Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Dr. Ani Yazedjian, has announced that Dr. Todd McLoda has been named associate provost, effective July 1, 2025. McLoda is currently serving a two-year appointment as interim dean in the College of Education at Illinois State.  

“Dr. McLoda brings years of experience and institutional knowledge to his new role as associate provost,” said Yazedjian. “He also brings a significant background in curriculum development, accreditation, program review, strategic planning, and supporting student and faculty success. His expertise will be invaluable to our ongoing efforts to position Illinois State University as a leader among public R2 universities.” 

McLoda joined Illinois State in 2000 as a faculty member and director of the athletic training program in the School of Kinesiology and Recreation (KNR), where he served from 2006 to 2009 as the school’s assistant director. From 2009 to 2016 he served as associate dean/senior associate dean of the College of Applied Science and Technology (CAST), and then dean from January 2017 to June 2023. 

“It has been my honor to serve as dean for two colleges at Illinois State, and I am elated to now join the Office of the Provost,” said McLoda. “I look forward to assisting with advancement of institutional effectiveness, collaborating with academic leaders on program innovations, leading institutional and program level assessment, and promoting data-informed strategic initiatives for the Division of Academic Affairs.”   

 As dean of CAST, McLoda welcomed the addition of the undergraduate major in cybersecurity in the School of Information Technology, the graduate distance dietetic internship program in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, and the Master of Public Health degree in the Department of Health Sciences. He was also instrumental in acquiring additional tillable acreage for the ISU Research and Teaching Farm in Lexington, as well as securing additional facilities for CAST.   

He launched several student support initiatives aimed at enhancing persistence and belonging, including the CAST Persistence Fund and CAST Connections. During his time as dean, CAST’s endowment grew from $6.2 million to more than $19 million. CAST enrollment grew to its highest in the college’s history and faculty research outcomes increased to 3.9 annual peer-reviewed outcomes per tenure line faculty member.  

As interim dean for the College of Education (COE), McLoda established another Persistence Fund to assist students experiencing financial challenges and also led the strategic planning process. He worked collaboratively with the Efaw Student Success Center to establish an alumni mentoring program, developed new student support scholarships through donor support, and secured funding to establish an innovation fund in support of all teacher education programs at Illinois State.  

McLoda was instrumental in approving multiple projects to update the facilities at the ISU Laboratory Schools. He has also served on several committees related to the development of Illinois State’s new College of Engineering and the curricula in mechanical, electrical, and general engineering. 

He has presented his research both nationally and internationally and has published in several scholarly journals including Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise and the Journal of Sport Rehabilitation. He has served on more than 35 graduate thesis and dissertation committees and serves on the editorial board of the Athletic Training Education Journal. 

McLoda earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from the Ohio University, where he majored in athletic training and health education. He also participated in the Harvard Institute for Management and Leadership in Education in 2016 and Crisis Leadership in Higher Education from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard in 2020.