Abigail Werling has been named the interim vice president for development and alumni relations for the University of Evansville. This announcement comes after Jack Barner’s retirement following 13 years in the position.

“Abigail was an obvious choice to step into the role of interim vice president,” says UE president Tom Kazee. “She has an impressive record of success as a major gifts officer, has developed great relationships with many friends of the University, and is committed to sustaining the philanthropic momentum that Jack Barner has generated.”

Abigail came to UE in 2004, and has since moved up through the office of development in positions including assistant director of gift planning and capital support, corporate and foundation relations officer, and most recently as the director of gift planning and capital support. In addition to her career at UE, Abigail also worked at Indiana State University as the Director of Development.

“I am honored by the opportunity to have been selected to serve as the interim vice president for development and alumni relations,” Abigail says. “Stepping into this role to join an accomplished administrative and academic leadership team led by Dr. Kazee, a highly capable and supportive Board of Trustees, and a truly talented and hard-working team in development and alumni relations, excites me. I look forward to continuing our division's success whose foundation has been set by the invaluable leadership of Jack Barner.”

Abigail will oversee operations in alumni and parent relations, annual giving, stewardship and special events, gift planning and capital support, and research and advancement services.

“Being involved with fundraising for and completion of the Ridgway University Center is certainly a highlight of my career at UE so far,” Abigail recalls. “The transformation it has and continues to make on our campus is immense.”

Abigail also worked with the class of 1959’s 50th reunion project, chaired by Rita Eykamp, that raised $250,000 to name the Class of 1959 Gallery and Lounge on the second floor of the Ridgway University Center. Early in her tenure at the University, Abigail also enjoyed working with volunteers, donors, and faculty members in the sciences on the Kresge Science Initiative.

“I’m excited for Abigail,” says Jack Barner. “She has grown professionally over the years, and this is an obvious next step for her; it’s a great opportunity.”

Abigail says she is most looking forward to “the challenges of continuing Jack Barner’s excellent work and combining my own personal experiences and direction to the continued forward movement of the University.” 

Annual employee health screenings are June 9, 10, 11 in the Health Center. Schedule up to 2 appointments when you sign in to AceLink. There is a recommendation for a 12 hour fast because triglycerides are included with the blood fat/cholesterol testing. However, if you are selecting a Wednesday afternoon appointment, please arrive with no less than a 2 hour fast (we will not interpret your triglycerides unless you are fully fasting). Triglycerides do not affect your HRA credit.

Another screening is scheduled in September for those who cannot attend in June.

Questions? Email ch100@evansville.edu or mw307@evansville.edu

Family Weekend and Homecoming 2015 are set for the weekend of September 25-27!

“Forever Purple” is the theme! The Office of Alumni and Parent Relations is working on event planning. If your department would like to have an event or reception for PARENTS during this weekend, please complete the "Family Weekend Event Form" by clicking on this link: http://acelink.evansville.edu/Areas/Alumni/ by June 3         .

Please contact us at alumni@evansville.edu or extension 2586 with any questions.

The summer Healthy Lifestyle Challenge is June 14 - August 8. Complete rules and a weekly tally form is in AceLink>Wellness>Healthy Lifestyle Challenge.

If you want to receive a weekly tally form plus additional health information, sign up during the Health Screenings June 9, 10, 11.

Contact ch100@evansville.edu or mw307@evansville.edu with questions. 

On Saturday June 6 from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at the Civic Center Parking Lot, residents of Vanderburgh County can bring old mercury thermometers, oil based paints and other hazardous materials to be properly disposed of so they do not end up entering local streams and rivers.

This is for households only – no businesses. There are several materials not accepted.

Find out more at the UE Environmental Management Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/University-of-Evansville-Department-of-Environmental-Management/336316706575810?ref=hl

Cafe Court will be open during summer camps. Breakfast is $7.00, Lunch is $9.00 and Dinner is $12.00. All are welcome... 

The annual Ohio River Sweep is coming up, and you can help! This annual cleanup for the Ohio River and its tributaries brings thousands of volunteers to the riverbanks to collect tons of trash and debris. River Sweep encompasses the entire length of the river, from its origin in Pittsburgh, PA to its end in Cairo, IL, including nearly 3,000 miles of shoreline and many tributaries. Find out more at the UE Environmental Management Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/University-of-Evansville-Department-of-Environmental-Management/336316706575810?ref=hl

Mark your calendars! The Summer Pcard Session training dates for new cardholders have been scheduled. To reserve your training spot, contact Terry Voges at extension 2940 or email at tv35 or Kim Winsett at extension 2941 or email at kw83. For additional Pcard information, visit the Pcard website on AceLink at http://acelink.evansville.edu/Areas/Pcard/
All the training sessions will be held in the Physical Plant Conference Room. Sessions are scheduled on:

June 9 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
July 9 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
August 4 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
 

Heidi Strobel, associate professor of art history, was awarded an Indiana Humanities and Indiana Landmarks Historic Preservation Education Grant. This grant will be used for educational materials relating to the Peters-Margedant House, a Usonian style structure which was designed and built by William Wesley Peters during his 1934-36 stay in Evansville. Peters attended Evansville College in the 1920s before going to MIT. He was also a close associate of Frank Lloyd Wright, eventually becoming the leader of Wright’s Taliesin Fellows.

Strobel was assisted in the grant writing process by her Museum and Gallery Studies class, UE grants manager Alicia Harris, and community activist James Renne. The Peters-Margedant House will be moving to campus later on this year. 

Helen Skuggedal Reed, Adjunct Instructor, Organ and Harpsichord, presented a recital, “The Livre d’orgue tradition and the Wolff organ at Redpath Hall,” for the International Conference of the Historical Keyboard Society of North America, held at McGill University, Montreal, Canada, May 21-24 2015.  She was also elected to a second term as Treasurer of the Society, which has over three hundred members worldwide.  For more information:  www.historicalkeyboardsociety.org

Chris Unzicker, 2015 graduate from the University of Evansville’s civil engineering program, finished first in the nation with his submission to the Daniel W. Mead Student Contest sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Unzicker was presented with the national award at a ceremony held Wednesday, May 27, on UE’s campus.

ASCE judges performed a blind review of the submissions and gave awards for the top five papers in this national competition. Universities from across the country submitted just one paper to represent their institution on the topic Should the Engineer of Record (who has a sealed set of plans) be held responsible, to any degree, for injury or death to builders or bystanders that occurs during the construction of his/her design?

Entries came from some of the top civil engineering programs in the nation.

“The competition was fierce,” says Dr. Brian Swenty, chair of the mechanical and civil engineering department at UE.

“To place in the top five is an honor, but Chris placed first in the nation! This speaks well of both Chris and the civil engineering program at UE,” he says.

All 15 of UE’s civil engineering 2015 seniors wrote submissions to the contest during the two-semester long senior capstone design sequence. Students submitted draft papers during the fall semester, which were graded and handed back. Students then revised the papers and resubmitted them early in the spring semester. From there, a panel of three judges performed a blind review and selected the best paper to represent UE. As the author of the best paper, Unzicker was given approximately two weeks to take the judges’ comments into consideration and make final edits to his paper before the submission deadline of March 1.

“This award is recognized as an individual achievement, but it’s really far from that,” says Unzicker. “I would not have won this award without the outstanding education I received at UE, and more importantly, it wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work and dedication the civil engineering professors showed my classmates and me throughout these four years.” 

Professor of Creative Writing William Baer’s full-length play, Lighthouse, has been chosen as one of this year’s winners of NewPlayFest, a national competition sponsored by AACT (The American Association of Community Theater).  The award will be announced on June 26th at the AACT Convention in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the play will receive a full production and a three-to-six night run at the Windsor Community Playhouse in Windsor, Colorado, later this year.

The Institute for Global Enterprise is pleased to announce the Global Scholars for the 2015-16 academic year.  Congratulations to Dr. Robert Dion, Department Chair of Law, Politics, and Society, and Associate Professor of Political Science;  Dr. Lora Becker, Associate Professor of Psychology; and Dr. Atefeh Yazdanparast, Assistant Professor of Marketing.  Each Global Scholar will receive a stipend and travel allowance.

Dr. Robert Dion
Department Chair, Law, Politics and Society
Associate Professor of Political Science

Dr. Dion will pursue original research into the treatment of religious groups in contemporary Western democracies.  Important cross-cultural tensions have flared up in recent years in Canada, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States – including right here in Indiana this year.  In many instances, the disputes have revolved around how to accommodate the wishes of religious minorities.  A comparative case study could yield a richer understanding of why some nations approach these matters in the ways that they do.

Dr. Lora Becker
Associate Professor of Psychology

Dr. Atefeh Yazdanparast
Assistant Professor of Marketing

Drs. Becker and Yazdanparast will collaborate on cross-cultural neuromarketing research examining emotional responses of citizens in a collectivist culture (China) as compared to those living in an individualistic culture (Australia).  They will be consulting with Rafal Ohme, PhD, Visiting Professor at Renmin, University of China; and Saman Khajehzadeh, PhD, Assistant Professor of Marketing and Mr. Lee Marquardt, Behavioral Laboratory Administrator, Department of Marketing, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia about neuromarketing techniques and procedures.

As Global Scholars, the recipients of this award will engage in scholarship, curriculum development, and activities related to preparing our students and community for global leadership, citizenry, and success. The Global Scholars program is supported by the John H. Schroeder Global Scholar Endowed Fund and Lilly Endowment Inc.

Missouri Valley Conference Commissioner Doug Elgin announced the championship sites for the 2015-16 season and the list features the University of Evansville hosting the 2015 Women’s Soccer and the 2015 Cross Country championships.

The 2015 MVC Women’s Soccer Championship will be hosted by UE at Arad McCutchan Stadium, on Nov. 6-8. The top six teams (of seven) advance to the championship, and the top two seeds receive a first-round bye. First-round games are on campus sites - Sunday, Nov. 1. The semifinals are Friday, Nov. 6, and the championship is Sunday, Nov. 8. The semifinals and final will air on ESPN3. The winner of the tournament receives an automatic bid to the 2015 NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship.

Last season, Illinois State won both the regular-season and MVC tournament titles and represented the MVC in the NCAAs, advancing to the second round for a second-straight year. Evansville was the runner-up, coming up just shy of earning the tournament championship last season on ISU’s home field in Normal. McCutchan Stadium opened as an exclusive soccer venue in 2000 and most recently hosted the MVC Women’s Championship in 2013. The 2,500-seat stadium features an enclosed press box and locker rooms.

Evansville will also play host to the Cross Country Championship. Set for October 31, the races will be held at the Angel Mounds Cross Country Course. The Purple Aces ran their first races at the facility in October of 2014 as the women’s team took top team honors in the race. Located on the southeast side of town, the course provides easy access for everyone with its close proximity to Interstate 69.

A full list of all championship sites for the 2015-16 school year is below.

2015-16 Missouri Valley Conference Championship Sites

Date Championship Site (Host School)
Oct. 2-4 Individual Tennis Championship (W) Springfield, Ill. (Bradley)
Oct. 31 Cross Country Championship (M/W) Evansville, Ind. (Evansville)
Nov. 1, 6-8 Soccer Championship (W) Evansville, Ind. (Evansville)
Nov. 11-13-15 Soccer Championship (M) Edwardsville, Ill. (SIU Edwardsville)
Nov. 26-28 Volleyball Championship Springfield, Mo. (Missouri State)
Feb. 17-20 Swimming & Diving Championship (W) Carbondale, Ill. (Southern Illinois)
Feb. 27-28 Indoor Track & Field (M/W) Cedar Falls, Iowa (UNI)
Mar. 3-6 Basketball Championship (M) St. Louis, Mo.
Mar. 10-13 Basketball Championship (W) Moline, Ill.
April 17-19 Golf Championship (W) Chicago, Ill. (Loyola)
April 25-26 Golf Championship (M) Hutchinson, Kan. (Wichita State)
A29-30, M1 Tennis Championship (M & W) Wichita, Kan. (Wichita State)
May 12-14 Softball Championship Carbondale, Ill. (Southern Illinois)
May 13-15 Outdoor Track & Field (M/W) Terre Haute, Ind. (Indiana State)
May 25-28 Baseball Championship Terre Haute, Ind. (Indiana State)

*The opening round of the MVC Women’s Soccer Championship will be on Sunday, Nov. 1, at campus sites.
 

University of Evansville senior Kevin Kaczmarski was named a 2015 Louisville Slugger NCAA Division I First Team All-American, in an announcement by Collegiate Baseball newspaper on Thursday morning. Kaczmarski is one of only 17 players in the country who were named First Team All-American.

The UE outfielder leads all Division I baseball players in batting average (.465), triples (nine), and triples per game (0.20). He is also second in the nation in on-base percentage (.543), second in slugging percentage (.746), fifth in runs batted in per game (1.24), 15th in hits (86), 19th in total bases (138), and 22nd in doubles per game (0.21)

A Cary, Ill. native, Kaczmarski led the Purple Aces this season in batting average (.465), hits (86), doubles (19), triples (nine), home runs (five), runs batted in (57), total bases (138), slugging percentage (.746), on-base percentage (.543), stolen bases (13), and fielding percentage (1.000).

Kaczmarski was the Missouri Valley Conference’s Joe Carter Player of the Year this season, the first Purple Ace in program history to receive the honor. He was also named First Team All-Conference, and selected to the MVC All-Defensive Team this spring. A three time MVC Player of the Week this season, Kaczmarski was also named NCBWA National Hitter of the Week (Apr. 28). He is also on the Dick Howser Trophy Watch List, a Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist and one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award.

This is the second Louisville Slugger postseason honor for Kaczmarski. He was the 10th player in program history to be named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American in 2012.

Kaczmarski is the eighth postseason All-American in program history, and first since current pitching coach Cody Fick was named a Louisville Slugger Second Team All-American in 2011.

For all of the latest information on Evansville baseball, log on to GoPurpleAces.com or follow the team’s Twitter account @UEAcesBaseball. 

A 2008 graduate of the University of Evansville, Geoffrey Keller gave everything he had to the program and led the way for the men as a team captain. Since his death in 2012, his family and friends have been doing their best to give back to him and benefit a cause that would have been important to him.

In September of 2012, at the age of 26, Geoff passed away due to a condition called malignant hyperthermia (MH). His family has set up an annual event called the Geoffrey Keller Memorial Open Water Swim and Virtual Swim. Funds raised from the event go to malignant hyperthermia research.

Set for Saturday, June 6 at Lincoln Trail State Park in Marshall, Ill., the event will feature two races. Wave 1 is a 2.4 mile race while the second is 1.2 miles.

Keller graduated from UE in 2008 after a stellar diving career that saw him spend time as the team captain. Head coach Rickey Perkins remembers Keller as someone who was a great person and would do anything to help others.

“Geoff was a wonderful teammate, athlete, and friend,” Perkins said. “The type of teammate that would give you the shirt off his back. There was not a person who did not admire him for skills, sense of humor and kindness.”

For more information on Geoff, the event or to donate, please visit the link above.

http://my.mhaus.org/events/event_details.asp?id=580497