Casey DeRoo
Associate Professor 
Department of Physics & Astronomy
PhD, University of Iowa
Joined the UI Faculty in 2018

I am writing to ask for your support as a candidate for CLAS Faculty Assembly. As a Hawkeye alumnus, I feel a strong sense of pride in watching our institution succeed in its academic mission: to accomplish cutting-edge research and equip the next generation of scholars. As a faculty member, it has been a privilege to contribute to and work to shape this ongoing mission myself. 

My scholarly background is in the development of space-based instrumentation for astronomy. During my time as a faculty member at UI, I have cultivated skills in leading teams to solve nuanced challenges, breaking down complex, thorny problems into actionable steps, and communicating with stakeholders across a wide variety of backgrounds and professional preparations. In addition to using them to establish an effective research program and mentor students, I’ve leveraged these skills in service of CLAS. I serve on the Faculty Advisory Committee for the Division of Sponsored Programs and the Faculty Advisory Committee for the interdisclipinary MATFab facility, working to improve these important shared resources. I led a funded proposal to NASA specifically for investing in new capital equipment at UI in order to improve shared campus research facilities. Beyond infrastructure, it’s also essential to cultivate the scholarly and teaching talent of our students, leading me to co-chair the Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP), a undergraduate professional conference hosted by UI attended by over 100 students from around the Midwest. 

If elected to the Faculty Assembly, I will work on your behalf. I’ll seek to understand the perspectives and concerns of CLAS’s accomplished body of scholars, and advocate for the resources, policies, and structures that enable us to effectively execute our academic mission. I’m both grateful and proud to call UI my academic home, and deeply committed to strengthening our institution through service. 

Stephanie Eveland-Parrott
Assistant Professor of Instruction
Department of Chemistry

Alex Voss
Associate Professor of Instruction
Department of Health and Human Physiology
Sport and Recreation Management Program
MS, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Joined UI Faculty in 2016

Explore. Discover. Create. These three words are displayed prominently on the CLAS website and are at the heart of CLAS’ mission to advance scholarly and creative endeavors. I begin each of my courses by sharing these words with my students to inform them of what my teaching will facilitate. Tenure-track colleagues whose offices are near mine in the Field House do the same through the scholarship they produce and the undergraduate and graduate students they mentor.

I joined the Health and Human Physiology department as a Lecturer in Sport and Recreation Management in 2016. The first pillar of the department’s current strategic plan is ‘Research & Discovery – Advance research, scholarship, and creative activity.’ At our fall semester kickoff, the faculty learned that HHP is among the highest funded departments in CLAS when adjusted for grant dollars per faculty. HHP’s second strategic plan pillar is ‘Student Success – Enhance the quality of undergraduate education.’ Fall 2024 census data showed HHP with 2,398 undergraduate students, a 6.8% increase above the prior fall. Exploration by students in HHP is high as the department allows some students to prepare for medical school while others choose to pursue a career in sport business. As outstanding research and teaching are important to my department, I will support both within CLAS as a member of Faculty Assembly.

Currently at rank of Associate Professor of Instruction, I am aware of instructor concerns ranging from AI and academic integrity to delivery of SDS accommodations. On Faculty Assembly, I look forward to shaping policy that empowers instructors to maintain rigor in the classroom while appropriately supporting students in pursuit of excellence in their studies. I also look forward to supporting policies and initiatives that strengthen and grow the scholarship produced within CLAS. I ask for your vote to allow me to serve on CLAS Faculty Assembly. Should I be elected, I will advocate for instructors and their ability to equip students to learn and succeed while also advocating for researchers to advance knowledge and create scholarship.