The University of Evansville will mark the holidays with Christmas on Campus today, December 4. The celebration will include photos with Purple Santa, ice skating, carriage rides, Candlelight Advent Vespers and the lighting of the University’s Christmas tree. All of the day’s activities are free and open to the public.

The complete schedule for Christmas on Campus follows:
Photos with Purple Santa
Ridgway University Center
5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
A special visitor from the North Pole kicks off Christmas on Campus. Everyone is invited to tell Santa what’s on their wish list for Christmas this year, and have their photos taken with him  Since Santa will be visiting on a Purple Friday he’ll wear his purple suit to support the Aces.

Snow Globe Photos
Library Terrace
5:30 – 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 – 10:30 p.m.
Stand inside a life-sized snow globe that will be set up outside of the UE library and have a picture taken. This is a great chance to create a unique holiday photo.

Ice Skating
Memorial Plaza
5:30 – 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 – 10:30 p.m.
Enjoy ice skating on Memorial Plaza. The ice will be artificial so it won’t matter how cold it is or isn’t outside!

Advent Vespers
Neu Chapel
7:30 p.m.
This service will include selections by UE’s choirs, organists, Christmas carol singing with candlelight, and readings from sacred scripture in the beautifully decorated Neu Chapel.

Carriage Rides
Outside Ridgway University Center
8:30 – 10:30 p.m.
Get in the holiday spirit by taking a horse-drawn carriage ride outside of Ridgway University Center.

Cookies and Hot Chocolate
Bower-Suhrheinrich Library Lobby
8:30 – 10:30 p.m.
Come in from the cold and warm up with hot chocolate and cookies in the lobby of the UE library.

Kettle Corn
May Studio Theatre Plaza
8:30 – 10:30 p.m.
Enjoy a snack of kettle corn on the plaza of the May Studio Theatre.

Lighting of the Christmas Tree and Caroling
Outside Graves Hall
8:35 p.m.
UE President Thomas A. Kazee will flip the ceremonial 6-foot light switch illuminating the newly planted Norway spruce tree, the University’s campus Christmas tree. Neu Chapel Organist Patrick Ritsch will lead carol singing following the tree lighting.

For this month’s podcast, UE President Tom Kazee joins us from the newly renovated Bower-Suhrheinrich Library at the heart of our campus where he announces the winners of the Institute for Global Enterprise’s Changemaker Challenge and reveals why he addressed the UE community wearing a polar bear suit.  He also recaps our annual Veterans Day celebration, discusses International Education Week and the International Bazaar, and more.

Click here to watch the November podcast. 

The Department of Music continues its First Tuesday Concert Series in Shanklin Theatre tonight, December 1, at 7:30 p.m. with a concert featuring the UE Jazz Ensemble I accompanying guest artist Diane Schuur. Commonly regarded as one of contemporary jazz’s leading vocalists, Schuur has collaborated with the likes of B. B. King, Ray Charles, Jose Feliciano, and the Count Basie Orchestra. Her numerous recordings have resulted in two Grammy Awards, as well as three additional nominations. Professor of Trumpet and Jazz Studies Timothy Zifer will lead the UE Jazz Ensemble I as the band accompanies Schuur. Unfortunately, the concert is a “sell out” at this point; no more tickets are available currently. There will be free standby seating at the door in the event of absent ticket holders.

The Honors Program invites you to attend the Honors Program Project Presentations on Tuesday, December 1, from 3:00 - 3:45 p.m. in Room 162, Schroeder School of Business Building. Two seniors are finishing the Honors Program this semester, and these presentations will showcase their Honors project work. The Honors project is an opportunity for students to explore an area about which they are passionate. The Honors project may consist of a research project, thesis, or creative work. Students may use the Honors project to launch areas of interest for graduate study or to expand résumés for employment.

We hope you will join us to hear the fascinating work that this semester’s Honors graduates have completed. Special thanks are extended to all faculty, advisors, and others who have supported these students in their educational achievements.

The presentation schedule is:

• Andrey Biryuchinskiy, Finance / Economics: Correlation Between the Stock Price and Option Series”
• Andrew Meyer, Theatre Management: Sound Design for Marriage”
• Question & Answer Session

The Health Center will be offering free and confidential HIV testing on December 4 from 9:00 a.m. - noon. Please call 812-488-2033 to make your appointment. 

The annual Faculty/Staff Appreciate Sale is Thursday, December 3, from Noon to 6:00 p.m., in the UE Bookstore. All Faculty and staff employees can register for door prizes and save 20% on their purchases during this time. If you have questions please contact the Bookstore. 

Meet, eat and discover leadership at Lunch and Lead! We invite you to our final session of the semester on Wednesday, December 2, 12:00 pm-1:00 pm. This week’s presentation is Leading through Mentorship with Patrick Odoyo. Bring your lunch and meet us in Eykamp 253-255, Ridgway University Center. All members of the UE community are welcome.

The PT Club's final meeting of the semester will be December 3 at 12 pm in Room 100 in Koch Center. We will be electing our new officers and celebrating the semester's end! Please come and join us! 

This Wednesday's I-House is the last presentation of the semester and it features Ireland with Saorlaith O'Callaghanas the presenter! Saorlaith is majoring in business, and her favorite hobbies are travelling, going out with friends, and dancing. Her favorite part about UE is meeting different people from all over the world!

Make sure you come out at 7 p.m. to our usual place on the second floor of Ridgway University Center to hear all about Ireland!
 

The Department of Mathematics Colloquium is set for Thursday, December 3, 4:00-5:00 p.m. in Room 304, Koch Center. The speaker will be Greg Oman, assistant professor of mathematics at University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. His topic will be “An Independent Axiom System for the Real Numbers.”

“It is well-known that the set R of real numbers is the unique model of the complete ordered field axioms,” Oman says. “It is also known that the axioms are not independent. In particular, one can prove the commutative axiom of addition from the other axioms for a ring with identity (this is a common textbook exercise). In this talk, I will show that the completeness axiom is, algebraically, a very strong assumption. In fact, it makes the majority of the algebraic axioms redundant. I will then present an independent axiom system for the reals. This talk should be accessible to all faculty as well as undergraduates with some exposure and/or interest in logic and proofs.”

The women of Chi Omega will be serving a huge variety of their favorite foods on Saturday, Dec. 5 in Eykamp Hall, Ridgway University Center. Tickets are $10 for early admission (5-5:30 pm) or $8 for regular admission (5:30-7:30 pm) and are available from any Chi Omega, or at the door. Proceeds benefit the Make-a-Wish foundation. Come enjoy a delicious dinner to support an amazing cause! 

The TIAA-CREF representative will be on the UE campus on Tuesday, December 8, for individual counseling sessions. To schedule an appointment, call TIAA-CREF at 1-800-732-8353 or 317-706-6200. The sessions are held in the Clifford Rare Books Room of the University Libraries (room 158). If you have any questions, call Carol McCraney at 488-2943. 

The Student Alumni Ambassadors have contacted the jolly man from the North Pole and he's agreed to visit campus to kick-off the Campus Christmas celebrations on Friday, December 4.

Photos with Santa will take place from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. on the first floor of Ridgway University Center.

Also, available will be clear plastic ball ornaments available for decorating. SAA will provide some paints and glitter your bring your own creativity. Get on Pinterest now for your ideas: https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=glass%20ball%20ornaments&term_meta%5B%5D=glass%7Ctyped&term_meta%5B%5D=ball%7Ctyped&term_meta%5B%5D=ornaments%7Ctyped

Photos with Purple Santa and ornament decorating is available to the entire campus community and local alumni.
 

Thomas Lonnberg, curator of history at the Evansville Museum of Arts, will be the speaker for the University of Evansville Andiron Lecture Series on December 2.  All the Andiron lectures in the series are at 4 p.m. in Eykamp 252 in Ridgway University Center, preceded by a social hour with beverages at 3:45 p.m. These lectures are free and open to the public.

The topic of Lonnberg's lecture will be "Evansville on the Ohio." This presentation will examine Evansville’s evolving riverfront from the city’s founding in 1812 to present times. This illustrated talk will detail how Evansville—a city founded on the banks of the Ohio River—has changed and adapted its riverfront to meet the needs of the time. This will include a look at the riverfront during the bustling age of the steamboat, the impact of devastating floods—including the great 1937 flood, and more recent efforts to re-engage with the riverfront.

Since 1988, Lonnberg has curated over 100 exhibitions with a major emphasis on interpreting Evansville’s past. These exhibitions have covered many aspects of the City’s history—including industry, culture, and the community’s home front efforts during World War II. He currently serves on the boards of the Vanderburgh County Historical Society and the Ford Center Corridor of Champions. He recently co-hosted the WNIN-Channel 9 (PBS) mini-series Picture This - a look at various aspects of Evansville’s past through photographs. Tom earned his master’s degree in history from Indiana University and a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Southern Indiana. 

For further information, call Annette Parks at 812-488-1070 or the William L. Ridgway College of Arts and Sciences at 812-488-2589

Attention December 2015 graduates - If you have earned a military honorable discharge or a general discharge under honorable conditions, are on active duty, or in active drilling status, please notify the Cherie Leonhardt in the Office of Veterans Affairs at cl29@evansville.edu or call 488-2141 ASAP. The Office of Veterans Affairs and UE VETS have a special graduation gift for you! 

The bi-weekly payroll for December 18 will be direct deposited on Friday morning, December 18. The monthly payroll for December 31 will be direct deposited on Thursday, December 31. As all employees have direct deposit, you will be able to view your online pay advice through WebAdvisor on the morning your pay is direct deposited.

Since the Office of Accounting/Payroll will be closed during the holiday break at the time of the monthly payroll on December 31, you will not receive a courtesy email notification that your pay advice is available. However, you may log on to WebAdvisor and view/print your pay advice or contact your bank to confirm the deposit into your bank account.

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

As employees will not return from the Christmas holiday break until after the normal time card entry deadline of Saturday, December 26, for the January 1, 2016 bi-weekly payroll, the Office of Accounting/Payroll is asking all staff to enter their time on WebAdvisor for the pay period December 13 to 26 by Wednesday, December 16. Supervisors are asked to approve timecards by Thursday, December 17.

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

Faculty, staff and students - volunteers are needed to assist with the open times on Saturday, December 5, at three different locations.

• Salvation Army Bell Ringing at the Washington Ave. Schnucks
• Gift Wrapping for the Holiday AIDS project at Barnes and Noble.
• Aurora Gingerbread House Competition at the Old National Events Plaza (formerly the Centre)

Use this link to support our local nonprofits this holiday season.

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/805094eaea62f4-christmas 

Assistant Professor of Political Science Richard W. Maass, who teaches a course on terrorism and counterterrorism, has published an article on discrimination and counterterrorism in the wake of the Paris attacks on the Monkey Cage at the Washington Post.

Maass says that "the bottom line is, rather than discriminating against the broader population a terrorist group wants to represent, counterterrorism policies need to effectively discriminate between those actually responsible for the terrorist threat and the vast majority who prefer nonviolence and pose no real threat."

Read the full article here:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2015/11/30/want-to-help-the-islamic-state-recruit-treat-all-muslims-as-potential-terrorists/

Scott Wylie and Matt Rowe both recently had TEDx Evansville talks posted to the TEDx YouTube site. 

Wylie’s talk is titled “Intentional inclusiveness in community renaissance.” In it, he discusses how throughout history, social justice movements have brought about opportunity and change and been confronted with barriers and set-backs. He explains that it is imperative that we engage in intentional inclusiveness – inviting everyone to the party. Only by including their parents equally in the benefits of economic development and quality of life improvements can we experience a true renaissance.

Rowe’s talk, “In my neighborhood: A primer on architectural styles in Evansville,” is a virtual tour of Evansville's Riverside Historic District. It includes examples of popular 19th century architectural styles and how to distinguish between them. The city's 1974 Historic Preservation Ordinance prevents exterior changes to these historic structures, but they face new challenges with increased development nearby.

Wylie teaches in UE’s PSA and OL programs and serves on the University’s Neu Chapel and Theatre Society Boards. Rowe also serves on the Theatre Board and volunteers in many ways at the University.

To view Wylie’s talk, go to:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsbKZwFnVas

To see Rowe’s talk, go to:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDpKIp3culs

As part of a Philosophy 121 action project to reduce the amount of littering and pollution in the Ohio River in Evansville, 510 cans were donated by the student body. This was a total of 15 pounds. Thank you to the student body for your support! 

Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week and Wooden Legacy All-Tournament Team member Egidijus Mockevicius and the University of Evansville men’s basketball team return to the Ford Center tonight to take on Alabama State in a 7 p.m. tilt.

Great seats are still available and can be purchased by calling 812-488-ACES, visiting the Carson Center Ticket Office or anytime leading up to the game at the Ford Center.

For the third season in a row, the Purple Aces have started the season with a 5-1 record thanks to a 2-1 performance in the Wooden Legacy that saw the Aces earn wins over Santa Clara and UC Irvine.

Two-time MVC Player of the Week Egidijus Mockevicius earned a great honor as he was named to the Wooden Legacy All-Tournament Team on Sunday. The lone player on the squad that did not play in the championship game averaged a double-double in the event while setting the tournament record for overall rebounds and boards in a single game thanks to his 21 rebound effort against Santa Clara.

With Sunday’s 75-56 win over UC Irvine, the Aces have won 8 in a row over teams from the state of California. The last loss came against UCLA in December of 1980. Included in that streak are four wins in the last two seasons over schools from the state. In last year’s Gulf Coast Showcase, UE defeated Fresno State and San Francisco before topping Santa Clara and UC Irvine in the 2015 Wooden Legacy.

This season, redshirt junior Mislav Brzoja has excelled in cutting down on turnovers while dishing out assists at a fast rate. Through six games, Brzoja has registered 30 assists against just six turnovers, the top assist-to-turnover ratio in the Valley. He added to that number in California, posting 19 assists and just 3 turnovers.

Alabama State enters Tuesday night’s game with a 2-3 overall record following a 66-64 triumph over Chicago State on Saturday. The Hornets opened up the season with an 85-82 win at Virginia Tech. Jamel Waters is the top player for ASU, checking in with 15.2 points per game; he also leads the team in assists with 20, steals with 11 and his 14 3-pointers. Torloft Thomas (12.4 PPG) and Bobby Brown (11.4 PPG) also average double figures for Alabama State. In their win over Chicago State, the Hornets were led by Waters’ 19-point effort as he drained 8 of his 9 free throw attempts and recorded five steals and three assists.

- INFO: For all of the latest information on University of Evansville men’s basketball, log on to the sport page on GoPurpleAces.com or follow the program on Twitter via @UEAthletics_MBB.

- DONATE: For information on giving to UE Athletics or its individual athletics programs, visit the DONATE tab on the top of GoPurpleAces.com.

- TICKETS: To purchase tickets for University of Evansville athletics events, log on to GoPurpleAces.com and click on the TICKETS tab on top of the page.
 

For the second time in three weeks of action this season, University of Evansville senior Egidijus Mockevicius has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week.

It was another stellar weekend of action for Mockevicius as he set a Wooden Legacy rebound record with 46 in the 3-game tournament and 21 in the game against Santa Clara. He averaged a double-double for the week with 14 points and 15.3 rebounds while hitting 54.8% of his attempts.

Mockevicius began the week with 13 points and 9 rebounds versus Providence. He also blocked four shots against a larger Big East team. On Friday, Mockevicius hauled in a career-high 21 rebounds while scoring 8 points. His 21 caroms was the single-game Wooden Legacy record and was the most for an Evansville player in over 30 years. The center continued his efforts in the tournament with a 21-point, 16-rebound effort against UC Irvine.

He blocked a pair of shots in each of the final two games. Mockevicius was named to the All-Tournament Team for his efforts. He was the only player on the squad that did not play in the championship game.

- INFO: For all of the latest information on University of Evansville men’s basketball, log on to the sport page on GoPurpleAces.com or follow the program on Twitter via @UEAthletics_MBB.

- DONATE: For information on giving to UE Athletics or its individual athletics programs, visit the DONATE tab on the top of GoPurpleAces.com.

- TICKETS: To purchase tickets for University of Evansville athletics events, log on to GoPurpleAces.com and click on the TICKETS tab on top of the page.