Megan Alvarez, inclusion coordinator at the Evansville Chamber of Commerce, will present, "What is the Evansville Chamber of Commerce doing to increase diversity?" TODAY from noon-1:00 p.m. in Room 273 of the Schroeder School of Business Building. The session is part of the Re-Thinking Diversity Summer Series which allows campus members to have dialogue about relevant diversity and inclusion issues. The sessions are sponsored by the Schroeder School of Business and the Office of Diversity Initiatives.

All attendees who attend at least six sessions will receive a diversity certificate at the end of the summer. All are welcome to attend.

For more information, contact: LaNeeca Williams, chief diversity officer, at lw161@evansville.edu or 812-488-2413.

The Office of Religious Life was recently awarded an innovation grant from Interfaith Youth Core and the United Methodist Church. Some of the funds will be used to host a professional development experience for UE constituents (staff, administration, or faculty). As many of you know, now more than ever, we need to understand better the people who practice the world’s religions so that we can serve our students as informed, compassionate professionals. The interactive session on Thursday (see below) will provide an overview of Eboo Patel’s book, “Sacred Ground,” focus on common questions and concerns from higher education professionals, and shine some light on some very effective, high impact practices being used on college campuses today.

You are invited to participate in a fully funded, lunch-and-learn seminar (July 6), which also includes a field experience at the Evansville Islamic Center (July 7).

Your reservation includes:

Part I - Thursday, July 6, noon – 2:00 p.m.

• A complimentary, delicious lunch
• A hardback or digital copy if you prefer it of Eboo Patel’s best-selling book, “Sacred Ground”
• An interfaith discussion with your colleagues during lunch
• An opportunity to enhance your interfaith leadership skills and to understand better our religiously diverse campus

Part II - Friday, July 7, leave UE campus at 12:45 p.m. for a field experience at the Islamic Center, observing Jummah (Friday prayers) and taking a tour of the Islamic Center (back on campus by 2:30 p.m.).

The two-part series in July is what we hope will be the first in a larger series of interfaith leadership opportunities and/or workshops for UE constituents.

Please complete this survey to reserve your place. Space is limited so apply today!

A mentoring workshop sponsored by the Office of Diversity Initiatives is planned for Friday, August 4 for anyone interested in becoming a mentor for incoming and current Fellow Scholars. The Fellow Scholars initiative was created to help increase the number of domestic students of color to the University of Evansville by providing a cohort of students with similar backgrounds as a support system for success. The workshop will be in Room 172 in the Schroeder School of Business Building from 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Designated times will be set aside for a complimentary breakfast and lunch for attendees.

It is important to spend some time thinking about what is needed in a mentoring relationship. The most successful relationships happen when both have thought through their definition of mentoring, and their own preferences and parameters for their relationships before embarking on such relationships. Having this initial workshop about mentoring will help to avoid potential problems.

The workshop will cover planning and defining a mentoring relationship, goals and guidelines, and a partnering agreement followed by assignment of a mentee. A mentoring resource packet for all attendees will be provided.

There will also be a luncheon speaker who will have a candid conversation about mentoring students of color.

Deadline to RSVP is July 10. Contact LaNeeca Williams, chief diversity officer, for more information at lw161@evansville.edu or 812-488-2413.

Submitted by LaNeeca Williams lw161@evansville.edu

With three-consecutive trips to the Missouri Valley Conference Championship match, the University of Evansville Women’s Soccer team looks to take the next step to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three seasons as they embark on the 2017 season.

On Friday, the Purple Aces announced the 2017 slate, which features 10 regular season home games.

“I am looking forward to getting back on the field with the team in August and feel that our non-conference schedule will challenge and prepare us for conference play,” Aces head coach Krista McKendree said.

On August 9, UE will play one of two exhibition contests. That day, the Aces face defending Ohio Valley Conference Champion SIU Edwardsville. The Cougars also made a splash in a trip to the NCAA Tournament, defeating Notre Dame on penalty kicks in the opening round. Two days later, preseason play wraps up with a trip to Murray State.

Southeast Missouri State will mark the regular season opener at home on Friday, August 18. It is also the Go4TheGoal game, which helps to benefit kids with cancer. Game time is 7:00 p.m. Last year, the teams played to a 0-0 tie in Cape Girardeau. That contest is the first of three at Arad McCutchan Stadium to begin the 2017 campaign. On August 20, UE welcomes UT Martin before the homestand is completed on the 25th versus IUPUI. The Jaguars were 9-7-3 in 2016.

A trip to Fort Wayne on August 27 will mark the first road contest before the squad returns home for a high-profile match against Illinois. The Fighting Illini come to town on Friday, September 1 for a 1:30 p.m. match. It is the first home match against a school from the Big Ten Conference since 2010 when Indiana University came to town.

Later that weekend, the Aces make a quick trip to Bowling Green, Ky. to take on Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers were 12-6-1 last year; the teams play on Sunday, September 3. 

Another 3-match homestand commences on Sept. 8 with a match versus Miami Ohio. The Aces defeated the RedHawks by a final of 2-0 last year in Oxford. The annual contest to benefit Multiple Sclerosis research will be held on September 10 against Morehead State before the home non-conference slate wraps up against Saint Louis on the 15th. The Billikens are coming off of a solid 14-4-2 campaign.

Evansville makes a quick trip to Middle Tennessee State on September 17 before returning home to start MVC play. The conference opener will take place at home on the 22nd against Loyola. UE then takes to the road for a pivotal swing, beginning on Sept. 30 at UNI. Last year, the Aces grabbed a 3-1 win over the Panthers. The month of October begins with a trip to defending champion Illinois State on the 7th. The Redbirds were 14-6-3 in 2016 and defeated the Aces in the league championship by a 2-1 final.

It is back home for the squad on Oct. 14 for a big match-up against Drake. The Bulldogs notched 12 wins last year, but it was UE taking the head-to-head matchup by a 1-0 final.

The Aces head north on Route 41 to Terre Haute to take on the Sycamores on October 18 before coming back to McCutchan Stadium for the home finale - which is also Senior Day - as they play Missouri State. The final match of the regular season will see the Aces face Valparaiso for the first time as members of the MVC. That game is set for October 26.

Opening round play of the MVC Championship will be held on campus sites on October 29 with the league championship taking place from November 3-5 at Missouri State.

The UE Garden has been producing great quantities of produce lately, and you are invited to come buy fresh vegetables for low prices. We'll start at 8:00 a.m. in Ridgway University Center on Wednesday, June 28, and we will stay until everything is gone - potatoes, tomatoes, lots of greens, onions, leeks, garlic, and squash for starters. 

Submitted by Bill Hemminger bh35@evansville.edu

The SIAC Night of Champions Press Conference planned for today in Ridgway University Center has been cancelled. Please e-mail Kari Hughes at kh355@evansville.edu with any questions.

Submitted by Kari Hughes kh355@evansville.edu

Effective immediately - central receiving is now accepting the newest version of the in-house office supply order form (dated 6/2017) which includes updated pricing. The revised in-house office supply order form is available on the central receiving and purchasing websites in AceLink. Please note that previous versions of the in-house form will no longer be accepted as of July 2. Please e-mail your questions to centralreceiving@evansville.edu or call ext. 2197.

Submitted by Kim Winsett kw83@evansville.edu

The United States Postal Service will be closed in observance of Independence Day, Tuesday, July 4. For mailing questions, contact UE distribution services/mail services at ext. 2197.

As you know, the University has signed an agreement with Chartwells, a new food service provider. In addition to general dining options beginning this fall, Chartwells is also the catering services provider to the campus community.

Please direct all catering requests to the new catering e-mail address at UEcatering@evansville.edu. Sodexo’s service to the University ended on Thursday, June 22. Any requests sent to the previous catering@evansville.edu address will automatically be forwarded to the new address.

Chartwells Catering Contact Information
UECatering@evansville.edu
Kellie Short
Director of Dining Services
765-641-4262

Read more about Chartwells’ services, including menu favorites from Starbucks and Chick-fil-A, on our website here.

The employees of the University of Evansville are again invited to play golf with other UE employees on Thursday afternoons during the summer months. The UE golf outings will be on Thursday afternoons at 3:00 p.m. at Fendrich golf course.

You can reserve your tee time by contacting Debbie Kassenbrock in the Center for Academic Advising at dk26@evansville.edu or 488-2605 by 4:30 p.m. on the Wednesday prior to the outing. 

The United States Postal Service will be closed in observance of Independence Day, Tuesday, July 4. For mailing questions, contact mail services at ext. 2197.

The Summer Pcard training schedule is available on the AceLink Pcard website. 

Please contact Terry Voges or Kim Winsett to sign up for Pcard training. 

Robert Baines, assistant professor of English, gave a paper at the 2017 North American James Joyce Conference. The conference was held June 21-25 at the University of Toronto. Baines’s paper was titled, “When the Lévy-Bruhls: The threefold Anthropologist of Finnegans Wake I.6.”

The Peters-Margedant House, located on the University of Evansville campus, was featured on USA Today's list of the 25 must-see buildings in Indiana. 

The unique and historical structure was designed and built in 1934 by William Wesley “Wes” Peters, Frank Lloyd Wright's primary assistant. The house originally sat at 1506 East Indiana Street in Evansville, Indiana, before it was moved to the UE campus on August 22.

The Peters-Margedant house just 552 square feet and displays many of the principles of Usonian style, Wright's architectural effort at creating affordable, efficiently designed homes for working families and the common man. The Peters-Margedant House showcases many specific Usonian characteristics and remains one of the style's first examples, marrying affordability, accessibility, function, and efficiency of space - all qualities highly valued in the current Small House Movement.

A grant from Indiana Landmarks saved the Peters-Margedant house from demolition. Additional funds from the Vanderburgh County Community Foundation and the Friends of the Peters-Margedant House group made it possible to move the house to UE’s campus, where it will serve as a learning facility for both students and the community.

The house was formally dedicated on April 20.

View the full list of the 25 must-see buildings in Indiana on USA Today's website. 

Paul Bone, associate professor of creative writing, recently published two poems - "The Truest of Our Offerings" and "Gun Cabinet" - in the online literary journal Ducts. You can read the poems on the Ducts' website.

Samantha Scott has been promoted to the position of university controller, replacing Donna Teague, who was recently named vice president of fiscal affairs and administration. Samantha has been with the University for four years as the director of accounting, audit and payroll. Please join us in wishing her the best in her new position.

Young C. Kim, associate professor of political science and director of international studies, recently presented at the conference of the International Studies Association in Hong Kong, China, on June 16.

In his paper titled "Democratization in Sub-Saharan Africa," Kim attempts to find answer to the question of why Sub-Saharan African states vary greatly in their levels of democracies although their democratic transitions happened almost simultaneously.

Pengcheng Xiao, assistant professor of mathematics, has published one research paper in Pattern Recognition Letters with his collaborators. The paper is titled” A new image classification method based on modified condensed nearest neighbor and convolutional neural networks.” You can read the article on the Science Direct website.

UE's own Native Plant Garden in Koch Courtyard was used as a plant source for species used in Wesselman Woods’ new Pollinator Garden, one of that nature preserve’s newest educational outreach efforts. UE’s Native Plant Garden contains over 100 plant species that are native to Southwest Indiana. Come visit the native plant garden throughout the summer, while it undergoes a facelift. Contact Cris Hochwender (ch81@evansville.edu) if you have any questions about the native plant garden or restoration efforts at UE.