The University of Evansville mourns the loss of one of the true pioneers in its athletic history – Jim Byers. Byers passed away on Tuesday evening at the age of 79.

“The thoughts and prayers of everyone at the University of Evansville are with Coach Byers’ family and friends,” UE President Tom Kazee said. “His leadership helped the university through some of its toughest times and led us to new heights. The contributions he made in over 50 years at the university will live on forever.”

Byers’ career at UE began in 1965 as an assistant football coach before taking over as head coach a year later. Between 1966 and 1977, he won 51 games, more than any other coach in program history. Beginning in 1977, he took over as the AD, a position he held until 1997. Byers helped in the forming of four conferences in his time as an administrator while also guiding the Purple Aces into the Missouri Valley Conference.

“It is tough to quantify the impact Coach Byers had on UE athletics,” Director of Athletics Mark Spencer said. “His drive and leadership was felt for decades and will be felt for decades to come. Coach was a great ambassador and represented the very best of the University of Evansville. He will be greatly missed.”

His leadership was never more evident than the time following the plane crash on December 13, 1977. His guidance helped those affected by the accident heal and rebuild the program to great heights in a short time.

Since retiring in 1997, Byers has been recognized and honored on many occasions. A group of Byers' former football players created the James A. Byers Athletic Student Scholarship in 2000. The University presents the scholarship each spring to a junior in any of the Aces' varsity sports, for use during the student-athlete's senior year. The first was awarded in 2003 to senior cross country runner Chris Hollinden.

In February of 2014, the Jim Byers Pathway to Excellence was dedicated in front of the Carson Center on the UE campus. Over 80 people donated to the project, which was unveiled to a surprised Coach Byers. Prior to the unveiling, Byers was unaware of the project. He was overwhelmed by the announcement and the turnout of over 100 people on a cold February day.

Earlier this year, he was honored at the men’s basketball game against Southern Illinois. Jim Byers Day saw him recognized for 50 years of service to the University of Evansville. At the game, he was honored by Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke with a proclamation. He was also given a replica of his #33 jersey from the University of Michigan.

Prior to his time at Evansville, Byers was the head football coach at Princeton High School from 1959-62 before taking over at Boonville from 1962-65. Byers joined the Aces as an assistant in 1965 before taking over as the head coach in 1966 where he led the Aces to 51 wins until retiring from coaching in 1977.

Byers earned three letters playing football at the University of Michigan where he played on both sides of the ball as a fullback and linebacker until graduating in 1959. He had a storied high school career at Evansville’s Reitz High School. His honors included being named a Scholastic Magazine All-American, All-Conference, All-State and All-AP. He was inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame in March of 2001. Byers was a 1999 inductee into the UE Athletics Hall of Fame.

He is survived by daughter Alison. His wife, Karel, passed away in 2011.

Funeral and viewing arrangements will be announced as soon as they are available.
 

Information on services for former University of Evansville football coach and athletic director Jim Byers have been announced. Visitation is set for Friday evening with the funeral on Saturday.

Funeral services will be at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, August 6, at Bethlehem United Church of Christ, located at 6400 Oak Hill Road in Evansville, with burial in Bethlehem Church Cemetery. The services will be officiated by Rev. Mark Sirnic and Rev. Emily Slade, Friends may visit from 3:00-8:00 p.m., on Friday, August 5, at Alexander East Chapel, located at 2115 Lincoln Avenue in Evansville, and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to service time at Bethlehem Church.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Jim A. Byers Athletic Student Scholarship, c/o Lance Wilkerson, 1800 Lincoln Avenue, Evansville, IN 47722 or Bethlehem United Church of Christ. Condolences may be made online at www.AlexanderEastChapel.com.

The Office of Annual Giving is looking for student callers for the fall Phonathon campaign. This is a paid position with flexible hours, mostly in the evening. Hourly pay starts at $8.25. Freshmen are encouraged to apply! If you are interested, please e-mail Erika Johnson at ej51@evansville.edu.

All UE employees are invited to attend  “Run, Hide, Fight - preparing for an Active Shooter scenario” on Wednesday, August 17, 8:00-9:50 a.m. in Shanklin Theatre. This information session will be presented by Evansville Police Department officers Kevin Corbin and Nick Sandullo.

Being prepared mentally can literally be the difference between life and death. Members of the Evansville Police Department Crime Prevention Unit will provide important information on how individuals should respond during the unfortunate event of an active shooter on campus.

All University empoyees are strongly encouraged to attend this session of the Fall Conference.

If you have questions, please contact the Office of Safety and Security at ext. 2051.
 

We are still in need of volunteers to be greeters for the third shift of Move-In Day. The greeters welcome families and new students as they move into their residence halls and help make the day run smoothly for families.

To volunteer please sign up here.

Over the past couple of years, the Office of Financial Aid has collected concerns, suggestions, etc. regarding the UE student employment process from faculty, staff, and students.  As a result, we have revamped the process to make it more streamlined and student centered.

Beginning with the Fall 2016 semester, there will be several changes to student employment.

Because of this, we encourage supervisors to come to the student supervisor training sessions scheduled August 8 at 2:00 p.m. in Room 126 in Hyde Hall, and at the Fall Faculty Conference on August 17 at 10:00 a.m. to see a demonstration and learn more about the new processes. 

For more information on the student employment process, please see the supervisor guidelines for student employment available through student employment management on WebAdvisor.
 

We have received information from Old National Bank that four $100 bills have been received by its Evansville branches, including the branch located across from the University.  A description of the counterfeit bill is:

• It is the old design, but looks like a new bill (e.g., bleached, bright paper)
• Has the hologram and passes the “pen” test.
• When held to the light, there should be a watermark to the left of the portrait that reads “USA ONE HUNDRED” – however, the watermark on the counterfeit is blurred and words cannot be read.

If you receive any suspicious one hundred dollar bills, please notify the Office of Safety and Security immediately at 812-488-2051. 

Want to be a part of the sharpest looking group on UE's campus? Is a capella your forte? Beat the competition. Submit a 1:30-2:00 minute video of your singing and/or beatboxing abilities (without any instruments) to ladiesinpinkacapella@gmail.com by August 12 for consideration. We won't give the puns a rest until you do!

The Fall 2016 Pcard monthly training schedule is now available on the AceLink Pcard website under Training Materials, Dates to Remember.

Kristy Miller, University of Evansville professor and department of chemistry chair, has received a Jean Dreyfus Boissevain Lectureship award from the Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc.  The purpose of this prestigious award, which totals $18,500, is to support a lectureship and undergraduate research in the chemical sciences. Nominations for the award are reviewed by distinguished faculty in the chemical sciences.

Some of the funds from the award granted to Miller will be used to bring a leading researcher to the University of Evansville campus to give at least two lectures in the chemical sciences. One lecture will be designed to be accessible to a wide audience. The other lectures may be more technical in nature. The lecturer will spend a few days at UE and interact with students and a broad range of faculty.

Another portion of the award will be used to support two UE undergraduates in summer research as they work with mentors in contemporary chemistry.

Nominations for the Jean Dreyfus Boissevain Lectureship award are reviewed by distinguished faculty in the chemical sciences. Applications are accepted from departments in the chemical sciences at primarily undergraduate institutions in the states, districts, and territories of the United States of America.
 

Associate professor of archaeology Jennie Ebeling is one of two scholars-in-residence at the Biblical Archaeology Society's summer seminar at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, this week. Ebeling is delivering lectures over the course of five days on the theme "Life in Ancient Israel: In Search of the 99%." You can find more information on the seminar here.