The Office of Accounting/Payroll will be issuing W-2’s for 2014 no later than January 31, 2015. We are pleased to announce that you can choose one of two options to receive your W-2:

• Electronic W-2 – If you provide your consent, you will receive an e-mail notification via AceNotes Extra that your W-2 is ready to view/print on WebAdvisor.

• Paper W-2 – If you prefer, you can continue to receive a paper W-2 in the mail, as you have in the past.

Among the advantages of electronic W-2’s: (1) you will have access to your W-2 a couple days earlier than a paper copy that is mailed to your home (2) you can print as many copies of the W-2 as you need. The electronic W-2 is IRS compliant and can be submitted with your tax return.

To take advantage of the electronic W-2 option, you must log onto WebAdvisor and select the option “W-2 Electronic Consent”. Click the first radio button to give your consent. You will not receive paper W-2 in the mail if you select the electronic W-2 option.

If you choose to withhold your consent to view/print your online W-2, a paper copy will be prepared and mailed to you at your home address.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Gloria Spencer at ext. 2159. 

There will be an informational meeting for students interested in joining either WUEV (UE's campus radio station) or AcesTV (UE's student-run video group) TODAY -  January 15 - at 5 pm. The meeting will take place outside of the WUEV/AcesTV Studios on the second floor of the Ridgway Center.

On-air radio positions are available this semester in WUEV's various music genres (top 40, hip-hop, alternative rock, jazz, blues, world music, Christian rock) and sports. Positions with AcesTV are also readily available. No experience is necessary and all majors are welcome.
 

One person CAN make a difference! See how you can help improve our rivers and streams in Bower-Surheinrich Library - display case behind circulation desk. Also, check out the UE Storm Water webpage at http://www.evansville.edu/offices/administrativeservices/stormwater.cfm

The Department of Music will host its annual Brass Day this Sunday, January 18. All area student brass players are invited to attend. Activities will begin at 9:30 a.m. and will include masterclasses, a solo competition, and concerts featuring the UE brass faculty, the Shepard Brass Quintet, the brass section of the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, the Bend in the River Brass Band, UE Trumpet Choir, UE Horn Choir, and the UE Brass Ensemble. The day’s activities will conclude around 9:30 p.m. Registration for the day is $25.

The Department of Music will celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. day with a recital by the Harlaxton Quintet in Wheeler Concert Hall at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, January 19. The program will consist of music by American and African American composers, including Samuel Barber, Fisher Tull, and Valerie Coleman. Assistant Professor of Voice Eric McCluskey will also join the faculty ensemble for an arrangement of various American folksongs. The concert is free and open to the public.
 

The Honors Program is hosting Nerd Wars trivia night on Tuesday, February 17 at 7 pm in Eykamp Hall, Ridgway University Center. 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 Koch 238, or sign up by clicking here. 

Entry fee is $5.00 per person.

Those who are unable to compose a team of five may still register and will be matched to make a team. The registration deadline is January 28. Any questions can be emailed to Matthew at mb338.

There will be an informational meeting on January 20 at 4:30 pm in Room 240 in Graves Hall. For those who cannot attend this meeting, there will be another meeting on January 21 at 7:00 pm in Room 240, Graves Hall. These meetings will provide information and answer questions concerning the 15-day, 3 credit hour Dominican Republic study abroad course offering (ID 380). Three UE faculty (Jerrilee LaMar, John Layer, & Rick Deer) will co-teach the multidisciplinary student team in this applied process development experiential course conducted in Santiago, Dominican Republic. Students will get an opportunity to assist the people of the Dominican Republic in enhancing a planned medical clinic process while collaborating with an international client and local residents. Please contact one of the above faculty if you are interested but cannot attend either of these meetings. 

In order to better understand the religious needs of the UE community, the Offices of Diversity and Equity, Religious Life, and International Programs have scheduled a series of Religious Diversity Dialogues in January and February. All members of the campus community are invited to attend a one-hour informational discussion by selecting the session that best identifies his/her religious affiliation. For example, if your religious affiliation is Jewish, you would attend the January 29 session; if you consider yourself spiritual, but not religious, you would attend the February 19 session, and so on. Your input is important and will help us understand how best to serve the religious community at UE.

Please plan to attend the session that best identifies your own religious affiliation.

All sessions meet at 7:00 p.m. in Room 170 (Smythe Lecture Hall), Schroeder School of Business Building

Thursday, January 22:   Eastern Religions (Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Tao, Shinto, Jain, Bahá’í, etc.)
Thursday, January 29:   Judaism
Thursday, February 5:    Christianity
Thursday, February 12:  Islam
Thursday, February 19:  Spiritual, but not Religious

For more information, please email: lw161@evansville.edu, tg85@evansville.edu, or wm23@evansville.edu. 

The 1964-1965 Aces men's basketball team went undefeated and won the national championship. The 50th anniversary of accomplishment will be celebrated January 23 and 24. On Friday, January 23, an opening reception will be held for the exhibit, Winning Them All: Evansville Aces 1964-1965 at the Evansville Museum of Arts, History, and Science from 6 - 8 p.m. RSVP online at www.uealumnionline.com/1965acesmuseum. The exhibit runs January 25 - April 19.

On Saturday, January 24, "A Conversation with the 1964-1965 Aces" will take place at the Old National Events Plaza at 12:30 p.m. Team members will share their stories of that amazing season with Mike Blake serving as emcee. A book signing will follow.

Then the Aces take on the original opponent, SIU, at 3:05 p.m. Team members will be recognized at half time.

For more information visit http://www.evansville.edu/alumni/reunionWeekendsAces1965.cfm, contact alumni@evansville.edu or call extension 2586.
 

Do you love to cook or bake? Do you value community service/outreach to the less fortunate? Maybe you're a whiz at planning social events? Bring it on! Whatever your gifts; whatever it is you enjoy; we'd be blessed by having you share them with us! Contact newly appointed Newman Club campus minister Kristel Riffert at kr53 or text/call 812-760-8610. 

Storm sewer installation along Division Street will again impact Weinbach Avenue traffic beginning on or after Monday, Jan. 19, weather permitting.

Through traffic on Weinbach Avenue will be detoured over Franklin Street, Boeke Road and Walnut Street. Existing Lloyd Expressway entrance and exit ramps will remain open, but will only connect with Weinbach Avenue to the south.

Weinbach Avenue is anticipated to reopen in February depending upon weather and conflicts with other utility lines. When the new U.S. 41 and Lloyd Expressway cloverleaf interchange is completed later this year, storm runoff will be collected in dry detention ponds inside the looping ramps and conveyed through a new storm sewer pipe along Division Street.

Experience the excitement of British theatre at the University of Evansville Harlaxton College Summer Session 2015. Since 1996, UE theatre faculty have been offering this unique opportunity to students. Over a 100 students have gained insight about Britain and the theatre, and satisfied one of their required electives by enrolling in Theatre 110: An Introduction to the Theatre.

Those who enroll in this class for Summer 2015 will see as many as seven plays in 5-weeks, from London's West End, to Shakespeare's Stratford, to professional theatres a short drive from Harlaxton. Students in this class will get to visit the towns and cities, meet the artists and see a variety of plays both modern and classic. In addition, they will enjoy living for 5-weeks in spectacular Harlaxton Manor in the English countryside.

For more information, contact Joseph Flauto, professor emeritus of theatre, at jl33@evansville.edu

Priority deadline for Harlaxton Summer 2015 applications is January 23. Forms and course listings available http://www.harlaxton.ac.uk/academics/summer.cfm or in Office of Study Abroad, Room 261, Schroeder School of Business Building. 

Applications for Harlaxton College Fall 2015 continue to be accepted and reviewed on a space-available basis. Contact studyabroad@evansville.edu or pick up application in Office of Study Abroad, SB 261. 

The Indiana State Sales Tax Exemption Certificate for 2015 is now available on three AceLink Area websites (Accounting & Audit, Purchasing and Pcard) for your convenience under Forms & Instructions. 

Interested in sacred spaces and how they reflect and shape religious beliefs and practice? Want insight into global religious traditions in a global setting? Looking for a unique interfaith experience with fieldwork at mosques, cathedrals, and temples? Sign up today for summer at Harlaxton course, REL 212 "Living World Religions: A Global Interfaith Pilgrimage." Includes travel scholarship for all students who enroll. Satisfies Enduring Foundations Outcome 4 and Overly A. If you've already taken REL 212, you may take this course as REL 380, "Sacred Spaces and Their Liturgies." The two courses will meet together, with assignments shaped differently for the two courses. For more information contact Tammy Gieselman, tg85@evansville.edu or Dianne Oliver, do9@evansville.edu. 

The Office of Diversity Initiatives will give away 4 seats (2 for students/2 for faculty and staff members) for an upcoming Montgomery to Selma Tour sponsored by the Evansville African American Museum on March 6-8. The trip includes bus transportation, museum admissions, 2 meals, and hotel stay. The trip will visit the Rosa Parks Museum, the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, and other historical churches and landmarks. Entries can be filled out in Olmsted Hall, Room 241, from Tuesday through Friday at 5:00 pm. Winners will be announced the evening of the William G. and Rose M. Mays Lectureship in Eykamp 251, Ridgway University Center, on Monday, January 19 as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration on campus.

Winners must be present to claim the prize.

For more information please contact LaNeeca Williams at lw161 or ext. 2413.
 

Looking for a terrific way to be involved this semester?

The Office of Diversity Initiatives is looking for volunteers to be a part of the Rosa Parks Reenactment Tours planned on Monday, January 19 from 2-5 pm for the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebrations. The six tours will need actors to fill seats and have limited to no speaking parts as we reenact the historical day when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in 1955. Each tour will run about 20 minutes total with a different tour every 1/2 hour.

If you can help on any of the tour times please contact our office. All volunteers and their time are appreciated.

Practice will be held on Wednesday and Thursday of this week from 6:30 -8:00 pm. in Room 203 (J Henry Schroeder Boardroom) in the Library. Please email LaNeeca Williams at lw161 if interested, if you have questions and for the location of practice.
 

Students are able to adjust their meal plans for the spring semester until Friday, January 16 at 5:00 p.m. Adjustments can be made by going to the Dining section of the Residence Life website. http://www.evansville.edu/residencelife/mealplans.cfm

Are you are interested in making a real impact in the lives of your fellow students while learning about yourself and developing your skills? Consider applying to be a Resident Assistant for the 2015-16 year.

Information sessions will be January 15, and 20 at 9:00 pm in Schroeder School of Business, room 71. Stop by to learn more about the position and pick up an application. Or contact any member of the Residence Life staff.

Applications and reference materials are available in editable formats and are conveniently located on our Website at: http://www.evansville.edu/residencelife/raProgram.cfm .
 

An article co-authored by Matthew Knoester, assistant professor of education, and Paul Parkison, associate professor of education, entitled "Where is Citizenship Education in the Age of Common Core State Standards?" will appear in an upcoming edition of the journal Critical Education. The article shows that educational reforms in recent decades have focused on jobs and the economy to the detriment of serious citizenship education and suggests that political discourse and engagement have suffered as a result. 

UE professor of history and local cartoonist James MacLeod, joined other cartoonists around the globe to create a drawing in response to the attacks on the satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo, in Paris last week. The message struck a chord with media from around the globe as his cartoon went viral, appearing on the website homepages of such notable outlets as CNN, The Wall Street Journal, TIME, Huffington Post, BBC, Washington Post, CBS Face the Nation and more.

He even appeared in live interviews on the subject, including one with MSNBC where he says his drawing illustrates that “ideas and creativity is a more powerful force than violence”.

Click here to view the full interview from MSNBC.

MacLeod did interviews with several other print, web, television and radio outlets including Voice of America, Salon.com, WRTV, WFYI, WIBC, Indianapolis Monthly, and 14news, Eyewitness News and the Courier and Press locally.

Click here for a full list of all the places Dr. Macleod’s cartoon was featured as well as links to the many interviews he did on the subject.

Senior religion major Tyler Best preached at the National Festival of Young Preachers, January 2-5 in Dallas, Texas. It was the largest Festival since the inaugural Festival in Louisville, KY in 2011. More than 130 Young Preachers from across the nation participated in the historic event at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University and the Highland Park United Methodist Church.

University Chaplain Tamara Gieselman is a member of the Board of Advisors to the Academy of Preachers. Gieselman has been involved with the Academy and the National Festival since 2010 and attended the National Festival in January, serving as a sermon evaluator and preaching mentor/coach.

The National Festival of Young Preachers sponsored by the Academy of Preachers is the most ecumenical preaching event in the country. A broad range of denominations are represented including, but not limited to, Ethiopian Orthodox, United Methodist, Assembly of God, Disciples of Christ, Lutheran, Baptist, Presbyterian, and United Church of Christ. The Festival is designed specifically for young preachers between the ages of 16 and 28 who aspire to be preachers of the gospel.

The Academy of Preachers is an ecumenical initiative launched in 2009 through a generous grant from the Lilly Endowment and energized by the conviction that preaching is a vocation of public and social significance, a calling worthy of our very best and brightest young people. The Academy of Preachers is a trans-denominational organization whose mission is to identify, network, inspire and support young people who sense God’s leading into a vocation of gospel preaching. For more information go to: www.academyofpreachers.com
 

Dale Edwards and Cris Hochwender, professors of biology, will be teaching courses for the Indiana Master Naturalist program. Their topics will include the ecological framework for the program, tree identification training, and the negative impacts of human activity on natural resources. The Indiana Master Naturalist program brings together natural resource specialists with adult learners to foster an understanding of Indiana's plants, waters, soils and wildlife and to promote volunteer service in local communities. People with a passion for the natural world can take this opportunity to build their knowledge and skills. For more information contact Gena Garrett at
ggarrett@wesselmannaturesociety.org.

The University of Evansville women’s basketball team (8-7, 3-1) starts the weekend with a road game at the Illinois State Redbirds on Friday, Jan. 16. The game will be held at Redbird Arena and begin at 7:05 p.m.

Evansville enters this game after winning their last contest 86-46 against Bradley at home on Monday night. The Aces set a program record with a 40 point victory. Since joining the Missouri Valley Conference for the 1994-95 season, Evansville has never won by as many points in an MVC game. Four Evansville players recorded double digit scoring efforts including a game-high 28 points from guard Sara Dickey, who also achieved a career-high with seven assists. Forward Mallory Ladd joined the 500 rebound club in the win and tied Kathy Sloan (’85-87) for 8th most blocks in program history with 55.

On the stat sheet, Evansville’s Dickey leads UE with 18.3 points, 3.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game. Ladd is second on the team with15.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Ladd is also first on the Aces with 13 blocks this season. Forward Sasha Robinson owns a team-high 7.7 rebounds per game. UE is averaging 66.1 points and 33.1 rebounds per game. The Aces make 42.0% of their field goals, 37.4% of threes, and 64.9% at the free throw line.

Illinois State (0-14, 0-3) has yet to win a game this regular season and will be looking for their first win since Mar. 14, 2014. The Redbirds lost their last game 73-41 at Northern Iowa on Sunday. Guard Katy Winge netted a team-high 12 points in the loss.

Statistically, forward Octavia Crump leads Illinois State with 11.2 points per game. Winge is also averaging double figures at 10.2 points per game. Guard Colleene Smith is bringing in a team-high 6.9 rebounds per game. Guard Taylor Stewart pilots the Redbirds offense with 30 assists this season. Illinois State is averaging 52.0 points and 37.9 rebounds per game. The Redbirds shoot 33.9% from the floor, 25.4% beyond the arc, and 64.3% at the free throw line.

Evansville is projected to finish fourth in the MVC preseason poll, their highest projection since 2008-2009. Dickey was also named to the preseason All-Conference team. The Aces are guided by fourth year head coach Oties Epps. Illinois State was slated to finish eighth in the MVC preseason poll and did not have any players named to the preseason team. Barb Smith is the second year head coach of the Redbirds. Illinois State leads the all-time series 27-14 against Evansville but the teams split their meetings last season.

Evansville’s next home game will be on Friday, Jan. 23 when the Aces put their 6-0 home mark and 10-game home winning streak on the line against Northern Iowa. The tip is set for 7:00 p.m. at the Ford Center. 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.

Mislav Brzoja scored a game-high 18 points to lead the University of Evansville men’s basketball team to a 56-54 win at Missouri State on Wednesday evening at JQH Arena.

Brzoja connected on 4 of his 8 attempts and was 7-8 from the line. Egidijus Mockevicius finished with his 13th double-double of the season, posting 14 points and 12 rebounds. With the effort, Mockevicius set the Division I single-season double-double mark for UE (13-4, 3-2 MVC). Jaylon Brown rounded out the double digit scorers for UE with 10.

With the win, the Aces have won consecutive road MVC games for the first time since earning 3-straight road wins in February of 1999.

“Give those guys in the locker room a lot of credit. We made the plays down the stretch to get out of here with a win,” head coach Marty Simmons said. “Our team got off to a good start, but give Missouri State credit – they battled back and gave us a run.”

Evansville got off to a hot start in the contest as Egidijus Mockevicius got UE on the board with a pair of free throws. Just as important was the fact that UE forced MSU’s (8-9, 2-3 MVC) starting center Tyler McCullough into a pair of fouls in the opening minute. Chris Kendrix got the Bears on the board less than two minutes in as his triple found the bottom of the net to give the Bears a 3-2 lead.

Jaylon Brown had a 5-0 spurt of his own. After knocking down a pair of free throws, Brown busted the zone defense of the Bears on the next possession, hitting a trey to give UE a 9-3 lead. The lead for the Aces would reach 13-3 in the first five minutes while holding the Bears to just 1-of-7 from the field to start the game.

Christian Kirk ended the UE run with his basket under 15 minutes remaining. The Bears fought back to get within six points at 16-10 midway through the period as Kendrix knocked down his second triple of the night. He led the Bears with eight in the first half.

D.J. Balentine, who was held in check by the Bears defense with four points in the frame, hit a triple with 4:14 remaining to set the Aces lead at 28-16, the largest advantage of the half for UE. Over the final minutes, Missouri State fought back. Kirk hit a pair of jumpers while Camyn Boone hit a layup at the buzzer to cut the Evansville lead to just six points at 31-25 at halftime.

In the opening possession of the half, McCullough had a powerful dunk to cut the UE lead to just four at 31-27. They got even closer at the 16:47 mark as Austin Ruder found Dorian Williams for an open layup to cut the gap to 33-31. The run was a 15-5 stretch for the Bears, who held the Aces without a field goal for a span of 6:12 before Blake Simmons got on the score sheet with a triple inside of the 16-minute mark.

Following Simmons’ bucket, the Bears rallied back as McCullough converted a 3-point play to tie it up at 36-36. The rally for the Bears saw them start the second half hitting five of their first eight shots while UE began 1-6. Inside of 13 minutes left, Missouri State took its first lead of the night on a Kirk jumper at 38-37.

Evansville stayed strong and was able to retake the lead with 8:20 left as the third-consecutive basket my Mockevicius saw the Aces go up 45-44. They were unable to hold that edge as the Bears roared back with the next four tallies to go up 48-45.

They held the lead until Mockevicius struck again with 3:13 left in the game. His bucket put the Aces on top 51-50. On the ensuing possession, Ruder went to the line where he hit both to put the lead back in the hand of the Bears. The back-and-forth finish continued as Brzoja drained his third trey of the game to put UE up 54-52 with just over two minutes left on the clock.

McCullough struck again with 62 ticks on the clock, hitting a pair of free throws to tie the game up at 54-54. Following an MSU foul on the UE possession, the Aces had a fresh 35 and were able to convert as Balentine got a friendly roll to put UE in the lead in the final seconds. Austin Ruder tried a three at the buzzer, but it fell short, giving the win to UE.

Four Bears hit double figures, led by Dorian Williams’ 15. Kirk had 12 while McCullough and Kendrix checked in with 11 and 10, respectively.

The Aces return home on Saturday to face Wichita State at 1 p.m. at the Ford Center. Tickets are available by calling 812-488-ACES or by visiting the ticket offices at the Carson Center on the UE campus or Ford Center. Fans can take advantage of a special 4 for $44 ticket deal where you receive a ticket to the game against the Shockers as well as the contests versus Southern Illinois and Indiana State. The final game of the 4-pack is your choice of any of the February home games (Illinois State, Missouri State, Bradley and Drake).

A free shuttle will be provided for students for the men's basketball game this Saturday against #13 Wichita State. The shuttle will pick up in front of the Carson Center at 12:30 p.m. and 12:45 p.m. The game tips at 1 p.m. and the shuttle will bring students back after the game.