The University of Evansville (UE) will hold Academic Convocation for first-year students on Tuesday, August 23, at 8:50 a.m. in Meeks Family Fieldhouse. Academic Convocation is a formal event that marks the beginning of an academic year. The keynote speaker this year is Mike Slade, PhD, associate professor of chemistry.

Students will gather in Neu Chapel for prologue, which begins at 8:15 a.m. and will be led by Rev. Andy Payton, university chaplain. At 8:30 a.m., students will process from Neu Chapel to Meeks Family Fieldhouse. Walnut Street will be closed at this time so everyone can safely travel to Carson Center.

Staff and administrators are welcome to attend Academic Convocation. This year, you are also invited to meet at the sidewalk between Ridgway University Center and the East Terrace Lawn to welcome students as they process to Academic Convocation! Please arrive by 8:30 a.m. to form two lines, and we encourage you to wear purple too!

Save the date for the UE Majors and Minors Fair on Tuesday, October 18, 2022, from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. in Eykamp Hall.

Faculty, students, and alumni along with campus support teams will provide information about their discipline, professional outcomes, education programs, academic support, social innovation, and much more.

Watch for additional information coming soon. Contact Paula Heldt at ph28@evansville.edu or 812-488-2479 with questions.

Today, the opening session of our Fall Conference will be held from 1:00-4:00 p.m. Afterwards, we will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony for our New Residence Hall! This will take place at 4:00 p.m. inside the lobby of the New Residence Hall, and then we’ll celebrate with appetizers and drinks under a tent on Walnut Street. Tours will be offered for those who would like to explore the interior. You’re invited to join us as we mark the opening of our New Residence Hall, which many first- and second-year students will soon call home! 

We’re pleased to announce that Café Court has been rebranded to The Eatery! Our dining center will have the same location and stations inside, but it’s a new and improved place with some great features around the corner, including:

• Cold and hot items in Aces Place! Now you can use a meal swipe for more than just refrigerated foods and snacks. Aces Place will now have menu items such as burgers, chicken tenders, and more.
• Your music selections! The Eatery is excited to offer Rockbot to students, an app that will allow you to request songs from your table. Think of it as a modern jukebox.
• Self-service kiosks for no-contact ordering! These will be installed in October at Rademacher’s and Chick-fil-A. 
• And more…to be revealed at a later date!

There are also new and revamped stations in The Eatery:

• Pasta - Our new location for build-your-own pasta
• Innovate - This is the Mongolian grill area that will feature stir fry and other "action" items
• Kitchen - Think comfort food that reminds you of home!
• Deli - A build-your-own sandwich station
• Pizza - Here, you can find pizzas, flatbreads, calzones, and more
• Grill - Classic grill items
• Desserts - Our daily menu of made from scratch desserts
• Salad - A station for creating your own salad
• Avoiding Gluten - This station has gluten-free options that include waffles, toast, muffins, cookies, and more

Your Chartwells family is excited about these new developments and can’t wait for students to experience them, too. For continued updates, you can follow @FoodatUE on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
 

Calling all faculty, staff, and administrators! Volunteer "move-in greeters" are needed for Saturday, August 20 from 8am - 2pm.

Greeters will work in pairs (in a shaded/covered area) for a 2-hour shift to help greet new students and their families as they drive up to their assigned residence hall. We are looking for 30 volunteers from across the university to welcome the newest additions to our UE Family.

Sign-up here by August 10th.

Purple Patrol is once again returning this fall! We now need your help filling up the 15 Fridays throughout the semester!

You can sign up for Purple Patrol through SignUpGenius. Join your coworkers, department, or team and volunteer for the Friday of your choosing. Please sign up for one week only so everyone has a chance to participate. Those who sign up will travel around campus on Fridays (preferably morning or lunchtime) and hand out giveaways to Aces showing their purple pride! 

If you have questions, please contact Julie Beer, university relations coordinator, at jb855@evansville.edu.

Professor Emeritus of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, David J. Unger, publishes technical article in ZAMP (Journal of Applied Mathematics and Physics) titled, "Generalized Tresca yield condition as a family of elliptic curves with application to mode I crack problems," 73: 184, pp. 1-17.

The University of Evansville has received support for its Department of Art from the Efroymson Family Fund for the 2022-23 academic year. The generous gift, which marks the 11th year of annual support from the family, will fund existing traditions and create new opportunities for art students. 

The Efroymson Family Emerging Contemporary Artists Lecture Series will continue into the next academic year. Through this initiative, professional artists will be selected to display artwork in the Melvin Peterson  and Krannert Galleries. During this time, art students interact with the professional artist through lectures and workshops, and the public is invited to view the galleries.

Each year, the fund also supports a marketing internship for a current art student. One intern is selected each semester to work closely with the department chair in designing print and digital materials that assist with recruitment, exhibitions and receptions, and departmental advertising. The paid internship provides beneficial, hands-on experience that allows for growth beyond the classroom.

For the second year in a row, the Efroymson Family Fund will provide a Bridge Fellowship Program. The UE Department of Art will extend this opportunity to a recent art graduate who wishes to pursue further art education. This individual will work on research and assist with studio management and teaching. The fellow will also receive a studio space and exhibit their research. The assistance performed by the Bridge Year Fellow will allow current art faculty to dedicate more time to classrooms, student mentorship, and artwork.

About the Efroymson Family Fund 

The Efroymson Family Fund, a donor-advised fund of Central Indiana Community Foundation, continues a long family legacy of charitable giving. The Efroymson Family Fund was established in 1998 by Dan and Lori Efroymson to promote the viability of communities, and to date, the family has awarded more than $123 million in grants in central Indiana and beyond.  For more information about the Efroymson Family Fund, visit efroymsonfamilyfund.org. 

After five seasons of delighting Aces fans, University of Evansville slugger Tanner Craig will stay local to begin his professional career, signing with the Evansville Otters of the Frontier League.

One of the best to ever put on an Evansville uniform, Tanner Craig concluded his Aces career with his best season. Craig finished the season with a .305 batting average, the Scottsburg, Ind. native led the MVC in doubles with 24 and RBI with 61 and recorded 18 home runs, the fourth-best total in the conference, while ranking in the top 10 in seven other statistical categories. Craig's 47 career home runs are the most ever by an Ace and his single-season totals for doubles and home runs both sit second in UE history. For his efforts, Craig was named second team all-MVC.

Craig's professional career began on Friday night, batting sixth in the lineup and going 1-for-4 at the plate in a 9-7 win over the Gateway Grizzlies.

University of Evansville Director of Cross Country/Track & Field Brooks LeCompte has announced the addition of Michigan State graduate transfer Melanie Helder (Hudsonville, Mich./Hudsonville) to his 2022 roster.  Helder is the first addition for LeCompte as the head of the Purple Aces’ program.

“I am excited to have Melanie representing the Purple Aces beginning this fall, as my first signee at the helm of the program,” said LeCompte.  “I think she will add immediate attention to our program and begin a culture of high-level competitiveness for us at the MVC and NCAA level.”

Helder was a 2022 CoSIDA Academic All-District selection at Michigan State, while being a 1,500-meter qualifier for the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field East Preliminary Round.  Helder placed 34th overall at the NCAA East Preliminary Round in the 1,500-meters, and owns a personal-best time of 4:18.09 in the event.

Meanwhile, in cross country, Helder was a part of two Big Ten Championship cross country programs, and posted a personal-best time of 21:37.2 in the 6-K event in October for the Spartans.   While she did not compete in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships hosted at Evansville last November, she did compete in the NCAA Division I Cross Country National Championships, posting a 6-K time of 21:57.6.

Helder also excelled in the classroom at Michigan State, posting a 3.98 cumulative grade point average in kinesiology, while minoring in health promotion.  She was a four-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and five-time Academic All-Big Ten recipient.  Helder received the Big Ten’s Postgraduate Scholarship this past June.  She will be a part of UE’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program academically.