Founders Day will be celebrated this year on Sunday, February 15 at 10:30 a.m. in Neu Chapel. Founders Day ceremonies are held in observance of four important events in the history of the University of Evansville. On February 8, 1810, John C. Moore, founder of Moores Hill College, was born. In addition to contributing $3,000 and 12 acres to the school, Moore personally paid the school’s deficits until his death in 1871.

•  The story of the University of Evansville began 158 years ago on February 10, 1854, when Moores Hill Male and Female Collegiate Institute was incorporated. This fledgling institution was located in Moores Hill in Dearborn County, about 40 miles west of Cincinnati.

•  On February 17, 1919, the school was relocated and Evansville College was incorporated. The College achieved its first major academic goal in 1931 by winning accreditation from the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.

•  Rapid growth and years of dedication to meeting the area’s higher education requirements were recognized by the state legislature’s action in renaming the school. On February 17, 1967, the University of Evansville was incorporated. 

Click here to learn the latest updates from President Kazee as he welcomes us back for a new year of podcasts in 2015. This month, he discusses Harlaxton College and its recent ranking as the #1 study abroad program in the nation. Dr. Kazee also covers the reunion of the undefeated 1964-65 Aces men's basketball team, announces the appointment of the new Director for the Institute for Global Enterprise in Indiana, tells of a UE professor's cartoon gone viral, and recaps our Martin Luther King Jr. Day activities.

UE grad student Joy Ufo from Nigeria is preparing a very special homemade dinner tonight at 5:30 p.m. the Newman Center-Catholic Campus Ministry House, 1901 Lincoln Avenue (across from Koch Center). Jollof Rice (rice blended with tomatoes, peppers and onions and seasoned with garlic and ginger), baked chicken, and plantain (sliced bananas slightly salted and fried) are on the menu. In addition to dinner, At 6:15 p.m, following the meal, UE graduate (Class of 2008) Allyson Hoch will be presenting "The Catholic Call to Serving the Poor." Even if you cannot stay for the program, please join us just for dinner. Questions? Call/text Kristel at 812-760-8610 

Students who earned Dean's List status for Autumn Semester 2014 are recognized by the Libraries in entry lobby exhibit cases. Exhibit continues through next week. 

The Department of Music continues its First Tuesday Concert Series in Wheeler Concert Hall this Tuesday evening, February 3, at 7:30 p.m. with a guest recital featuring pianist Christopher Harding. Harding is a pianist with an international reputation. While he serves as Chair of Piano and associate professor of piano performance and Chamber Music at the University of Michigan and on the faculty of the Indiana University Summer Piano Academy, he has generated great acclaim from both critics and audiences around the world. He has performed as a solo player, in chamber ensembles, and as a concerto soloist in various venues around the globe, and he has taken first prize in some 25 national and international competitions. He has also made a number of solo and chamber music recordings on the Equilibrium and Brevard Classics labels. Harding’s UE performance will focus on the piano works of Robert Schumann and Claude Debussy and will include performances of Schumann’s Kreisleriana and Debussy’s Children’s Corner. The concert is free and open to the public. 

Join the UE Jazz Ensemble 1 as they host Monte Skelton at the Old Courthouse Ballroom on February 11 at 7:00 pm. Dance along to your favorite jazz tunes, enjoy the complimentary dessert reception, bid on silent auction items, and don't forget to buy tickets for the half-pot raffle! Tickets for this event are $20 and $10 for students. For more information, please email Katy Von Der Heide at kv43@evansville.edu. This event is sponsored by the UE Music Management Association. 

The Honors Program is hosting Nerd Wars Trivia Night on Tuesday, February 17 at 7 pm in Eykamp Hall. Teams of five consisting of students, faculty, administrators, and staff will battle in a competition of wit while enjoying pizza, popcorn, and soda. The winning student team and the winning faculty/administrator/staff team will receive $25 MasterCard/VISA gift cards.

Registration materials can be picked up in the Powell Honors Lounge, from Jayme Williams in Room 238 in Koch Center, or can be done online by clicking here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1J2oZGQ29AdGKeS0MSENgRPGGnrCkVx-W29rUFubPB9s/edit?pli=1#gid=0

Entry fee is $5 per person.

Those who are unable to compose a team of five may still register. Any questions can be emailed to Matthew at mb338.

Spectators and participants may also enter in the ELFFAR (this is NOT a raffle) for the chance to win Seinnheiser Headphones, Blue Tooth Jam Plus Wireless Speakers, Fitbit Flex Wireless Wristband, Donut Bank gift cards, Wal Mart gift cards, Buffalo Wild Wings gift cards, Best Buy gift cards, Orange Leaf gift cards, and Auntie Anne’s gift cards.

Venturing Crew 365 is skiing and snowboarding at Paoli Peaks on Saturday, February 7. The cost is $15 per person, and it includes ski rentals and group lessons. Sign-ups will be on Tuesday, February 3 from noon to 1:00 inside Ridgway University Center. Payment will be required in order to reserve a spot on the trip. There are only a few spots left. 

Please join us for the third Mentor Speaker Luncheon Series on February 12 from 12:15-1:15 p.m. in Eykamp 253, Ridgway University Center. Our presenter (WebX) will be Katie Shanes from Cisco; her topic will be "Networking – Marketing Yourself."

If you wish to reserve a free boxed lunch, please RSVP to ds120@evansville.edu by Friday, February 6.

This event is open to the campus community. 

Derek Jones, assistant professor of philosophy, will be the speaker for the Andiron Lecture on Wednesday, February 4..The lecture will start at 4:00 p.m., in Eykamp 252, Ridgway University Center. A social gathering with beverages begins at 3:45 p.m.  His topic will be "Can Plants and Bacteria Think?"

Jones earned an MA in philosophy from the University of Houston in 2008 and a PhD in philosophy from Indiana University in 2013. He teaches courses in philosophy and cognitive science at UE and currently directs the cognitive science program. Jones has published and presented work on such topics as scientific explanation, self-knowledge, skilled behavior, and free will.

His work is guided by the broader project of understanding cognition and action as essentially embodied, biological processes. His forthcoming book, The Biological Foundations of Agency, is slated for publication in January 2016.

Despite substantial progress in cognitive science, researchers have been unable to agree upon a definition of cognition. A number of theorists have recently argued that human cognition should be understood as a specialized case of a broader form of intelligence that exists in humans and non-human animals alike. Some have gone so far as to attribute cognitive abilities to plants and bacteria. In this lecture, Jones will address the plausibility of such claims, arguing first that there is a genuine debate to be had about the cognitive status of simple biological systems (which are surprisingly interesting) and then providing a principled way of sorting cases.

For further information, call the series coordinator Annette Parks at 812-488-1070 or the William L. Ridgway College of Arts and Sciences.

Celebrate Black History Month with a little known fact, today, February 2!

Do you know about the Friendship Nine?

The Friendship Nine were a group of young activists who were jailed and charged for trespassing after a nonviolent protest of segregation. Years later all of their names have finally been cleared. In a long road to justice, the Friendship Nine’s convictions were thrown out of court by a South Carolina judge, cementing the legacy of the brave men.

The Friendship Nine included John Gaines, Thomas Gaither, Clarence Henry Graham, W.T. “Dub” Massey, Robert McCullough, Willie McCleod, James Wells, David Williamson, Jr., and Mack Workman – were named thus because eight of the men attended Friendship College in the town of Rock Hill. Gaither did not attend the school and was a field organizer of the CORE organization.

On January 30, 1961, the Nine traveled as a group to the whites-only McCrory’s establishment and staged a sit-in at a lunch counter that caused quite the stir. Inspired by other sit-in protests in North Carolina, the group had been planning the sit-in for months. The men walked into the variety store and were promptly arrested for trespassing after word of their plans got out to police.

Ernest Finney, a young civil rights attorney, represented the Nine in their court case. The group was found guilty and offered a choice of paying a fine of $100 or going to jail for 30 days of hard labor. The group opted for the labor, which galvanized protesters nationwide and gave the Southern Christian Leadership Committee (SCLC) the necessary boost needed to ramp up protests.

The Nine only served 28 days. They were let go early because prison officials didn’t want the national press to cover their story on the grounds of the prison farm where they were held. Author Kimberly Johnson wrote a children’s book about the men titled No Fear For Freedom, a huge part of how the Nine’s case was reopened. She met the Nine in 2011 and was inspired by their story.

Little known Black History facts are provided by the Black Student Union and the Office of Diversity Initiatives
 

The City of Evansville is assessing what needs to be improved with how buses operate in the Evansville area. There is a very short, but nonetheless very important, general public survey on the project website at www.metstransitstudy.info. To show exactly what University of Evansville students, faculty and staff need in terms of functional public transportation you are encouraged to take the time to complete the short survey. Please also pass this along to friends, family, co-workers, etc. 

Copies of the recently released publication of "The Undefeated Season" are now available in the UE Bookstore for $39.95. The book is hardbound and comes with a DVD of the championship game of 1964-65 Aces basketball season 

The Environmental Management System (EMS) on AceLink has updated significant environmental aspects, environmental targets and objectives. There are also new links to hazardous waste labels and hazardous waste lists. Go to AceLink/Areas/Environmental Management/EMS for details. Please call 2697 or email js652 with any questions or comments. 

Join the fun of Road Trip! The Office of Admission needs current UE students who live in the residence halls to host prospective high school seniors for Road Trip February 20-22. If you are available, you can apply to host at http://acelink.evansville.edu/forms/admission/RoadTripAssistance.cfm, by emailing Ashley Ross (aj53@evansville.edu) or Kenton Hargis kh88@evansville.edu), or stopping by the Office of Admission (OH 104). 

UE Admission Ambassador Applications are now available. Please go to this link to fill out the application: Admission Ambassador Application. Once you fill out the application, send the UE faculty or staff serving as your reference the recommendation form at this link: Admission Ambassador Application Form. Applications can also be picked up in the Admissions Office, Olmsted 104. They can be turned back into Admissions Office. The deadline for admission ambassador applications is Wednesday, February 11. The deadline for the Admission Ambassador Reference is Monday, February 16. If you have any questions, please email Dana Owens at do40@evansville.edu or Lauren Winkler at lw148@evansville.edu. 

We are looking for outgoing, energetic students interested in becoming an Orientation Leader (OL)! If you love meeting new people and are passionate about UE, pick up an application packet between Jan. 26 and Feb. 5 during business hours in the dean of student’s office, Ridgway University Center, room 230. Completed applications will be due back to the same office by 4:00 p.m. on February 6, 2015.  Questions can be referred to Karen Martin at km306@evansville.edu or 812-488-2500.

Timothy L. O’Brien, assistant professor of sociology, is the lead author of a new study that finds that many U.S. adults — roughly one in five — are deeply religious, know a lot about science, and support many practical uses of science and technology in everyday life, but reject scientific explanations of creation and evolution. The study appears in the February issue of the American Sociological Review.

“We were surprised to find that many people who are knowledgeable about science and appreciative of its practical uses reject certain well-established scientific theories,” said O’Brien,

“This finding is particularly interesting because these people who view both science and religion favorably — people who hold what we call a post-secular perspective — have relatively high levels of education and income, and many social scientists assume that high levels of education and income, as well as positive views of science are incompatible with religiosity.”

But, O’Brien said the study calls that “common assumption” into question. “We find that many highly educated, well-informed, religious individuals accept scientific theories about topics such as geology, radioactivity, planetary motion, genetics, and probability while rejecting mainstream scientific accounts of evolution and the big bang,” he said.

Titled, “Traditional, Modern, and Post-Secular Perspectives on Science and Religion in the United States,” the study relies on nationally representative data on U.S. adults from the 2006, 2008, and 2010 waves of the General Social Survey. The study considers people who self-identified as Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, and followers of other faiths, as well as individuals who did not identify with a religious group.

As part of their analysis, O’Brien and his co-author Shiri Noy, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Wyoming, determined that U.S. adults hold one of three perspectives based on their knowledge and attitudes about science and religion. Twenty-one percent hold a post-secular perspective, which values both science and religion, but which rejects science in favor of religion when it comes to topics such as creation and evolution. Forty-three percent hold a traditional perspective, which favors religion over science, and 36 percent hold a modern perspective, which favors science over religion. 

“These three worldviews are held across religious groups, political parties, and social classes,” according to O’Brien, who said social scientists have typically focused on studying people’s perspectives on science or views on religion separately rather than looking at them simultaneously.

“Ours is the first study of the U.S. public that examines perspectives on science and religion in tandem,” he said. “In doing so, our study uncovers a previously unidentified group of well-informed people who are appreciative of science and technology’s social uses, but who are deeply religious and who reject certain scientific theories in favor of religious ones.”

Among these post-seculars, more than 90 percent agree with contemporary scientific theories about geology, radioactivity, and planetary motion, but only 6 percent believe that the universe began with a huge explosion. Even fewer — 3 percent of post-seculars — agree that humans evolved from earlier animals.

In addition, 48 percent of post-seculars believe that the Bible is the literal word of God, compared to 31 percent of all U.S. adults, 46 percent of traditionals, and 3 percent of moderns. Post-seculars also report the greatest strength of religious affiliation as compared to traditionals and moderns.

“Our findings indicate that post-seculars are the most religious,” O’Brien said. 

In terms of the study’s implications, the research “shows that differences in people’s views of science and religion do not necessarily reflect a lack of knowledge or understanding,” said O’Brien, who emphasized that “post-seculars are scientifically literate” yet still reject scientific explanations of the origins of human life and the universe.

“This suggests that bridging gaps between different groups of people may have less to do with reducing knowledge deficits among them and more to do with increasing empathy for and awareness of different lifestyles and cultural preferences,” O’Brien said.

The National Science Foundation funded the study.

Visit the links below to learn more about the study from the numerous media outlets that have interviewed O'Brien thus far:

Christian Science Monitor: Study finds wide gulf between public, scientist views about science (+video)

Deseret News National: The public doesn't trust that scientists bring the right level of skepticism to some of their work

EurekaAlert!: Many religious people view science favorably, but reject certain scientific theories

Headlines and Global News: Many Religious Americans Support Science But Reject Theories On Evolution And Creation

Huffington Post: New Religion and Science Study Reveal 'Post-Secular' Rejection Of Evolution

International Business Times: Science vs Religion: Paradoxical American 'post seculars' believe in both

LiveScience: Evolution Deniers Believe in 'Smorgasbord' of Science

Medical Daily: Science vs. Religion: Neither Side Wins In The Minds Of 1 In 5 Americans

Mother Nature Network: Evolution deniers believe in 'smorgasbord' of science

National Geographic: Poll Reveals Rift Between Scientists, Regular Folks

Phys.org: Many religious people view science favorably, but reject certain scientific theories

Religion News Service: Science vs. religion? There’s actually more of a three-way split

Science 2.0: Religious People View Science Favorably But Reject Some Theories - Just Like Everyone Else

Science Friday on NPR: Scientists and the Public Disagree on Key Issues

Stuff to Blow Your Mind: Study Dissects the Religious/Scientific Worldview

Tulsa World: Science vs. religion: 1 in 5 Americans like a little of both

Washington Post: Science vs. religion? There’s actually more of a three-way split
 

Katie Aldred, visiting assistant professor of biology, has had an article, “The Activity of Quinolone CP-115,955 Against Bacterial and Human Type II Topoisomerases Is Mediated by Different Interactions,” published in the journal Biochemistry. Aldred has also for also been appointed to the editorial board of the Journal of Advances in Life and Natural Sciences, quarterly peer–reviewed journal which publishes original and review papers on the experimental, computational, theoretical, and educational aspects of life and natural sciences. 

Registration is currently open for the Harlaxton Music Festival!

The Harlaxton Music Festival is a weeklong chamber music workshop from June 28-July 5. There are two concurrently running programs- one for serious Young Artists (strings, clarinet and piano) and one for Adult Amateur musicians (strings, woodwinds, piano.) The festival includes daily coachings, masterclasses, lectures and performance opportunities as well as cultural excursions within England. The festival is held at UE's British Campus - Harlaxton College in Grantham, England.

For more information about the application process, please visit www.evansville.edu/harlaxtonmusicfestival or email us at harlaxtonfestival@evansville.edu

The University of Evansville men’s basketball team fell by a final of 70-65 on Saturday at the Knapp Center.

D.J. Balentine was the top scorer for UE (16-6, 6-4 MVC), finishing with 17 points. He hit 3 3-pointers. Adam Wing notched 15. Reed Timmer was the top scorer for Drake, finishing with 18.

Defense was the story early on as Evansville was 1-for-7 to begin the game as Jaylon Moore hit a pair of free throws to open the game before Egidijus Mockevicius hit a nice hook shot. Freshman Reed Timmer hit the first two shots of the game for DU before Karl Madison gave the Bulldogs their first lead of the day at 6-4 five minutes into the contest.

Mockevicius halted the run with back-to-back buckets to tie the game up at 8-8. Gary Ricks Jr. connected on the first triple of the day for DU was his bucket gave the Bulldogs a 4-of-5 start from the floor and an 11-8 advantage. Their lead reached five points at 20-15 before the Aces were able to cut the gap to two at halftime, 29-27.

The Aces had a chance to retake the lead on a few occasions in the opening frame, but two missed front ends of a one-and-one saw the Bulldogs remain on top. Timmer registered 11 first-half points, hitting 4 out of 6 shots as Drake hit 55% (11/20) of their attempts in the opening period. Blake Simmons topped the Aces with seven tallies in the first 20 minutes.

Out of the half, Drake hit 3 of their first 4 shots to take their largest lead of the game at seven points (36-29). D.J. Balentine, who went 1-of-7 in the first half, came out firing in the second, hitting his first two shots. Adam Wing also lent a helping hand, scoring four-straight as the Aces got within one at 40-39 with 13 minutes left.

The run kept going for UE as Balentine gave the Aces their first lead since the 11:46 mark of the opening half. His layup saw UE go up 41-40 with just over 12 minutes remaining. That was part of a 14-1 stretch that saw Evansville open up its largest lead of the game at five points (49-44).

Drake responded with a 6-0 stretch as they hit 4 out of 5 attempts to go back on top 50-49 with just over five minutes left. Jacob Enevold hit back-to-back layups for the Bulldogs. They went back up by two points as Ricks hit his second trey of the game with four minutes left. That put DU up 53-51.

After Duane Gibson tied it up at 53-53, Drake posted the next seven points to go up 60-53 with 1:27 left. Evansville was unable to overcome that run as Drake held on for the victory.

UE continues to play on the road on Tuesday with a trip to Normal, Ill. to face Illinois State in a 7 p.m. matchup. Next Saturday, the Aces are back home to take on Bradley. Game time is set for 1:05 p.m. Call 812-488-ACES or visit the Carson Center or Ford Center ticket office to purchase seats for the game.
 

In a hotly-contested battle, Indiana University edged out the University of Evansville men’s swimming and diving team on Friday evening in Bloomington by a final of 139-104.

Several Purple Aces earned victories including a dominating performance in the 400 free relay. Everett Plocek, Ethan O’Rourke, Daniel O’Brien and Ashton Bishop combined to swim a time of 3:13.06 to defeat another group from UE by over nine seconds.

The Aces were also dominant in the 400 yard IM, taking the top four spots. Will Glasscock registered a 4:22.09 in the finals to top teammate Garrett Johnson, who finished with a time of 4:27.55. Andrew Cotton was third while Brendan Ninnerman finished up a clean sweep of the top four positions.

Bishop picked up a win in the 100 fly, posting a 52.25 to top Prescott Marcy, who finished in 55.84. He took second placed in the 50 free, falling by just .43 seconds. Bishop was also part of a group that included Troy Burger, Matt Childress and O’Brien that took second in the 200 medley relay. They swam a 1:35.43, falling by just over a second.

Reid Mobley took second in the 200 backstroke. His time of 2:02.32 put him in second while teammate Garrett Johnson was third with a 2:03.73.

Evansville completes the regular season next weekend with a trip to Carbondale, Ill. to face Southern Illinois. The Aces and Salukis square off at 10 a.m.
 

The University of Evansville women’s swimming and diving team came up just short against Missouri Valley Conference counterpart Illinois State by a final of 164.5-134.5 on Saturday at Wyttenbach Pool.

“I am always very proud of the way this team competes,” UE head coach Rickey Perkins exclaimed. “They have the desire to win and bring it to every competition.”

Michelle Tipton had another stellar meet for the Purple Aces. In the 400 free relay, Tipton teamed with Sam Montgomery, Michaela Kent and Danielle Freeman to earn the win with a 3:33.36. Tipton also picked up a pair of wins on her own. She took top honors in the 100 free (52.30) and 200 free (1:52.65).

In the 400 medley relay, Freeman, Montomgery, Kent and Mackenzine Powell were winners over the Redbirds. The group for the Aces swam a 4:40.23.

Freeman was victorious in the 50 fly, finishing .53 ahead of Lexi Nash of the Redbirds. Freeman checked in with a time of 26.34. Kent also picked up an individual win. She topped the competition in the 100 backstroke with a time of 59.62.

Abby Smith was the top finisher in the 50 free. In an exciting race, she beat ISU’s Marissa Yontz by .01. Powell rounded out the winners for UE. She won the 100 breaststroke with her time of 1:07.62.

Next weekend, both the men’s and women’s teams for UE will travel to Carbondale, Ill. to face the Salukis. The meet will take place on Saturday morning at 10 a.m.

Guard Sara Dickey scored a game-high 24 points but the University of Evansville women’s basketball team (10-10, 5-4) fell 67-52 at the Indiana State Sycamores on Sunday afternoon.

Playing a half hour from her hometown of Montezuma, Dickey recorded her 18th career game of 20+ points. She was 8-for-16 shooting, made a pair of treys and converted on all six free throws in the game.

Down early, Evansville got a game-tying three from guard Kat Taylor to even the score at five with 18:14 on the clock.

Indiana State (14-6, 4-5) then rebuilt the lead to six points, 15-9, with a Cierra Ceazar layup at the 11:03 mark.

UE brought the gap down to two points on a pair of occasions before taking their first lead with less than a minute to play in the opening half. Dickey’s three with 21 seconds left inched the Aces ahead of Indiana State 23-22. Indiana State’s Joyea Marshall then snatched the lead back for the Sycamores with a buzzer-beating three just before halftime.

The Aces shot 40.9% in the opening stanza despite nine first-half turnovers. Forward Sasha Robinson had eight of her 10 rebounds before halftime.

Out of the break, Dickey tied the game at 25 with a lay-up only to watch as Indiana State went on a 19-8 run to build a double-digit advantage.

UE then brought the deficit to single digits, 44-37, by scoring four consecutive points on jumpers from Dickey and Robinson.

Down by seven, Evansville was held scoreless over the next 5:43 as the Sycamores went on a 13-0 run.

Indiana State outscored UE 42-29 in the second half on the way to the win.

Forward Hannah Owens tied a career-high with four rebounds, all on the offensive side.

The Aces will look to end their three-game losing streak on Friday, Feb. 6 at Loyola. The game will be held at Gentile Arena in Chicago and begin at 7:00 p.m.

Evansville is back at home on Friday, Feb. 13 when the Aces host the Southern Illinois Salukis. The tip is set for 7:00 p.m. at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind.

Tickets can be purchased over the phone at 812-488-ACES (2237), in person at either the Carson Center or Ford Center ticket office, or online via Ticketmaster.com.
 

The University of Evansville is proud to announce that 2015 baseball and softball season tickets are now on sale.
Baseball tickets are $75 for adults, $45 for seniors (65 & over). A 100 voucher family pack is also available $175.
Softball tickets are $40 for adults and $25 for seniors (65 & over). A 100 voucher family pack is also available for $100.
Kids in the eighth grade and under can join the Junior Purple Pack and receive admission to all baseball and softball games for only $25.

The reigning Missouri Valley Conference champion UE baseball team begins the season on Friday, February13 with a three-game series at Arkansas Little-Rock. Evansville has their first home game at Braun Stadium on Friday, February 27 when they play Oakland as part of a three-game series.

UE softball begins the season with five tournaments. These tournaments will include the Auburn Tournament in Auburn, AL, the South Alabama Tournament in Mobile, AL, the Firehouse Invite in Troy, AL, the Mercer Tournament in Macon, GA, and finally the Oklahoma State Tournament in Stillwater, OK. The Aces will start conference play in their first home double header against Loyola on Mar. 14 at Cooper Stadium.

Tickets can be purchased over the phone at 812-488-ACES (2237), or in person at the Carson Center.

Faculty and staff can now pick up their tickets for this Saturday's men's basketball game against Bradley. The game starts at 1:05 P.M.