In the latest episode of Redbird Buzz, Dr. Thomas Keyser, founding dean of Illinois State University’s College of Engineering, shares his vision for the new college, set to launch with its first class of students in the fall of 2025. Keyser discusses his plans for educating “career ready” graduates and engaging with local industry leaders to provide College of Engineering students with invaluable real-world experience.
Keyser will begin his tenure at Illinois State on April 1, focused on bringing the University’s newest academic college into being with three critical goals: workforce development, student success, and diversifying the engineering field.
The new College of Engineering will include two departments: mechanical engineering and electrical engineering. In addition to industry partnerships and experiential learning opportunities, Keyser says he will work to identify potential cross-campus collaborations.
Students interested in learning more about Illinois State’s College of Engineering for a fall 2025 enrollment should visit IllinoisState.edu/College-Engineering.
Redbird Buzz is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Transcripts of each episode are available online at Alumni.IllinoisState.edu/Podcast.
