The EVPAA Search Committee has met and discussions are underway to develop a proposal to the president for his consideration. We hope you will answer one last (short) survey which can be accessed at the following site:

https://uesurvey.evansville.edu/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=88KM454L

Again, we appreciate your feedback as we move forward to fill this important position at the University of Evansville.

Dale Edwards
Chair, EVPAA Search Committee

The University of Evansville will host a visit February 29 - March 2, with a team representing its regional accrediting agency, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).

The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is the largest of the six regional accreditation agencies in the United States. It serves higher educational institutions in nineteen states stretching from Arizona to West Virginia.

To make determinations about accreditation, the Commission has established the Criteria for Accreditation, standards of quality that institutions are expected to address. The Criteria emerge out of a set of guiding values that are grounded in shared tenets of the academic community.

Because the standards against which UE will be evaluated are common expectations at colleges and universities, looking at our policies, practices and outcomes will be more than just an exercise in accountability. It will be an opportunity for us to respond to those things that matter both to us at UE and to the larger higher education community.

The HLC’s guiding values undergird the specific criteria and requirements that UE will be expected to demonstrate. More complete explanations for each may be found in the New Criteria for Accreditation.

Click here to learn more about the HLC and what to expect during the visit or follow along on social media using #HLCatUE or #myUEdegree. 

Come and watch Evansville's nerdiest event of the year! Nerd Wars begins in Eykamp Hall tonight at 7:00 p.m. and is free to spectators. Come see UE's smartest students don their pocket protectors and match wits with their professors! Let the trivia begin! 

It's time for I-House again! This week, Amina from Morocco will be presenting. Her major is engineering management, and she loves photography. Her favorite part about UE is being with her roommate! To learn more about Amina and her life back home, come upstairs in Ridgway University Center, tonight at 7:00 p.m.! 

This evening's recital will feature Oramay Cluthe Eades Distinguished Professor of Music and Violin Carol Dallinger in a program of works from the Baroque to the Modern era. Dallinger will be joined by various Department of Music faculty members and local musicians throughout the program.

The concert will open with a performance of Handel’s Violin Sonata in D Minor, HWV 364a, with adjunct instructor of harpsichord Helen Skuggedal Reed and adjunct instructor of cello Jennifer Wingert providing the basso continuo accompaniment.

Consortium instructor of flute Cara Dailey will then join Dallinger for a performance of César Cui’s Five Small Duets for Flute and Piano, Op. 56, with professor of piano Anne Hastings Fiedler accompanying the duo.

Fiedler will then accompany Dallinger in performances of Amy Marcy Beach’s Romance for Violin and Piano, Op. 23, and Harry Mathena Gilbert’s Marionettes.

For the final work, Eykamp String Quartet violinists Robert Anemone and Alicia Choi and EPO violinist Kathryn Savia will join  Dallinger for a performance of twentieth-century Polish composer Grayna Bacewicz’s Quartet for Four Violins.

The recital will take place in Wheeler Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public. 

How do you build an argument? Learn an approach for coming up with ideas, relating them to the thesis, and organizing them logically. Join us today at 5:00 p.m. in the Writing Center for this useful session. 

All are welcome to join the Newman Club for its weekly dinner discussion this Monday at 5:00 p.m. at the Newman Center. This week, UE professor emeritus Jerry Seng will be presenting "Promises Kept," an inspiring talk on the profound effects of the love that you have to give.

Seng's talk has been a popular one for many years, and we hope that you can join us! Please call/text Kristel at 812-760-8610 for more information!
 

On Monday, February 15, UNICEF Campus Initiative will be hosting a bake sale in order to raise funds for "Friends of Dago." This Indiana non-profit organization focuses on providing child welfare, education, health, housing, economic empowerment, and mentorship for children in Kenya.

We'll be having cake pops, Oreo balls, key lime pie, and brigadeiros. Make sure to stop by our table in Ridgway University Center from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. and spread the love this Valentine's season!
 

NSLS new member orientation is Monday, February 15, from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. in Room 173, Schroeder School of Business Building. Those unable to attend can attend the second orientation on Thursday, February 18, from 8:00 - 9:00 p.m. in the Schroeder School of Business Building.

The Department of Philosophy and Religion, the UE College Democrats, Tri-State Jobs with Justice, and the Southwest Indiana Chapter of Hoosiers for a Common Sense Health Plan are co-sponsoring a showing of the documentary, “Fix It: Healthcare at the Tipping Point”, followed by an open discussion. The documentary will be shown on Thursday, February 25, at 7:00 p.m., in Room 162, Schroeder School of Business Building. The event is free and open to the public. 

Despite the passage of the Affordable Care Act, the skyrocketing costs of health care to both individuals and businesses continue to rise at a significantly higher rate than the cost of living as well as growth in the GDP. That places a debilitating strain on the economy, not to mention the nation’s health. Can this level of increasing costs be sustained, while still moving toward universal coverage? What can be done about it? This documentary will discuss these questions.

For any questions, contact UE professor emeritus Dick Connolly at 812-479-1298 or at dc25@evansville.edu.
 

There will be a PT Club meeting at noon today, in Room 104, Graves Hall. Remember, you must attend two meetings a semester in order to maintain your status as a member of the club. 

This is a reminder to all Spring 2016 graduates to attend Commencement Central to finalize graduation plans. It only takes a few minutes to complete, and you can do it either Monday, February 29, from 4:00-6:00 p.m., upstairs in Ridgway University Center, or on Tuesday, March 1, from 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., outside the UE Bookstore in Ridgway University Center. You'll meet with representatives from the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations, Office of the Registrar, and the Center for Career Development. You can also purchase your cap and gown and/or order graduation announcements, all in one stop. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend. 

Students who have received federal direct (subsidized/unsubsidized) loans and plan to graduate in the spring or summer (or transfer after the spring semester) are required to attend a Loan Repayment Counseling Session. The Office of Financial Aid will hold the first session of the semester on Monday, February 29, at 6:00 p.m. in Eykamp Hall, Room 251, Ridgway University Center. Other session dates are April 27, at 2:00 p.m., and May 6, at 11:30 a.m.

You are invited to join us today at 4:00 p.m. in the Melvin Peterson Gallery to hear Steve Yates speak at the Creative Writing Wahnita DeLong Reading Coffee Hour.

Yates has been granted three Literary Arts fellowships from the Mississippi Arts Commission - two for his fiction and one for his creative nonfiction. He is the recipient of an individual artist's grant from the Arkansas Arts Council for his fiction as well.

In 2010 Moon City Press published his novel, Morkan's Quarry. Portions of Morkan's Quarry first appeared in Missouri Review, Ontario Review, and South Carolina Review. A novella-length excerpt was a finalist for the Pirate's Alley Faulkner Society William Faulkner/Wisdom Award for the Best Novella. Moon City Press published the sequel, The Teeth of the Souls, in March 2015. Two excerpts from it appeared in Missouri Review, one in Elder Mountain: A Journal of Ozarks Studies, and a novella-length excerpt appeared in Kansas Quarterly/Arkansas Review.

All faculty, staff, and students are invited to the dedication of the renovated Bower-Suhrheinrich Library today from 1:00 - 1:30 p.m. The dedication will take place inside the Paul '71 and Patricia '72 Jones Information Commons. Tours and reception to follow. RSVP online here.

The main entrance of the library will be closed to entry during the dedication. Please use the side doors to enter the library during this time.

Don't wait until it is too late to register for Career Expo. Signing up gives you access to 130 employers together at one free event.

Event Details

• Thursday, February 18
• 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Eastern
• Downtown Indianapolis Marriott

Don't worry about how you'll get there, because UE will provide bus transportation. A $10 required deposit is refundable upon attendance. Reserve your seat now (www.evansville.edu/careercenter/busReservationForm.cfm).

Fair registration is through UE JobLink (evansville-csm.symplicity.com/). Click the Jobs Tab -> CSM Jobs -> Posting #722252.

Find a list of registered employers here: cccc-in.org/event-2060555.

Need assistance with your job, internship, co-op or graduate school search? Please contact the Center for Career Development: career@evansville.edu or 812-488-1083.
 

With an academic program firmly in place, by 1919 student activities were developed on campus. The first of these to become a reality was a student newspaper, the Crescent, a name suggested by the faculty supervisor, George B. Franklin, because of Evansville's location at a crescent-shaped bend in the Ohio River.

Continuing along the path well established by Moores Hill, Evansville College was also deeply concerned with the character and conduct of its students. As early as 1920, the "College Bulletin" contained the following stern warning: "Students who seek only a good time, and who mistake the social activities of the campus for the serious business of hard study and the mental discipline acquired by the mastery of their study, are not especially urged to attend Evansville College."

The prohibition against dancing at campus functions was highly controversial during the 1920s, with articles and editorials critical of the administration's position appearing frequently in the Crescent. By 1928, President Harper felt that the Board of Trustees needed to take a firm stand one way or the other on the issue and indicated that he was not personally opposed to dancing as a social diversion. The Board's decision was to pass the matter back to the president and faculty. Finally, after many years of student agitation, the prohibition was abolished in 1931 and dancing quickly became an integral part of the College's social program.

Smoking was prohibited on campus until 1940, when Evening College started and adults wished more freedom than that granted to traditional college-age students.... Students were encouraged to use the restrooms for smoking or were urged to smoke outside the buildings.

In the early 1950s, the College enacted a ban on playing cards on campus before 2:00 p.m. Many students were outraged, but college officials argued that the policy was necessary because too many students were found playing cards during the day when they were supposed to be in class.

(Excerpts taken from George Klinger's, We Face the Future Unafraid)
 

Road Trip hosts and their roommates are required to attend one of the host meetings this week. You and your roommate do not have to attend the same meeting. Meetings are offered:

Tuesday, February 16, at 5:00 p.m. or 9:00 p.m. in Cokes Lecture Hall, Room 126, Hyde Hall

Wednesday, February 17, at 5:00 p.m. or 9:00 p.m. in Cokes Lecture Hall, Room 126, Hyde Hall

If you have any questions, please contact Ashley Ross (aj53@evansville.edu) or Jonathan Kelly (jk115@evansville.edu).

Thank you for hosting!
 

The University of Evansville, in pursuit of excellence in service, wishes to recognize a non-faculty employee displaying records of achievement as a leader.  Leadership may be demonstrated in any of the following areas: service to the University, service to students, job performance, and attitude toward fellow employees.  To be eligible, an employee must be a full-time member of administration or staff.  Nominations for the March 2016 Employee of the Month are due no later than Wednesday, February 17.  To nominate someone, please go to: acelink.evansville.edu/tools/employeeaward.

Students who have been members of a United Methodist Church for at least one year with a GPA of 2.5 or higher are encouraged to apply for the United Methodist General Scholarship. Applications are available at www.gbhem.org/scholarshipapplication. Deadline to apply is March 1. 

Anthony Beavers (professor of philosophy and director of the Cognitive Science Modeling Lab) and Justin Slattery (senior major in philosophy, creative writing, and English) completed their chapter, "On the Moral Implications and Restrictions Surrounding Affective Computing," for inclusion in Affective Sciences in Human Factors and Human-Computer Interaction, edited by Myounghoon Jeon and to be published by Elsevier.

Abstract: Building simulated affects into artifacts poses a moral dilemma. On the one hand, in order for humans to interact fully with machines, the machines need to meet them on human terms, and this requires machines that are capable of assessing human affective states and responding to them in kind. On the other hand, doing so amounts to a fundamental deception that humans will find it hard to keep in mind, namely that these machines do not actually have these affective states and may not, therefore, be worthy of our attachment and our moral regard. Yet, simulated affects, we argue, are necessary for creating machines that can make moral decisions, that affects are essential for disambiguating the utterances of machines and humans, and that not all forms of deception are bad. After an initial provocation, these arguments are taken up in order, after which we argue further that while simulated affects are necessary, they could nonetheless lead to abuse. Therefore, the standard ethical limits and principles involved with any technological innovation must be respected.

The Office of Development and Alumni Relations would like to congratulate Scott Gilreath on his recent promotion to the position of Director of Development. Scott joined the University of Evansville’s Development team in 2010 and has since served as the director of annual and corporate giving. Over the course of the last year, he has also served as the project director for fundraising for the Physician Assistant Program. In Scott’s new role, he will oversee corporate, annual, and major giving. Congratulations, Scott! 

Faculty and  staff may pick up their complimentary tickets for this weekend's men's and women's basketball games.

The women's basketball team will face off against Wichita State at 7:00 p.m. on Friday and against Missouri State at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.

The men's basketball team will face off against Southern Illinois at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.

All faculty and staff must present a valid UE ID when they pick up their tickets. Please visit Carson Center Ticket Office or call ext. 2237 for more information.
 

D.J. Balentine hit the game winner while a monster game by Egidijus Mockevicius saw him finish with 24 points and 16 rebounds as the University of Evansville men’s basketball team hung on for a 74-73 victory over Loyola at Gentile Arena on Sunday.

Mockevicius led UE (20-7, 9-5 MVC) with 24 points and 16 boards, both game highs. He drained 11 of his 14 shots and had a season-high seven blocks. D.J. Balentine finished with 16 points while Jaylon Brown (12) and Blake Simmons (11) also registered double figures. For the Aces, it marks the first time they have won 20 regular-season games since 1999.

“I’m awful proud of our guys, its been a tough stretch for us. The first half was one of the best we played in a while. Give Loyola credit, they battled back and never gave up,” UE head coach Marty Simmons said. “We did not execute as good at the end of the game, but I told the team after the game that they bailed us out.”

Pacing the Ramblers (12-14, 5-9 MVC) was Devon Turk. He tallied 22 points, hitting seven shots and all six of his free throw attempts. Earl Peterson also finished in double digits, posting 15.

Egidijus Mockevicius had a dominant first half of play, draining 9 of his 12 attempts to finish with 19 points and 7 rebounds in his 17 minutes of first-half action. Blake Simmons got the squad rolling, hitting a pair of triples to give the Aces an early 11-2 lead.

Just as fast as UE got the quick start, the Ramblers battled right back. Devon Turk notched two triples of his own to help LUC tie the score up at 15-15. With the game standing at a 17-17 tie at the 11:16 mark, the Aces scored 14 points in a row. Mislav Brzoja had a triple in the run while D.J. Balentine converted an and-one as UE hit 6-of-7 attempts in the stretch.

The contest remained in double figures for the duration of the half as Mockevicius capped it off with a tip in at the buzzer to give UE a 50-36 advantage. Turk was the star for Loyola in the opening period, posting 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting.

An old-fashioned 3-point play by Mockevicius helped the Aces score the first five points out of the break to take their largest lead at 55-36 with 18:26 remaining in the contest. Neither offense was able to keep up its torrid first-half pace as the Rambler defense helped carve into the UE lead. With just over six minutes remaining, Loyola cut the gap to ten points for the first time since the first half as a Milton Doyle 3-point play made it a 65-55 game.

Simmons ended the stretch with a pair of free throws to enter double figures for the day, but Loyola kept battling. With 3:10 left, Turk struck again. His and-one cut the deficit to just seven (70-63) with three minutes on the clock. On the ensuing possession, things got even closer. Turk connected on two free throws following a UE technical foul and Montel James hit two more to make it a 70-67 game.

The lead was cut down to just one on a James layup with 1:29 left that made it a 72-71 game. He hit another one with 30 seconds left that gave LUC its first lead at 73-72. Balentine punched back seconds later as his teardrop in the lane put Evansville back on top. With ten seconds left, Loyola got the ball back down by one before being called for a 5-second call, giving the ball back to the Aces. On the inbound pass, the Ramblers wrestled the ball away to get one final possession with six seconds left. Tenacious defense by the Aces saw them force a tough Milton Doyle shot that fell just short, giving UE the 74-73 win.

A trip to Des Moines, Iowa, awaits the Purple Aces as they will head there to play Drake on Wednesday evening in an 8:00 p.m. contest.

Another stellar pitching effort saw the University of Evansville softball team finish its opening weekend with a 4-1 record after defeating Eastern Michigan by a 3-1 final on Sunday morning at the Trojan Invite.

“Overall, it was a great start to our season.  I think we learned a lot about what our team is capable of.  It starts with our defense; if we continue to play defense at a high level, it helps us in all areas,” UE head coach Mat Mundell said.  “The pitchers did a tremendous job in all five games.  Offensively, we will continue to battle on each pitch and work on our situational hitting.  I can’t wait to get back out on the diamond!”

Amanda Blankenship went one inning in the start while Emily Lockhart, who pitched four scoreless innings, was credited with the win.  Morgan Florey completed the game, going the final two innings to earn her second save of the weekend.

Offensively, Michal Luckett continued her strong start in the opening weekend, going 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.  Danielle Freeman and Kristin Koepke also recorded hits.

With Eastern Michigan holding a 1-0 lead, Evansville saw the tying run cross the plate in the bottom of the third as a Freeman double sent in Tess Hupe to tie the game.  With the score tied at 1-1, UE posted what would be the winning runs in the fifth.  Luckett broke the tie with a double to plate Ashlee Kawall.  Later, a fly out to center by Freeman brought Luckett home.

Next weekend, UE heads to the Tennessee State Tiger Classic where they will face Tennessee State, East Tennessee State, Louisiana-Monroe, Butler, and Northern Kentucky.

In Saturday’s action at the Trojan Invite, the University of Evansville softball team split a pair of games, defeating Alabama State by a 2-0 final before falling to Troy by a 5-4 final in walk-off fashion in game two.

“I am extremely proud of the way our ladies played today,” Aces head coach Mat Mundell said.  “In the first game, our pitching was amazing.  Against Troy, I thought we were the aggressors all game.  We battled on every single pitch, which is a theme for the season.  If we play like that, we will have a fun year.”

Morgan Lambert recorded three of UE’s four hits in game one, going a perfect 3-3 from the plate while knocking in both of the Aces’ runs.  Amanda Blankenship got the job done with her pitching, allowing just one hit in her five innings of work.  She struck out six batters.  Morgan Florey went the final two innings, fanning four on her way to the save.

Evansville grabbed the lead in the bottom of the first.  Danielle Freeman reached the base paths via a double and was brought home on a 2-base hit from Lambert.  Blankenship kept the Hornets off the board as the Aces continued to hold the 1-0 lead until the 6th inning.  That is when Lambert struck again.  With one out, she posted her first home run of the season to give the Aces a 2-0 lead heading into the 7th.  Florey finished it up from there, sitting ASU down in order to clinch the win.

In game two, a battle down to the wire saw Troy walk it off to take a 5-4 win.  Evansville opened the scoring in the top of the second as Olivia Cheatham singled to right to plate Kristin Koepke.  Another run was added in the next frame as Chandra Parr doubled to center to score Danielle Freeman.

Troy remained scoreless until the bottom of the fourth when a 3-run home run saw them take a 3-2 advantage.  In the next half inning, the Aces tied it right back up as a Lambert ground out scored Tess Hupe, who walked earlier in the inning.  Two innings later, a Freeman single put the lead back into UE’s hands, but two Troy runs in the bottom of the inning saw them grab the walk-off win.
 

The University of Evansville Women’s Tennis Team (1-4, 0-0 MVC) was able to pick up their first victory of the season on Friday over the Alabama A&M Lady Bulldogs.  The Aces were able to take every match with the exception of flight one singles to secure the 6-1 victory.  UE followed that up with a trip to Chattanooga where they took on the Lady Mocs.  Chattanooga was able to defeat the Aces by a score of 7-0.

The Bulldogs of Alabama A&M were handed their second straight loss at the hands of the Aces.  All players of the Aces were able to secure much needed victories.  To follow on that, all but one were able to secure both their singles and doubles victory. 

Coach Jayson Wiseman said, "It was good to get out first win of the season and our team played well in both doubles and singles to earn the victory."

A very good Chattanooga team was able to sweep the Aces by a score of 7-0.  Marine Darzyan and Marina Moreno were able to put up a fight at flight one doubles, taking the loss to Kayla Jones and Kelsey Coots by a score of 7-5.

Coach Wiseman added,"Chattanooga has a very strong team and it showed today.  We just did not have quite enough firepower to hang with them today.  The last couple road trips have been good preparation for our most extensive trip of the season and hopefully we have learned some things that will benefit our team the remainder of the season."

As eluded to by Coach Wiseman, the Aces will go on a very extensive road trip next weekend.  They will compete on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with matches against IUPUI, Ball State, Findlay, Wright State, Capital, and Ohio Wesleyan.  The Aces first home action will come on February 27 when they host UT Martin and Eastern Illinois at Tri-State Athletic Club.
 

The University of Evansville softball team opened up the 2016 campaign with a pair of victories on Friday as they defeated Eastern Michigan (6-5) and Alabama State (7-5) to start the year at 2-0 in the opening contests of the Trojan Invite.

“I thought our pitchers came out and did a great job.  They kept us in both games and were able to keep hitters off balance,” UE head coach Mat Mundell said.  “I could not have asked for to better games to open with.  In the first game, we got to go to extra innings and work on playing with pressure.  In the second game, we got ourselves into a hole and had to battle back to get the win.  Both were games we could build off of.”

Game one saw a pair of freshmen play large roles in the win.  Tess Hupe opened her career playing left field as she went 2-5 with a pair of runs scored.  Fellow frosh Morgan Florey picked up the win, pitching the final four innings as the Aces were able to come from behind for the win.

Amanda Blankenship made the start, going four innings as she gave up three runs.  Florey took over, fanning eight Eagle batter in her four innings of work. 

UE got on the board with one run in the third and one in the fourth innings.  Chandra Parr doubled in the first run of the year, plating Hupe.  One inning later, Ashlee Kawall gave the Aces a 2-1 lead, scoring on an error.

Eastern Michigan scored twice in the bottom of the fourth to take a 3-1 lead before the Aces knotted it up in the fifth frame.  The contest remained scoreless until the 8th inning when Evansville took control, scoring three times.  Olivia Cheatham broke the 3-3 tie with a double in the top of the 8th before Michal Luckett hit the first home run of the year for UE to give the squad a 6-3 advantage.  EMU was able to score twice in the bottom of the inning before Florey secured the win by forcing a pair of pop outs.

Daniell Freeman was the star of the second game, going 3-for-4 with four RBI and three runs scored.  Luckett registered three hits while Hupe finished the game 2-4 with a pair of runs as UE earned a 7-5 win over Alabama State.

Evansville fell into an 0-4 hole as the Hornets scored four times in the bottom of the second.  In the top of the fourth, UE got on the board as a Morgan Lambert doubled in Freeman, who notched a double of her own earlier in the frame.

After sitting the Hornets down in the bottom of the fourth, Evansville’s offense took the lead for good in the fifth.  Hupe got it rolling with an RBI double to left, plating Kawall, who reach on an error to lead off the inning.  Next up was Freeman, who tripled to right to add two more runs.  Freeman crossed the plate on an error, marking the fourth run of the inning, to give Evansville a 5-4 lead.

Two insurance runs were added by UE in the seventh as they were able to hang on for the 7-5 victory.  Blankenship made the start, going three innings before Emily Lockhart made her debut with four innings of work.  She gave up one run on three hits.