The University of Evansville has again been named to Kiplinger’s Best College Value List and as a Top 100 Best Value Private University. UE and the other schools on the 2018 lists represent colleges that provide high-quality academics at a reasonable cost.

Kiplinger’s ranking system weighs affordability alongside academic quality, and combines public schools, private universities, and private liberal arts colleges into a single, comprehensive list. Kiplinger ranks the 100 best values in each category, based on objective measurements of academic quality and affordability, not subjective criteria. To create its best value list, Kiplinger considers data from nearly 1,200 public and private four-year schools provided by Peterson’s, the leader in college data licensing. The list is narrowed to top schools based on academic quality, including SAT or ACT scores, admission and retention rates, student-faculty ratios, and four-year graduation rates. The schools are then ranked using cost and financial aid measures, with academic quality carrying more weight than costs.

“The University of Evansville is very proud to be listed as a Kiplinger Best Value, and we’re particularly pleased to have moved up 39 spots among colleges overall this year,” said Shane Davidson, vice president for enrollment and marketing at UE. “This national recognition is an affirmation of the University’s continued commitment to providing students with an affordable, high quality education.”

The full lists of Kiplinger’s Best College Value Schools are available online now on Kiplinger’s website.

The University of Evansville has planned several events in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2018. This year’s theme - “Respect and Compassion for All” – is based on this quote from King: “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”

Activities include UE’s annual re-enactment of the 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington, DC, a pre-march rally, and the William G. and the Rose M. Mays Martin Luther King Jr. Lectureship. The schedule of events follows. All are free and open to the public.

Monday, January 15

11:45 a.m.: Pre-march rally on the steps of Neu Chapel on UE’s campus.

Noon - UE’s symbolic reenactment of the 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington will leave campus from the Neu Chapel steps and then return to the chapel.

5:00 p.m.: Women of UE’s Black Student Union will host the Women of the Civil Rights Movement LIVE experience in Eykamp Hall Room 252 in Ridgway University Center. Walk through the experience and learn about the women involved in the Civil Rights Movement.

6:00 p.m.: William G. and Rose M. Mays Martin Luther King Jr. Lectureship, Eykamp Hall, Room 251, Ridgway University Center. A reception will follow in Eykamp Hall, Room 252, in Ridgway University Center.

The keynote speaker will be Robert Jackson, author of The No More Excuses Curriculum, featuring the books, Black Men Stand Up!, The Workbook: A Boys Guide to Manhood, The Workbook: A Girls Guide to Womanhood, Solutions to Educating Black and Latino Males and Put a Stop to Bullying. He is a nationally renowned speaker, educator, consultant, and owner of Lavelle Publishing and Robert Jackson Consulting.

He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Technology from Western Kentucky University where he lettered four years in football and track. After being cut from the NFL Minnesota Vikings, Jackson began teaching. Wanting to make a bigger impact on education, he began conducting professional development workshops and keynotes nationally for educators, parents and students. He remains committed to serve his community as mentor and leader, especially on issues facing African American and Latino students.

He is an active Life Member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., 100 Black Men and Bachelor Benedict Club and a member of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA).

He has received numerous awards for his work, including the Bridge Building Award from Collaborate to Save our Sons for his leadership and mentorship toward youth and adults nationally, The Do Something Positive, Be Something Positive Award for his leadership in the community, Civil Rights Justice by Action Youth Award from National Organization of Black Law Enforcement for his tireless work with students nationally.

The generosity of William G. and Rose M. Mays funds the keynote speaker during UE’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration.

To help celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. the MLK Committee will share 10 days of little known facts about his remarkable life. It is our hopes that you will be inspired to join us for a rally, a march and a lecture on Monday, January 15, to continue the festivity of Dr. King’s life. This year the theme is “Respect and Compassion for All,” using Dr. King’s quote: “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”

Today's little know fact:
Dr. King skipped the 9th and 12th grades in high school and entered Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, at the age of 15. He graduated from Morehouse College in 1948 and later earned a doctorate degree in Systematic Theology in 1955 from Boston University. Dr. King became a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, while in college at Boston.

Events Planned for Monday, January 15
• 11:45 a.m. - Rally on the steps of Neu Chapel

• 12:00 p.m. - Symbolic March on Washington

• 5:00 p.m. - Live Experience, “Women of the Civil Rights Movement,” hosted by the Black Student Union, in Eykamp Hall, Room 251, Ridgway University Center.

• 6:00 p.m. - William and Dr. Rose Mays Lectureship featuring keynote speaker Robert Jackson in Eykamp Hall, Room 251, Ridgway University Center. More information on Robert Jackson can be found at www.robertjacksonmotivates.com/video-clips.

“STEEL TOE art SHOW,” an exhibit by ceramic artists and University of Evansville graduates Matthew Gaddie and Brian Somerville, will be on display at UE’s Melvin Peterson Gallery until February 24. On Friday, February 23, there will be a reception at 6:30 p.m., and a lecture by the artists at 7:00 p.m. These events, which are free and open to the public, are part of the Efroymson Family Fund Emerging Contemporary Artist Lecture Series.

Gaddie earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in ceramics from the University of Evansville, and his Master of Fine Arts degree in ceramic arts from Hood College. His studio is located in Bardstown, Kentucky. Somerville earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from UE and his Master of Fine Arts degree from Florida Atlantic University. He lives and creates his art in Nashville.

The Melvin Peterson Gallery is located at 1935 Lincoln Avenue on the corner of Lincoln and Weinbach Avenues in Evansville. Gallery hours are Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday from noon-3:00 p.m., and Wednesday and Thursday from noon-6:00 p.m.

For more information, contact 207-650-6073.

Despite a hot-shooting start, the University of Evansville women's basketball team fell to Missouri State, 95-65, on Sunday afternoon inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse.

"We executed our game plan in the first quarter. I give Missouri State a lot of credit. They hit some really nice shots and made some nice reads, but I thought defensively and offensively we were really glued in to the game plan," said Aces head coach Matt Ruffing. "In the second quarter, our energy level and effort level dropped. Against a team like this that's picked second in the league you can't have that. They're too good to do that and we found out the hard way."

Leading the Aces were junior Kerri Gasper and sophomore Macie Lively who scored 19 and 18 points, respectively. Gasper set a career-high in the game, pulling down 11 rebounds and finishing with her first career double-double. For the Lady Bears, senior Liza Fruendt scored a game-high 24 points and collected 10 rebounds in the win.

Both teams opened the contest fast as each team had just one empty possession through their first five. After an early 9-9 tie, Missouri State went on a 7-2 run to force an Aces' timeout with 5:21 left in the quarter. The Lady Bears saw their lead grow as large as nine in the first period, but Evansville battled back to cut it to three after Lively banked in a 40-footer at the buzzer.

The second quarter proved to be a different story as the Aces cooled off, but Missouri State continued its hot shooting performance. Evansville endured a 7:47 scoreless drought to open the quarter as the Lady Bears took a 51-29 lead into the halftime break after earning a 23-4 scoring advantage in the second frame.

Missouri State increased its lead in the third quarter, taking an 81-37 lead with just 1:19 left in the frame. It was Gasper and Lively again who responded in the waning moments of the period to trim the Lady Bears' lead. Gasper hit a layup with 1:01 left on the clock and Lively knocked-down a triple with 27 seconds remaining in the quarter to trim the Aces' deficit to 81-42 heading into the final frame.

In the fourth quarter, Evansville continued to chip away at the Lady Bears' advantage as the Aces narrowed Missouri State's lead to 90-63 with 2:45 left in the contest. Missouri State would end the game on a 5-2 run to push its advantage back to 95-65 in the Lady Bears' win.

Coming in as the second-best team in the nation in free-throw shooting percentage, the Aces continued their impressive season at the charity stripe, hitting all 15 of their attempts.

Evansville takes to the road for a three-game road swing starting with a contest in Terre Haute against Indiana State at 6:00 p.m. (CT) on Friday night.

A furious run in the final four minutes saw Loyola get past the University of Evansville men’s basketball team by a final of 66-59 at Gentile Arena.

Leading the Purple Aces (10-5, 0-2 MVC) was Ryan Taylor, who notched 20 points. He connected on eight out of 16 attempts on the day. In his first game back from injury after missing the previous four contests, Dru Smith notched 15 points and four steals. Also notched double figures was Blake Simmons notched 12.

“Give Loyola credit, they did a lot of things very well,” UE head coach Marty Simmons said. “We ended the first half really well and challenged our team about how critical the first four minutes of the second half were, but we lost our 8-point lead. Our execution was not what it needs to be. They sped us up and we forced up some shots and were able to change their pulse several times in the second half.” 

Loyola (11-3, 1-1 MVC) was led by Marques Townes, who had 19. Of those 19, 17 came in the second half. Aundre Jackson completed the day with 18.

Taylor gave the Aces a 2-0 lead on the opening possession of the game, but over the next six minutes, UE hit just one of its next eight tries as the Ramblers took a 6-4 lead. Dru Smith connected on a bucket to tie it back up.

On the ensuing Rambler possession, Ben Richardson hit a trey to put the lead right back into Loyola’s hands. Neither team was able to pull away by more than three points through most of the first half, but that all changed in the final four minutes. Smith found his stroke from outside with 4:17 remaining to give the Aces a 19-16 lead and two minutes later, it was Blake Simmons having his way from outside, draining a triple of his own to make it a 22-16 game.

UE extended the lead to eight points on three occasions as the third bucket of the day by Smith finished the period with the Aces up 28-20. Smith had a team-high nine points and four steals in the half.

Marques Townes helped Loyola get right back into the game in the opening minutes of the second half.  Townes drained a pair of triples as the Ramblers began the half on an 8-2 run to get within a pair at 30-28. Evansville started the half 1-of-6 from the field with three turnovers.

With 12:25 left, Loyola was able to tie it up for the first time since the opening 20 minutes of play as Aundre Jackson connected on a field goal to tie it up at 35-35. A jumper from Ryan Taylor, coupled with the second 3-pointer of the game from Simmons, saw UE go back up by five points at 42-37, but a 7-0 run gave LUC the lead once again.

A back-and-forth contest continued as the lead swapped hands twice leading to Loyola going up 51-47 with five minutes on the clock. A clutch triple by Taylor, his first of the day from outside, saw the Aces cut the deficit to just one. Just as they had for most of the second half, the Ramblers had the answer.  An and-one by Townes pushed the lead right back to four. 

One of the pivotal turning points came with under four minutes left. Smith looked to have an opportunity for an and-one, but was called for the offensive foul. Townes converted on the other end to give LUC its largest lead at 56-50. Smith came up clutch with a three next time down the court to make it a single possession game once again.

Smith’s efforts were not enough as the Ramblers were able to pull away for the 66-59 triumph. The Ramblers shot an even 50% for the game, including 63.6% (14/22) in the final 20 minutes. Evansville finished at 44.2% for the game while holding a 32-25 advantage on the glass.

Another road game is on tap for Evansville as it heads to Carbondale, Illinois, to take on Southern Illinois in a 7:00 p.m. game on Wednesday.

The UE Alumni Association recognizes an outstanding teacher for exemplary instruction and student support at spring commencement. UE administrators, faculty, staff, students, and alumni may nominate a faculty member who exemplifies the award’s criteria for outstanding teaching effectiveness that inspires the intellectual development of students.

Please use this link to nominate a faculty member for the auspicious occasion: www.evansville.edu/alumni/outstandingTeacher.cfm.

Full-time faculty who have taught in the classroom at UE for two years or more and held the rank of lecturer, instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, or professor are eligible for nomination.

Past award recipients are as follows: James Berry in 2011; Mari Plikuhn in 2012; Mark Valenzuela in 2013; Jennie Ebeling in 2014; Margaret Stevenson in 2015, M. Kevin Gray in 2016, and Mary Ellen Wylie in 2017.

The deadline to submit nominations is January 31, at 5:00 p.m.

For questions, contact Tracey Folden at tf91@evansville.edu.

After 22 years of dedicated service to the University of Evansville, Sherri Chambliss will be retiring January 5. Sherri has impacted the lives of hundreds of UE PT and PA students and families who will forever be grateful for her service. Stop by and see Sherri and wish her well! 

The December Pcard cycle - which began on November 22 - will end at midnight on December 21. As of December 23, cardholders may schedule and run the December Cycle report. December transactions may be reconciled in SDG2 until December 28. On December 28, the general ledger Pcard file will be uploaded and cardholders will be locked out of (unable to make changes) posted transactions for the December cycle.

Submitted by Kim Winsett kw83@evansville.edu