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Trustee Kasten Visits College
Dr. Heidenreich shows Dean Olson and Trustee Kasten his lab
Dr. Byron Heidenreich gives
Dean Olson and Trustee Kasten
a tour of his lab
On Tuesday, March 29, Carl Kasten, Chair of the Board of Trustees, visited the College of Arts and Sciences as a part of the Trustee-in-Residence Program. Under this program, Trustees spend a half-day visiting one College on campus each semester to educate themselves on various programs within the College. Trustees rotate their visits so that they visit each College every few years. For this year’s visit, Kasten visited the Planetarium, the Neuroscience Research Laboratories, the WGLT Radio Station, and had lunch with this year’s teaching and research award winners. “The College was honored to have Trustee Kasten visit us this week,” said Dean Olson. “His graciousness and generosity really impressed the faculty, staff, and students. He shared his memories as a student at ISU in the 1960s and he took the time to talk with every student he met during the visit—something they will probably never forget.”

Kastne visits Planetarium
Trustee Kasten talks with a physics student and Dr. Rick Martin outside of the Planetarium

Kasten’s first stop was the Planetarium, where Tom Willmitch, Planetarium Director, and Rick Martin, Chair of the Department of Physics, discussed the technology in the Planetarium and provided Kasten with a short show. From there, Kasten was escorted to Felmley Hall to visit the Neuroscience Research Group. Dr. Valeri Farmer-Dougan (Associate Professor of Psychology), Dr. Paul Garris (Associate Professor of Biological Sciences), and Dr. Byron Heidenreich (Assistant Professor of Psychology) each provided a tour of their labs where they conduct research on the role of dopamine on behavior and on the preclinical phase of Parkinson's disease, during which the brain begins to lose dopamine neurons but before the loss results in the cardinal symptoms of tremor, rigidity, and slowed movement. Kasten then visited the College’s public radio station, WGLT, where he was treated to a tour and listened in on some live programming. “It was a pleasure to host Carl Kasten,” said Bruce Bergethon, General Manger of WGLT. “I always enjoy being reminded what a warm, down-to-earth guy the ‘boss of ISU’ is."

Bruce Bergethon and Carl Kasten
Bruce Bergethon and Trustee Kasten in front of WGLT's CD collection

To round out the visit, Kasten had lunch with the College’s teaching and research award winners. Each shared with Kasten the focus of their research and their teaching. Kasten told the group that the faculty are what makes ISU such an outstanding University and expressed appreciation for the fine work that they all are doing.

Kasten is senior partner in the law firm of Phelps, Kasten, Ruyle, Burns, Sims, and Meyer P.C. in Carlinville. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Illinois State University in social sciences in 1966 and received his law degree in 1969 from the Northwestern University School of Law, where he was a recipient of the Wigmore Key. He is past chair of the College’s Attorneys Advisory Council, which recently named its Pre-Law Leadership Award after him.
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