or motorcycle.

Favorite Movie?

I would probably say Chasing Amy, because it is a cautionary tale of white male masculinity or rather the fragility of white male masculinity.

Favorite activity that happens on campus?

The various kinds of opportunities to hear guest speakers on a wide range of topics.

We appreciate all of our Illinois State faculty who want to reach out to our #FutureRedbirds to welcome them and show that college isn't that frightening. College is a time to explore different opportunities that you might not have access to anywhere else. 

[illinoisstateadmissions]

Faculty Friday!

Meet Michael Gizzi

Years he’s work at Illinois State: 9 years. He also taught at Mesa State College for 13 years.

Specializes in: His primary research that he’s been working on for the past decade is on the 4th amendment to the US Constitution, which is the search and seizure laws. He also does work on wrongful conviction, traffic stops, and vehicle searches. (He also just came out with a book 5 months ago!)

What classes he teaches:  Criminal Procedure and Evidence (CJS 305), Criminal Law (CJS 208), Criminal Court Systems (CJS 210). He occasionally teaches a summer class on correction (CJS 200), a graduate class on management, and graduate class on law and society.

What do you hope students get out of taking a class with you?

Of course there is content I want them to learn, but I want them to be able to critically evaluate issues and content. I want them to learn critical thinking. If I’m teaching criminal procedure, I want them to understand varies approaches to looking at the law as it relates to police and citizen searches and seizes. I want them to understand that the perspective that the police have is not necessarily the perspective that a citizen might have.

Fun fact about yourself?

I’m an amateur photographer. I spend a lot of time doing photography and I have a hobby of taking high-resolution photographs of artwork at museums like the art institute. Another fun fact about me is that I advise ISU Hillel, which is ISU’s Jewish Student Union.

Favorite Movie?

I could watch the John Hughes’ movies from the 80s over and over again like Farris Bueller, however, I love Star Trek. I’ve always loved Star Trek. Give me a Star Trek Next Generation movie other than The Nemesis and I’m happy.

Favorite activity that happens on campus?

I love going to Redbird basketball games. I’m a season ticket holder. I love it when the students come and when they show up in large numbers; it’s so much fun. I’ve been attending Redbird games since I first arrived here at ISU, and I’ve been a season ticket holder for 8 years. 

We hope that our #FutureRedbirds get a lot out of getting to know our professors and faculty. College is a time where it is okay to never stop asking questions so that you can dig deeper than what is on the surface.