Your Gifts in Action
Birds Give Back is more than numbers.
Your generosity on this day touches all areas of our thriving University and impacts every student's experience.
Check out these examples of impact below!
School of Teaching & Learning | College of Education
As someone who worked her way through college and paid for everything herself, having that extra money made all the difference. It was the groceries and gas for the month that I needed.” - Marissa Alfirevic ‘24, Early Childhood Education
Last year School of Teaching and Learning students spent more than $130,174 on licensure exams. Through the generosity of donors, the Birds Give Back campaign covered the cost of 42 students’ licensure exams last year. Your gift to the School of Teaching and Learning will help provide vouchers to students in order to offset the cost of their content tests, thus keeping them on track along their path to licensure and their preparation for the classroom.
WGLT Student Intern
“My internship at WGLT has given me the chance to challenge myself. Before this, I’d never done a newscast, and I’d never edited a podcast. There are so many new tools in my belt now than when I first started. If I wasn't working at WGLT, I’d be scrambling for scholarships and another job." Lou Warner, student intern.
Lou Warner joined WGLT in 2024, bringing creativity and versatility to the station. As a senior in ISU’s School of Communication majoring in mass media arts, Lou adds flair to on-air promos and keeps listeners informed with community updates about Central Illinois. Lou also serves as studio manager for the student-run radio station WZND. Beyond the studio, Lou is an accomplished freelance voice actor and editor whose work has earned international recognition.
Forensics Speech & Debate Team |
School of Communication
Your Birds Give Back donations have provided scholarships used to recruit and retain talented and deserving students and ensure students' ability to travel to team competitions.
Summer IT Academy | School of IT
“All of the course overviews were fantastic, great activities and instructors. Meeting with the alumni was really helpful. The scavenger hunt was tons of fun as well, and all the TA's and instructors were great.”“I really enjoyed the Raspberry Pi session, the cybersecurity session, the movie, and the ice cream.”- Summer IT Academy student, 2024
Thanks to your generosity, 30 future Redbirds came to campus last summer for this one-week residential coding experience all about empowering students.
Geology Field Camp | Geology, Geography & the Environment
The Geology department received more than 200 gifts on Birds Give Back from alumni, employees, parents and friends helping to provide funding for their Geology Field Camp experiences.
Geology Field Camp is the capstone experience in most undergraduate geology programs. It provides students the opportunity to apply their accumulated knowledge and skills to the investigation and interpretation of unfamiliar geologic areas.
Office of Sustainability | Bike ISU
Generous gifts from last year on Birds Give Back enabled us to launch our campus bike share program where over 10 bikes are now loaned out to students.
These initiatives enhance mobility around campus and increase the access to biking as a form of sustainable transportation, exercise, recreation, and sport. Getting more people on bikes has environmental, economic, and health benefits for both students and our campus as a whole.
Your Birds Give Back gift in any amount will help us in our effort to provide a healthy and sustainable transportation option for our campus community.
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
The Study Abroad Scholarship has made a positive impact on students like Caitlyn Perez, a sociology major. Beyond addressing tuition costs, the scholarship plays a crucial role in shaping both academic and personal growth.
Your support significantly contributed to providing life-changing experiences like study abroad for Caitlyn and many other Redbirds.
Geography Field Trip | Geology, Geography & the Environment
Your Birds Give Back gifts to Geography support students by supporting cross-disciplinary field trips!
Gifts to the James and Lucy Patterson Family Geography Field Trip Endowment Fund provide financial assistance to the Department of Geography for field trips and/or scholarship support for geography students to participate in field trips.
Thank you for supporting current and future Geography students!
School of Music
Your generous contributions to Birds Give Back last year significantly enhanced educational experiences within the School of Music. This support enabled the School to directly bring in guest speakers and acclaimed artists, inspiring our Redbirds to new heights in their learning journey.
Many areas on campus rely on your private donations to bring inspirational guests to campus each year.
Honors Program
Students participate in the Honors Study Abroad program, exploring various destinations through the "Place as Text Model." This initiative aims to address financial barriers, facilitating cultural immersion and academic growth for students. Your support empowers Redbirds in their pursuit of knowledge and global understanding.
English Department Scholarships
"I am forever grateful for the alumni who have invested in me and my future! This scholarship has allowed some of the financial stressors that I face as a first-generation college student to be alleviated. I am thankful as it has helped with the cost of books, housing, and transportation costs between my clinical sites.
I hope that this scholarship can be just as much of a service to its next recipient as it has been to me. This scholarship has made me even more eager to graduate and begin my career so that I can return the investment and support as an alumnus just as they've done for me." - DaKylia Henderson, English Studies major.