President Kazee will be speaking at the Student Government Association Meeting tonight at 5:00 p.m. in Room 170 (Smythe Lecture Hall),Schroeder Family School of Business Building. He will be speaking about "Strategic Prioritization" and entertaining questions. The meeting is open to the whole campus community and attendance is encouraged.

UE Departments of Theatre and Music present Tony-Award winning musical, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”

Explore the dark side of the 10th-century English social system in this masterful musical thriller, which was a smashing success in its 1979 Broadway debut, garnering eight Tony Awards. Mad with revenge and angry at the world, Sweeney Todd teams up with his creepily resourceful neighbor, Mrs. Lovett, a widow whose pie shop flounders from lack of meat.

Roger McBain of the Evansville Courier & Press writes, “Austin Lauer ’14 anchors the show with his smoldering stage presence and clear, powerful vocals. Kelsey Miller ’14 provides an earthy, comic counterpoint as Mrs. Lovett, driven by both avarice and her longing for more than a business relationship with Todd.” Together the dark duo finds a way to meet both their needs, as they hauntingly plot to slice through London’s upper crust.

Sweeney Todd continues its run at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, November 21 through Saturday November 23, and at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 24, in Shanklin Theatre. Ticket prices are $17 for adults and $15 for senior adults, students and UE faculty. UE students may obtain one free student rush ticket beginning at noon on the day of the performance they wish to attend. Tickets may be purchased by calling (812) 488–2031, Monday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m.

The Spanish Club will have Game Night on Thursday, November 21, at 8:00 p.m. in Room 250, Schroeder Family School of Business Building. We will be playing cards and board games in Spanish. Tell your friends to attend!

UE music management and music education students will be selling UE Music t-shirts and crew neck sweatshirts this week in the lobby of Krannert Fine Arts Building from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. each day. If you are interested, stop by or pick up a form in Linda Happe's office on the first floor of Krannert. If you can't make it to Krannert, email kv43@evansville.edu for an electronic version of the order form.

The Institute for Global Enterprise invites the UE community to attend a reception on Thursday, November 21 from 4:30-7:30 p.m. in the Peterson Gallery. This event is designed for all past Global Scholars, faculty interested in becoming a future Global Scholar, and anyone who is interested in learning about these activities. Past Global Scholars will share a summary of their work and describe how the award has made an impact on their perspectives, teaching, research, and/or service. A special announcement will be made about the future of the Global Scholar Program at the event. An informal program will begin at 5pm. Guests are welcome to drop in as your schedule allows. Space is limited. Please RSVP at your earliest convenience for preferred seating. Open to the public and first come, first served.

For a full schedule of International Education Week events, visit www.evansville.edu/iew.

About the Program
As Global Scholars, faculty engage in scholarship, curriculum development, travel and/or research activities related to globally relevant topics in order to internationalize our learning community. It is expected that the Global Scholar's activities will have a positive impact on the global mindset of many of our constituencies, including our students, faculty, administration and the greater Evansville community.

UE Hillel will be hosting its annual Chanukah Party on Thursday, November 21 at 7:30 pm in Grabill Lounge (the basement of Neu Chapel). Join in the festivities as we learn about the Jewish holiday of Chanukah, eat latkes (potato pancakes), and play dreidel! There will also be prizes!!!

Noon Prayer @ Neu: Meditation with Music will be held on Thursday, November 21, beginning at 12:10 p.m. in Neu Chapel. The 40-minute service of music, silence, and the spoken word provides a time of contemplation, reflection, and inspiration for University of Evansville students, faculty, staff, and the larger Evansville community.

Music for the service will be provided by Mark X. Hatfield, a native of Evansville, who has served as the organist/director of music for several Evansville churches during a career that spans more than 50 years. A graduate of the University of Evansville, Hatfield studied organ with Michael Mains, Robert Luther and Douglas Reed.

Hatfield has served as an Instructor of Organ for the University of Evansville Preparatory School, and as an adjunct faculty member for Southeastern Illinois University. He was the musical director for the University of Evansville Drama Department for many years.

The Noon Prayer service will be framed with the ringing of the Peace Bell. Refreshments will be available after the service. All are welcome.
 

The International Club presents the 27th annual International Bazaar! Come experience the wonders of diversity through a variety of performances and dishes from around the world (South Korea, Latin/Central America, Europe, Africa and more) and help spread awareness of world hunger!

When: Friday, November 22
Time: 4.30 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Location: Eykamp 251 and the second floor of Ridgway University Center

Free admission for UE students (just show your UE ID) and kids under 5 years old, $3 for non-UE students, & $5 at the door for UE faculty, staff, and adults.

All proceeds go to UNICEF for the typhoon victims in the Philippines.
 

UE employees are invited to attend one of the informational workshops presented by Emeriti Retirement Health Solutions on Friday, November 22 in Room 203, the J. Henry Schroeder Boardroom, University Libraries.

The workshops are scheduled for:
• 9:00 am – 10:00 am for active employees (pre-retirees are welcome to attend this session)
• 10:30 pm – 11:30 pm for retirees (active employees considering retirement in the next one to five years are welcome to attend this session)
• 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm for pre-retirees (active employees considering retirement in the next one to five years)

The Emeriti program provides important benefits such as:
• A tax-advantaged way for you to invest and accumulate assets for your future retiree medical expenses.
• A retiree health insurance program for you and your eligible dependents that builds on the foundation of Medicare.
• A tax-free way for you to pay for other qualified out-of-pocket medical expenses in retirement.

A representative from Emeriti and Aetna health insurance will be on campus to provide information about Emeriti and what you need to do to take full advantage of the program. The meetings will cover such topics as why you need to save for retiree health care, the unique tax advantages of the Emeriti Program, and your options available under the program.

For more information about the Emeriti program, please visit: http://www.emeritihealth.org/

Free AIDs testing will be offered at UE's Health Center on November 22 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call for an appointment at 488-2033.

The wellness nurse will not be on campus Monday, November 25. Her next visit will be December 2 in Ridgway University Center Lobby from 1-3 p.m.

The November Pcard Cycle began on October 22 and will end at midnight on November 21. Cardholders may reconcile transactions anytime during the cycle but should wait to schedule the November SDG2 report until after November 23 to ensure that all transactions are included on the cycle report. Cardholders will have until noon Monday, December 2 to complete the November reconciliation process. Once the General Ledger uploads after lunch on December 2, cardholders will be locked out and no longer able to reconcile November cycle transactions online.

The Intramural Dept. is looking for basketball officials for the upcoming season. If you are interested email Seth Woodason @sw227@evansville.edu.

Help us reach our goal of 500 cans to be donated to the Evansville Rescue Mission Gobbler Gathering. The donations go towards the creation of Thanksgiving Meal Baskets for families in need. To donate, purchase a can of cranberry sauce at Aces Place or Cafe Court for $1 flex or cash by Friday at lunch.

The Great American Smokeout is a national event that encourages smokers to make a plan, in advance, to quit using tobacco....even if just for that day. Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the US. Mark your calendar for this Thursday, and commit to taking a step towards a healthier life – one that can lead to reducing cancer risk, improving breathing, and clearing the air for all. See your Healthcare Advocate for added support in making this important commitment.

A wreath is defined as a circular band of flowers, foliage or any material created for decorative, celebratory or memorial purposes.  Your handcrafted wreath only needs to be circular.  It does not need to be holiday themed.  It could be painted, hammered, or glued, large or small, traditional or non-traditional.

Feel free to work on a collaborative project wreath and submit on behalf of your club or department.

Have fun and show us your wreaths!

Entries for the Wreath Exhibition will be accepted on Thursday and Friday, November 21 and 22 in either the Peterson Gallery during normal hours of 12:00 PM to 6 PM on Thursday and 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM on Friday or in the Art Office, Krannert Hall of Fine Arts, Room 212, from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The Wreath Exhibition will open on December 2 and run through December 13.

For more info, call the Art Department at 488-2043
 

Last week Matthew Knoester and Sharon Kazee met up with a group of international educators to learn about the Finnish education system, which has received a large amount of attention in recent years due to their top performance on the PISA international tests, among other acheivements. Drs. Knoester and Kazee visited schools and other sites, and presented papers at an international panel discussion on comparative education at the University of Helsinki. The Global Scholars program at UE provided funding.

Congratulations to Bill Stroube, professor of health services administration and director of the health services administration program, who has been selected to participate in an international summit on study abroad and health care issues.

The 2014 CIEE Winter Faculty Summit, hosted by CIEE Study Abroad (a national leader in study abroad and exchange programs), will take place January 8-11, 2014, in Santiago, Dominican Republic. The invitation-only summit will bring together faculty experts, thought leaders, and innovators in disciplines such as development studies, education, public health, and nursing.

The summit will examine the trend toward expanded hands-on learning in study abroad, and will develop new ways to enhance such study abroad experiences for students who seek opportunities in service learning, internships, community engagement, independent research, and field studies.

Sara Graham (senior music therapy student), Tyler Vest (junior music therapy student) and Melanie Brison (music therapy intern) will be giving a presentation: "Gonna Take a Sentimental Journey;" Musical Life Review at the annual conference of the American Music Therapy Association, Jacksonville, FL. This presentation summarizes a special project they completed Spring 2013 as part of a music therapy practicum assignment

For the first time since the 1986-87 season, the Purple Aces men's basketball season began the season at 4-0 as they defeated Valparaiso by a final of 100-92 on Wednesday evening at the Ford Center.

The offensive game marked the first 100-point effort since the 103-69 win over Oakland City last season. It is the first time scoring triple figures against a Division I team since a 100-85 win over Central Michigan on Nov. 19, 2004.

"I am really proud of my team, I thought they played their hearts out, especially in the first half. It was very fun to watch the way they executed," head coach Marty Simmons said. "I am also proud of the second half as we overcame their run and did a good job with their pressure late in the game."

D.J. Balentine recorded his fourth-consecutive game of 29 points or more as he set his career mark with 32. He hit 8-of-14 shots overall, 6-of-8 threes and all ten free throws. Adam Wing set his career mark, going 6-7 from the floor while knocking down all of his free throws to finish the night with 18. Freshman Blake Simmons tied his scoring mark with 15.

It was Balentine providing the early spark as the Aces jumped out to a 19-6 lead in the opening moments of the game. Balentine was 4-4 and connected on all three treys that he attempted as UE had the upper hand. Overall, Evansville hit 7 of its first 8 shots while Valparaiso was 1-5. A dunk by Moussa Gueye ended the stretch, but it proved to be just a bump in the road for the Aces.

After Valparaiso got within nine points at 21-12, the Aces went on a 15-4 stretch to open up a 20-point advantage with 7:47 remaining in the half. The hot shooting of UE was the difference as they hit 14 out of 20 shots to begin the game, including all five three-pointers. The Crusaders hit four shots in a row to close with 13 at 39-26, but the Purple Aces regained their spark to finish the half on a 16-4 stretch to take a 55-39 lead into the locker room.

In that stretch to end the period, UE hit six out of eight shots while Valparaiso made both shots in the final 4:36 but turned the ball over on three occasions. The Aces shot 65.5% (21-of-32) in the half while turning the ball over just twice. Valparaiso hit 12 out of their 21 attempts to shot 57.1% but turned the ball over ten times. It marked the first time Evansville scored 50 points or more in the first half of a game since Feb. 1, 2012 at Bradley while it was the second game in a row UE accomplished the feat in either half, recording 51 in the second half against Mercer on Monday night.

Out of the break, Adam Wing drained a shot off of the feed from Duane Gibson as the Aces opened up their largest lead of 27 points at 57-30. With just under 17 minutes left, UE still found itself up by that amount before the Crusaders made their rally. Over the next three minutes, VU scored the next 11 points, hitting 5-of-7 field goals. Bobby Capobianco was responsible for four tallies as they cut the gap to 16 points. Evansville was 0-3 with a pair of turnovers. Following a timeout by Coach Simmons, Ryan Sawvell ended the run with a layup.

Showing the maturity of student-athletes well beyond their years, the Aces did just that in absorbing the Crusader rally. After they got within 13 points at 67-54, Evansville came right back with 9 in a row of their own as Sawvell had two more field goals. Valparaiso was not phased by the rally as they got even closer over the next three minutes, hitting six out of eight to cut the gap to 81-69 with 5:14 left before Balentine topped the run with a pair of free throws.

Alec Peters got VU even closer with four minutes remaining. His back-to-back treys made it an 83-74 game. Adam Wing got those three right back on the next trip down the floor with an and-one. The threes kept coming in bunches for Valparaiso before a pair of LaVonte Dority free throws inside the final two minutes cut the deficit to just six points at 91-85.

Blake Simmons hit a free throw with 31 seconds left to put UE back up by nine points, but the 12th three of the game and the first for Capobianco once again made it a 6-point game. That was the last trey of the game for VU and it was Balentine who hit all four free throws in the final seconds as the Aces finished off with a 100-92 win.

Evansville finished the evening shooting 61.1%, the first time in just about a year the Aces have hit 60%, doing so by shooting .632 against Miami Ohio last season.

Peters had a stellar night for the Crusaders, scoring a career-best 30 points on 10-of-15 shooting and 7-11 from outside the arc. Dority was next with 17.

Two other Aces tallied double figures, led by Sawvell’s 14-point night. He was 7-10 from the floor as he fell just two shy of his career mark. Duane Gibson scored 12 points, but ran the offense even better to the tune of 10 assists. The Aces posted 24 assists on 33 shots.

Balentine’s streak of 29 or more in four-straight games is something UE has not seen in 25 years. The last to do that was Aces great Scott Haffner, who posted a similar streak in the 1988-89 campaign. One of the games in that stretch was his legendary 65-point night against Dayton.

In just three days, the Aces will be back on the home floor as they square off against Anderson University. Tip at the Ford Center will be at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday night.