Monks from Tashi Kyil Monastery in Dehra Dun, India, will be in Evansville August 18-23, creating the World Peace Sand Mandala at the University of Evansville. They will be working on the mandala project in the John Wesley Gallery located in the lower level of Neu Chapel. The mandala will take several days to construct and the public is invited to observe their work throughout the week. The schedule for viewing the Sand Mandala is below.

• Sunday, August 19 at noon, Opening Ceremony. Monks will be creating sand mandala until 5:00 p.m.

• Monday, August 20, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

• Tuesday, August 21, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

• Wednesday, August 22, 10:00a.m.-5:00 p.m.

• Thursday, August 23, 10:00 a.m.-noon

• Thursday, August 23 at noon: Closing ceremony and Sand Mandala deconstruction. Following the closing ceremony, the monks will take the sand mandala to the Ohio River and ceremonially disperse the sand into the river to spread healing energies of the mandala throughout the world.

Feel free to observe the creation of the mandala and spend some time with the monks. The monks are here to teach the Dharma and educate the public about the culture and religion of Tibet. More info at:  www.facebook.com/monktour2018.

Submitted by Tamara Gieselman tg85@evansville.edu 

Whether it's Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, we are all encouraged to #GetWoke. This new academic year, Neu Chapel is encouraging our campus community to have a #WokeFaith as we begin our University Worship #GetWokeUE worship service this upcoming Sunday (August 19) at 9:00 a.m. in Neu Chapel. All are invited and welcome to attend!

Submitted by Keith Turner kt160@evansville.edu 

Free HIV testing will be provided at the Health Center by Matthews 25 on August 21 from 8:00-11:00 a.m.

Submitted by Tara Ulrich tu19@evansville.edu

Students, staff, faculty, and administrators are invited to play in the University Symphony Orchestra and String Chamber Ensemble. The University Symphony Orchestra meets on Monday at 5:30 p.m. and Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. The String Chamber Ensemble meets on Thursday at 4:00 p.m. in the Krannert Hall of Art and Music. Come join us!

E-mail Chun-Ming Chen, director of orchestral activities, at cc319@evansville.edu for more information.

Submitted by Chun-Ming Chen cc319@evansville.edu

Johnson Controls is on campus conducting the annual fire alarm system testing. As each building is tested the alarm will intermittently go off. (Since this is just a test of the alarm, there is no need to leave the building when the alarm sounds.) Physical plant and security will know on a daily basis the buildings being tested. The testing will be done between 7:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Testing should be completed by Tuesday, August 21. If you have any concerns or schedule conflicts, please contact the physical plant at 812-488-2775.

Submitted by Jayne Schnacke js607@evansville.edu

University of Evansville professors Laura Dwyer and Robert Dion were honored recently with the 2018 Sydney and Sadelle Berger Awards for Scholarly Activity and Service. They were presented with the awards by Charlie Berger during UE’s Fall Conference.

UE associate professor of management Laura Dwyer was given the Berger Award for Scholarly Activity. Dwyer has significantly contributed to the research community. She is a prominent scholar and teacher specializing in the areas of organizational behavior, human resources, decision making, and leadership.

Dwyer has a strong interest in publishing in peer-reviewed pedagogical journals in the areas of business education and higher education. Of particular interest is Dwyer’s research titled “Leadership self-efficacy and managers' motivation for leading change.” This research has received 416 citations since its publication in 2002 in the Journal of Organizational Behavior. 

Dwyer continually shares her knowledge by delivering seminars and workshops at Harvard Business School, Northwestern University, and University of Colorado.
She has received UE’s Schroeder School of Business Dean’s Service Award, the Dean's Research Award, and the Dean's Teaching Award twice. Dwyer has also received a Teaching Fellows Grant from the Center for Teaching Excellence.

UE professor of political science and chair of law, politics, and society Robert Dion was the recipient of the Berger Award for Service. Dion is committed to serving UE and the community and to promoting diversity and equal rights for all people.

He has been chair of the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Human Relations Commission for several years. He has been a featured speaker at statewide meetings of all Indiana human rights agencies and a delegate to conventions of the International Association of Official Human Rights Agencies. Dion is a longtime member of the Evansville Diversity Distinguished Lecture Series board.

At UE, Dion has received the United Methodist Exemplary Teaching Award and serves on several committees and boards, including the Diversity Lecture Series board and the MLK Day Committee. He chairs UE’s Constitution Day committee and works with We the People, a national program dedicated to teaching secondary school students about the US. Constitution.

He is regularly interviewed by local, statewide, national, and international news outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Le Monde, the BBC World Service, The Guardian, and Radio Canada.

Welcome to the UE family, new faculty members! Pictured here from left to right are:

Front row: Sara Petrosillo (English), Dean Ying Shang (Dean of Engineering), Katie Thomas (Nursing), Alison Jones (Education), Julie Merkle (Biology), Claire Nutt (Physician Assistant Science)

Back row: David Murphy (Economics), Terry Stumpf (Management), Jason Pitt (Physical Therapy)

New faculty members missing from the photo are: Vincent Campese (Psychology), Gopal Gupta (Religion), Wes Grantom (Theatre), Nicholas Harmon (Physics), Amelia McClain, (Theatre), Janel Miley (Theatre), Moumita Mukherjee (Engineering)

Katie Aldred (’09), assistant professor of biology, and Remi Hoerr, senior biology major, recently attended and presented their research at the Gordon Research Seminar on DNA Topoisomerases in Biology and Medicine. Hoerr’s poster was titled “Quinolone-Topoisomearse Interactions and Resistance: Does the Water-Metal Ion Bridge Play a Role in Staphylococcus aureus topoisomerase IV?” Aldred’s poster was titled “Development, Optimization, and Implementation of an Assay to Measure Intracellular Cleavage Complex Formation in Bacteria.” Two biology students were co-authors on the poster presented by Aldred - Olivia Voegerl, senior biology and exercise science major, and Addie Payne, sophomore biology major. Both research projects were funded through UExplore. The Gordon Research Conference and Seminar series provides an international forum for the presentation and discussion of frontier research in the biological, chemical, and physical sciences, and their related technologies with a focus on presentation and discussion of pre-publication research.

Professor Lora Becker has been elected to the National Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society Board of Directors for the 2018-20 biennium. She recently ended her 2-year term as chair of their bylaws committee. Phi Kappa Phi will hold an induction ceremony this spring. All inductees are invited regardless of chapter affiliation! Phi Kappa Phi is the largest interdisciplinary honor society.