CAS staff professional development grants awarded – News

The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) has awarded grants to 10 staff members through the CAS staff professional development grant program.

The program, now in its second year, encourages Administrative Professional (AP) and Civil Service (CS) staff to seek out professional development opportunities such as tool-based training and professional workshop or conference attendance to enhance their abilities to perform job duties and advance the mission of the college. CAS staff professional development grants provide up to $500 per award to eligible college staff.

As a pilot program last year, the CAS staff professional development grant program awarded funds to individuals like Lizzy Miller, a front-end web developer in CAS-IT, who earned a grant to pursue a certification from the International Association of Accessibility Professionals.

This year’s group of grant recipients includes representation from eight CAS units. They’ll use funds to complete online training, attend conferences and workshops, seek memberships, and earn certifications.

• Jamie Anderson (Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies) will attend a virtual social media marketing conference.
• Mehrnoosh Bahmani (Chemistry, Physics) will attend a two-day workshop to review safety hazards in laboratory environments.  
• Jean Jorden (Chemistry) will attend the Association of Laboratory Managers annual leadership conference.
• Melissa Libert (WGLT) will attend the Public Media Development and Marketing Conference.
• Karen Mark (Psychology) will complete online training to earn a mental health specialist certification.
• Anthony Murray (CAS-IT) will complete online training for Windows server management.
• Candice Osenga (Communication Sciences and Disorders) will attend the Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders annual conference.
• Jennifer Ragusa (Communication Sciences and Disorders) will attend the American Academy of Audiology annual convention.
• Brooklyn Vogel (English) attended and presented at the National Council of Teachers of English annual conference.
• Jacklyn Weier (Women’s Gender, and Sexuality Studies) attended the National Women’s Studies Association’s annual conference.

Read more stories from the College of Arts and Sciences at News.IllinoisState.edu/Unit/College-Arts-Sciences, and follow the college on Facebook and Instagram.