Back pain is a chronic problem for millions of Americans due to lifestyle and certain repetitive motions that cause pain. A yoga practice to improve mobility and reduce back pain is planned for Friday, July 28, from noon-1:00 p.m., in Carson Center. Contact Stacey Shanks for more information at ss581@evansville.edu.

Submitted by Stacey Shanks ss581@evansville.edu

University of Evansville head cross country coach Don Walters announced that the Bailey George Memorial 5K Run/Walk will be held on Saturday, August 5, to honor the memory of former Purple Aces runner Bailey George, who passed away from cancer in 2016.

Registration for the event is just $20 with all proceeds going directly into the Bailey George Scholarship Fund at the University of Evansville.

All participants will have the opportunity to run on the Angel Mounds Cross Country Course. The 100 percent grass cross country course at Angel Mounds provides excellent footing for the competitors, and clear sightlines for spectators. The host location for the 2016 U-18 National Championship (with over 2500 competitors), the 2015 MVC Championships, and University of Evansville home meets, the course will also be the location of the 2017 NCAA Division II Championships.

The race begins at 9:00 a.m. and is an untimed event. There will be a clock at the finish line. A 400-meter children’s race will also take place.

“This event is a great way to celebrate Bailey and what was important to her. Being outside, physical fitness, and cross country were important things to her, and I’m glad that we are able to celebrate her, and what was important to her, at her home cross country course,” says Coach Don Walters.

In 2016, 300 runners and walkers took part in the inaugural memorial run and walk.

Pre-registration is encouraged at www.uealumnionline.com/BaileyGeorgeRun17. Day-of registration will also be accepted. If you cannot attend this event but would like to contribute to the Bailey George Memorial Scholarship Fund, please visit www.evansville.edu/give.

For more information, please contact UE head cross country coach Don Walters at 812-457-4103.

Youth Resources will host its annual kickoff event in Eykamp Hall, Ridgway University Center, on Monday, July 31 from 2:00-8:00 p.m. Please contact Kari Hughes at kh355@evansville.edu with any questions.

The United Methodist Church University Senate has reaffirmed without qualification the affiliation of the University of Evansville with the United Methodist Church. UE has maintained a strong relationship with the church for over a century and a half, since the founding of the University.

This reaffirmation of affiliation was preceded by an independent, in-depth review of UE and a campus visit by a team from the University Senate. The church reviews the University every 10 years, within a year of the school’s reaffirmation of accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). The United Methodist Senate team examined documentation for UE’s HLC reaffirmation, which was granted in early 2016, as part of its own review.

“We are very gratified that both the HLC and the United Methodist Church University Senate reports produced excellent outcomes,” said UE president Thomas A. Kazee. “It’s an affirmation of UE’s commitment and success in achieving its mission. It’s always good to have our quality and commitment affirmed by an external accrediting body.”

Criteria for the United Methodist Church’s evaluation include: Institutional integrity, program quality, sound management and financial health, and church relatedness.

The Senate team reported that UE effectively represents the historic Methodist tradition of making high-quality education broadly available.

“UE values its historic identity as a Methodist-related university,” said Tamara Gieselman, UE chaplain. “Although the University is independent in its governance, its relationship with the United Methodist Church is one of sacred significance.”

The University Senate’s review praised the school’s strong academic programs and dedicated faculty, the robust study abroad experience that it offers its students, and the University’s emphasis on service learning.

In addition, it noted the University’s UE Guarantee, which assures: four-year graduation, or fifth year is paid for by UE, mentorship by faculty committed to student success, scholarships to 100 percent of all full-time freshmen, access for every student to at least one internship and the opportunity for more, and the opportunity for every student to study abroad. (Some restrictions apply, and more information about the UE Guarantee can be found online at www.evansville.edu/guarantee.)

Craig Bryan, 2001 UE graduate, Air Force veteran, and executive director of the National Center for Veteran Studies, returned to Evansville twice this year. In November, he served as guest speaker at UE's Veterans Day service and conducted a free presentation for the community and a workshop for clinicians about suicide assessment and prevention. In July, he and his wife AnnaBelle, returned to present about suicide prevention treatment and their research about military sexual trauma during the VA (Veterans Administration) Mental Health Summit. The summit is designed to help enhance the mental health and well-being of veterans and their family members through increased collaboration between the VA, veterans, families, and the community.

On Saturday, July 22, professor of biology Cris Hochwender took a group of naturalists from the Southwest Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society (SWINPAWS) to Vectren Conservation Park, to explore issues in restoration ecology. The group discussed the ongoing efforts to restore the flood plain habitat at VCP, a 1,100 acre property of bottomland along the Wabash River. In 2007, Vectren gave the University of Evansville a long-term lease on VCP.

VCP had been used for agriculture, but is now in a permanent conservation easement and is enrolled in the US Natural Resource Conservation Service's Wetlands Reserve program. Before leasing the property to UE, Vectren planted more than 100,000 native trees and shrubs on the property.

Conservation efforts at the site include trying to restore riparian forests, floodplain forests, as well as meadows and aquatic habitats. This site not only provides opportunities for environmental studies majors to explore a diverse set of Indiana communities, but also acts as a research lab to explore environmental questions, carry out ecological research, and evaluate soil and water chemistry.

The Office of Religious Life would like to welcome Keith Turner to the University of Evansville as the John Wesley minister and assistant chaplain and the assistant program director for the Lilly funded summer youth theology institute, Open Table.

Turner brings to the Office of Religious Life a breadth and depth of experience in preaching and ministry. As a student, he has served churches in the Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Episcopal traditions, and is currently working toward ordination in the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church. Turner brings with him a wealth of experience as a pianist, organist, and church musician.

He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Bible and Theology from Asbury University and has completed all the necessary requirements for his Master of Divinity degree from Asbury Theological Seminary. He is also finishing a second master’s degree in Christian Education. While at Asbury Theological Seminary, Turner was inducted into the International Society of Theta Phi, an academic honors society for exemplary scholarship and academic achievement. He is also a member of the Wesleyan Theological Society.

Turner officially began at UE on Wednesday, July 5.

The UE Bookstore is looking for temporary help for the book rush in August. Duties include but are not limited to running a cash register, helping in the textbook area, and checking in merchandise. This would be 40 hours per week for at least two weeks. If you know of someone looking for a little extra cash please refer them. Interested persons should contact the UE Bookstore for more details or for consideration.

Submitted by Doug Gustwiller dg57@evansville.edu

Civil engineering students Shannon Gates and Manuel Jara Pérez and associate professor of civil engineering Mark Valenzuela recently worked with Habitat for Humanity in Nicaragua. You can read about their experiences on the UE Stories Abroad page. They discuss what it was like to push themselves to the limit, how important it was to work as a team, and how rewarding the experience was in the end.

Submitted by Greta Becker gb91@evansville.edu

Robert Dion, chair of the Department of Law, Politics, and Society, was a featured speaker at the Indiana We The People Summer Institute held at Indiana University in Bloomington from July 9-13.  The event, sponsored by the Indiana Bar Foundation with funding from the Indiana General Assembly, brought together high school and middle school government teachers from Indiana and neighboring states for intensive training on the U.S. Constitution and how it affects modern politics. 

Professor Dion gave a three hour presentation examining how and why presidential powers have expanded since the American Founding, along with a critical look at how the system of checks and balances has responded to this expansion. 

Other speakers included John Kaminski, director of the Center for the Study of the American Constitution at the University of Wisconsin, David Adler, president of the Alturas Institute, and Robert Leming, national director of the We The People program of the Center for Civic Education.

Former Purple Ace Kyle Lloyd has been called-up to the San Diego Padres active roster and will make his Major League Baseball debut on Tuesday night as announced in a transaction by the team Tuesday evening.

In his debut, Lloyd will face the New York Mets at 9:10 p.m. (CDT) in Petco Park in San Diego, California.

The right-handed pitcher amassed a 7-5 record with a 3.71 ERA in 89.2 innings this season for the Padres' Double-A affiliate, the San Antonio Missions, while making five starts with Triple-A El Paso in three separate stints with the Chihuahuas.

Following a stellar career with the Purple Aces, Lloyd was drafted in the 29th round of the 2013 MLB Draft by the Padres. With the call-up, Lloyd becomes just the sixth-ever UE player to be elevated to an active MLB roster and the first since current Rockies pitcher Kyle Freeland made his MLB debut on April 7.

"What was great about (Kyle) was his work ethic," said UE Baseball head coach Wes Carroll. "He was a guy who worked extremely hard both on the field and off the field and he was a great teammate. He represents what the University of Evansville baseball program is all about and we couldn't be more proud of Kyle Lloyd."
 
Lloyd spent the first three seasons of his professional career in short-season A, full-season A, and advanced-A baseball before finding his stride in 2016. The California native spent the entirety of the 2016 season with Double-A San Antonio, where Lloyd finished with a 3.71 ERA and a 7-7 record with 99 strikeouts in 130.1 innings pitched.

With Lloyd being called-up, UE is the only university from the Missouri Valley Conference to have two pitchers on active MLB rosters.

The Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) has announced its Team Academic recognition for the 2016-17 school year. Earning the award once again was the University of Evansville Men’s Golf team, who finished last season with a 3.185 GPA.

Pacing the Purple Aces was Robert Waggoner. In his freshman campaign at UE, the Vincennes native posted a GPA of 3.928. Behind him was Jon Pick, who checked in with a 3.543.

To be eligible for GCAA All-Academic Team honors a college or university must submit the GPAs for each player on its official squad list for the academic year.

The University of Evansville was one of eight Missouri Valley Conference volleyball teams honored by the American Volleyball Coaches Association as recipients of the AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2016-17 season, part of a record-breaking 822 programs to earn this distinction.

As a team, the Purple Aces completed the 2016-17 academic year with a 3.337 GPA.

"Congratulations to the players, staff and academic support people that work behind the scenes to help our student-athletes achieve their academic goals and exceed expectations,” UE head coach Manolo Concepcion said.

“It is great to see that our team culture of embracing diversity and inclusion translates to excellence not just in the athletic side, but to the classroom as well,” Concepcion added. “It demonstrates that regardless of race, language, country of origin, students are able to succeed at Evansville if all-in effort is put day in and day out." 

The award, which was initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors collegiate and high school volleyball teams that displayed excellence in the classroom during the school year by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average on a 4.0 scale or a 4.10 cumulative team GPA on a 5.0 scale.

The AVCA Team Academic Award, celebrating its 25th year, is the single largest award offered by quantity of schools, players and coaches honored. Since the 2000-2001 season, the number of recipients have increased every single year but two, while amassing a 532 team increase over the span of the last decade. Since the award's inception in 1993, the amount of award winners has increased from 62 to its current number of 822.

In his four years with the University of Evansville Men’s Basketball, Jaylon Brown improved each and every season. He became the first player in Missouri Valley Conference history to be named to the league’s Most Improved Team on two occasions and the excellence that he displayed while at UE will be taken to the next level as Brown has signed a professional contract with KK Karpos Sokoli in Skopje, Macedonia.

“It is exciting to take my game to the next level,” Brown said. “I am excited to visit a new country and have the chance to play in the top league in Macedonia.”

His team plays in the Macedonian First League and advanced to the championship series for the first time in 2017, losing to 6-time defending champion MZT Skopje Aerodrom by a 3-2 margin in the 5-game series. His team was established in 1996 and made a large stride last season by being promoted to the ABA League (Adriatic League) last year.

“It means a lot to play professionally and shows that hard work will pay off,” Brown said. “It is a good opportunity to play pro and take on the best players in Europe.”

Brown will leave the United States in the middle of August to start preseason preparations for his new squad before starting the season in late September. Play can run into May depending on how the playoffs shape up for his squad. He is hoping to return to the USA over the Christmas break.

Throughout his basketball career, Brown has enjoyed great support from his father and family. They made the trip to the majority of Brown’s games through his college career and they look to continue their support.

“My dad is definitely going to fly out a few times and stay for as long as he can. Others in my family will also be traveling to Europe when they have a chance.”

Since wrapping up his career with the Purple Aces in March, Brown has been hard at work finishing up his academics at UE on his way to graduation while also staying in shape with a trainer near his home in the Indianapolis area.

As he prepares for the next step in his career, JB reflected on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

“Not being in the same state or country as my family will definitely be a challenge, but that is what college is for. It gets you used to being away from your family; it will not be too big of an adjustment, but will definitely be different not being able to drive home,” Brown explained.

“On the other side, I am looking forward to being in a new surrounding and understanding a new culture. The time difference there may throw me off a little bit, but I will get used to it. I am good at adapting!”

Mohammad K. Azarian, professor of mathematics, has published a review of a research paper in the American Mathematical Society's Mathematical Reviews (MathSciNet), the most respected data base for research in mathematical sciences.

The paper reviewed appeared in Math. Slovaca 66 (2016) and is titled, "On Some Combinations of Terms of a Recurrence Sequence," and was authored by Lyes Ait-Amrane, Hacène Belbachir, and Kamel Betina. The authors present some identities satisfied by classical Morgan-Voyce sequence, and they study the periods of this sequence modulo an integer greater than 1. Also, they seek to determine which features of the Morgan-Voyce sequence remain true when it is generalized to elliptic curves defined over a finite field.