Our diligent efforts to launch the inaugural conference on community solidarity have yet to garner strong community interest and support, as evidenced by insufficient registrations. Therefore, the conference is canceled for Saturday, January 20th. This community work is essential, so we'll explore another time to share this resource with the Evansville region.

ECTE invites all faculty and staff involved in student recruitment and retention to its first Lunch and Learn session of the semester, next Thursday, January 25th (12:15pm to 1:00pm) – in the Library Boardroom #203.

Jill Griffin will talk about “Academics and New Student Recruitment”

• Academic profiles of incoming students over the past 5 years
• Challenges in discerning the academic quality of prospective students
• Grade inflation
• College readiness

Chad Hart will discuss “Ready to Be Student Ready – What the student voice is telling us and what we can do about it?”

Highlights from student feedback he’s gathered and important frameworks from which to think about how we approach the current student generation and the ones to come. How can we adapt to be ready to attract, retain, and empower students as we move forward to UE’s next 100 years? Are we ready to be ready?

We'll be offering Zoop & Zand: tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches, potato chips, and cookies.

We hope to see you next Thursday! ~ ECTE: Julie and Diana

Please join the Community Racial Justice Prayer Service that will be held in Neu Chapel on Sunday, February 4th at 2 p.m. All faith communities are welcome!

Please join us beginning next week as we commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through a week-long celebration under the theme "Embracing Liberation: Radical Love for a United Community."

This year, UE is collaborating with multiple organizations, and we encourage our UE family to take part in the community-wide commemoration. Please see graphic for more community-wide details.

Highlights:

• Saturday, January 13:
  • 9:00 a.m. - UE MLK Day of Service for UE Students, Faculty, and Staff

• Monday, January 15:
  • 8:30 a.m. – Faith-based service in Neu Chapel
  • 9:45 a.m. – Rally at Meeks Family Fieldhouse
  • 10:00 a.m. – Symbolic March

• Wednesday, January 17:
  • 11:30 a.m. – Luncheon in Eykamp Hall featuring the William G. and Rose M. Mays Lectureship, 2024 Mays Legacy Award, and Rising Star Service Award presentations.

• Saturday, January 20:
  • 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. – UE Inaugural Conference on Community Solidarity open to all Evansville community members.

Register for Enhanced Participation: To enhance your experience, we encourage you to register for the day of serivce, luncheon and conference through the provided buttons by visiting www.evansville.edu/MLK. All on-campus events are free and open to all UE community members and guests.

For any questions, please reach out to the Center for Diversity Equity and Inclusion at Center4DEI@evansville.edu

Hello everybody! I am excited to announce that Total Fit is back! Total Fit is a fitness class that focuses on having a strong body, mind, and sprirt. This class is open to anyone and everyone regardless of your current fitness level. Please come wearing athletic clothes and shoes, and bring a water bottle! We will be meeting once a week every Wednesday morning in the Carson Center from 8:30-9:30 am, in the aerobic room (the room with all the mirrors).

If you have any questions please contact Owen Lawrence (ol29@evansville.edu).

Hope to see you at our first class on Wednesday, January 24th!

Many tutoring sessions for the spring semester have begun. The tutoring schedule can be found here: https://www.evansville.edu/advising/academic-peer-tutoring.cfm.

Peer tutoring is a free service managed by Academic Services that is open to all current UE students. Each session is run by peer tutors who are familiar with the course material, having gone through it all themselves before. This is a great resource for if you have questions, want to refresh yourself on information, or even if you need a space that will help you focus on studying and other work.

Haven't attended tutoring before? Here are some fast facts and tips:

• Tutoring operates on a drop-in basis in which students can come and go from the tutoring session at any point in the posted time frame.
• Bring your course materials with you.
• Come up with specific questions so that the tutor knows how to best help you.
• Tutoring is not a replacement for asking your professor questions and seeking their help.
• Please be respectful of other students as well as of tutors.
• Sessions listed as “TBD” are still being decided and will be available as soon as possible.

If you have any questions regarding peer tutoring, please contact Laci Rowe at lr152@evansville.edu / 812-488-5170 or by stopping into Academic Services (Olmsted 116)!

Pictured above, Alayna Acree, President of UE Clay Club, and Professor Todd Matteson, Advisor to UE Clay Club, present a check to Amanda Drew, Community Food Bank, in the sum of $6880.00.

On Tuesday, October 31, the Clay Club held its 21st Annual Chili Bowl Sale on the University of Evansville’s campus. There were over 500 handmade ceramic bowls for sale with the majority being sold for $10 and other from $15 to $100. In previous years the sale of the bowls lasted from 15 to 30 minutes. This year the bowls sold out in a record time of 6 minutes 30 seconds. People waited in line longer for chili than they waited to buy the bowls.

There were double the number of people this year. This one day event brings one of the largest crowds to campus. This event draws not only UE students, faculty, and staff but also the UE community and supporters. Professor Matteson states, “We have families that drive over 2 hours to be here. The sale is anticipated every year and has become a tradition for many.”

This year the UE Clay Club chose the Community Food Bank Inc. of Dubois County as its beneficiary. The UE Clay Club has a member that benefitted from the food bank in the past and wanted to give back and pay it forward from their experiences. The UE Clay Club decided to donate all of their profits this year to the Community Food Bank.

Since 2016, when the UE Clay Club became a Student Government Association sponsored group, they have been operating the Chili Bowl Sale as a Philanthropic Event and Fundraiser, donating close to $30,000 to fight hunger. Each year the UE Clay Club members have to research and decide which organization they want to support.

Professor Matteson has two requirements for the students as they choose where to donate: one, the organization needs to be mostly funded by private donors; two, they must spread the gifts to organizations inside and outside of Vanderburgh County. This is done on a rotating basis. Professor Matteson states, “We have a lot of students that also reside in the surrounding counties. These counties need our support too.” This furthers UE's commitment to fighting hunger within the greater community.

Harlaxton is accepting applications for Summer I, Summer II, and Fall 2024! Our priority deadline application for the summer terms is on January 30. Applications for the summer will be accepted on a space available basis after that date. If there's a specific course you want to take at Harlaxton this summer, get your application submitted by the priority deadline. Applications for the fall semester will be accepted until March 4.

If you have worked with your advisor on planning for one of these upcoming terms at our amazing manor, now is the best time to apply! The application process is simple and all online, and you can find details on the Harlaxton website: https://college.harlaxton.co.uk/programs. Feel free to contact the team if you have any questions at harlaxton@evansville.edu!

The Academic Success Lab is now open for the spring semester! Peer academic coaches are available to assist students with study skills, time management, test preparation and much more. The Success Lab is located in the Clifford Memorial Library, Room 259 (right down the hall from the Writing Center) for drop-in hours. Academic coaches are also available to meet virtually. The schedules for both in-person and virtual academic coaching hours are located online here: https://www.evansville.edu/advising/academic-success-lab.cfm

The academic coaches look forward to working with students this semester!

The Honorary Degree Committee looks forward to receiving your recommendations for honorary degrees to be conferred at the May 2024 Commencement. We need your help in selecting accomplished individuals to receive one of our university’s highest honors. Nominations may be made on the basis of individual service to the University or individual achievement that exemplifies the University’s mission. Recently selected persons have excelled in a variety of areas, including law, medicine, education, business, literature, politics, and entertainment. The committee will forward their nominations to President Pietruszkiewicz so he can make his recommendations to the faculty for their approval. Please email the following information to Ben Johnson, committee chair, at bj23@evansville.edu by Wednesday, January 24: Your name, the name of your nominee, the rationale for your nomination, biographical information on the nominee, and contact information for the nominee. Thank you in advance for your ideas.

Students expecting refunds of excess financial aid are encouraged to input their bank information within Self-Service for direct deposit. This can be found under Banking Information in Self-Service.

If you need further assistance, contact the Office of Student Financial Services at 812-488-2565.

The Fall 2023 Deans' List is currently on display at the library. Congratulations!

The Writing Center is accepting student applications for employment for the Spring 2024 semester. If you're interested, please fill out the attached form. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Kristina Groves at kg76.

https://forms.office.com/r/D8v6x2r4Xe

David Green has edited the most recent volume of Nottingham Medieval Studies, one of the leading interdisciplinary journals for the study of European history and literature in the Middle Ages. This is a special edition dedicated to Michael Jones (Green's PhD supervisor) and has the title 'Centres and Peripheries in Medieval Britain and France'.

Our Deepest Sympathy to the Family and Friends of Kenny Zirkelbach who passed away at his home on Thursday, January 11, 2024. Kenny retired from the University of Evansville in 2016 after 37-1/2 years, and held positions in Grounds and later Facilities Maintenance.

Kenny was a 1977 graduate of Bosse High School, and is survived by his wife of 39 years, Nancy; mother, Barbara Smallwood; children, James Zirkelbach of Evansville, Ron Hayes, Jr. (Sarah) of Akron, Ohio, and Amy Fairchild (Ryan) of Evansville; two brothers, Don Zirkelbach (Joyce) of Enfield, Illinois and Duane Smallwood (fiancé, Shari) of Evansville; four grandchildren, Abigail, Isabella, and Elijah Hayes of Akron, Ohio and Kole Fairchild of Evansville. He adored his grandchildren. Other survivors include his mother-in-law, Florence Angerer; sister-in-law, Janet Duncan (Robert); brothers-in-law, Mark, Brian Angerer (Dennifer) and Steven Angerer (Kara); and several nieces, nephews, and cousins. To read the rest of the obituary please click on the following link. https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/evansville-in/kenneth-zirkelbach-11623051

Back-to-back road games in Iowa are on the docket for the University of Evansville men’s basketball team beginning on Saturday when UE faces Drake in Des Moines.  Tip is set for 5 p.m. CT with ESPN+ and the Purple Aces Radio Network having the coverage.

Last Time Out

- Finishing the night shooting 50.9%, the Purple Aces earned a 78-75 victory against Valparaiso on Wednesday

- Four players reached double figures with Yacine Toumi and Chuck Bailey III scoring 13 apiece

- Kenny Strawbridge Jr. registered 11 points while Antonio Thomas scored 10

- Cam Haffner scored 5 points and had 3 assists; all five tallies came in a run that saw UE take a game-high 9-point lead in the second half

He’s Back

- After missing five games, Ben Humrichous made his return to the floor on Wednesday against the Beacons

- He saw just under 12 minutes of playing time and scored seven points

- Humrichous continues to rank among the top players in the MVC in multiple stats including: 3-point FG% (T-1 | 48.4%), blocks (4th | 1.31/gm), FG% (6th | 55.4%), 3-pt made (7th | 2.38/gm), 3- scoring (10th | 15.6 PPG)

Clutch Shots

- An efficient 5-for-7 shooting performance saw Chuck Bailey III record 13 points in the win over Valpo

- Twelve of those points came in the second half as two late triples put UE in front

- Bailey missed the game at Cincinnati and struggled in the ensuing two games before erupting for 18 against the Braves; he connected on 10 of his 13 free throw tries, both career highs

- He is third on the squad with a season average of 10.1 points per contest

Stat Sheet Consistency

- Yacine Toumi has been averaging close to a double-double over the last seven games, posting 11.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game over that time

- Toumi has record double figures in scoring in eight of the last 10 games

- He posted a career-best 12 boards versus Missouri State and is 8th in the MVC with a season mark of 6.8

- Toumi has averaged 12.3 points over the last 10 games (123 total pts) and recorded double-doubles against Tennessee Tech and Indiana State

Scouting the Opponent

- Drake paces the MVC with a 15-3 mark and a 6-1 start to league play

- The Bulldogs dealt Indiana State their lone conference loss on Jan. 10 and are coming off back-to-back road wins at Southern Illinois and Illinois State

- Tucker DeVries paces four double figure scorers for the Bulldogs with 20.6 points per game

- He is a 46.0% shooter from the field and has chipped in an average of 6.1 boards

- Atin Wright and Kevin Overton check in with averages of 14.7 and 12.4 PPG, respectively

- Darnell Brodie is averaging 10.9 points and a team-best 8.3 caroms

University of Evansville divers Madison Rollett (Evansville, Ind./Reitz) and Levi McKinney (Boonville, Ind./Boonville) both took home Diver of the Week honors in their respective conferences this week after posting NCAA Zone Qualifying scores over the weekend, as Rollett was named the Missouri Valley Conference Diver of the Week on Thursday afternoon, after McKinney earned MAC Diver of the Week honors on Wednesday

Rollett posted a personal-best one-meter score of 279.90 on Saturday at USI to record her first NCAA Zone Qualifying mark as a Purple Ace.  Her score of 279.90 ranks as the third-best one-meter score in the MVC so far this year, according to Divemeets.com.  It topped her previous-best one-meter score by over 15 points, which came just two days earlier, as Rollett narrowly missed a Zone score with a one-meter total of 262.88 in a meet with Indiana State on Thursday.  For Rollett, Thursday’s MVC Diver of the Week award marked her first during her collegiate career.

McKinney posted a career-best score of 308.85 on the one-meter diving board on Saturday at USI to win the competition.  McKinney won by over 57 points, as he posted the second score over 300 points this year.  He also posted a score of 303.23 on his way to winning the one-meter competition against Valparaiso and USI on October 14 at Deaconess Aquatic Center.  For McKinney, it is his second MAC Diver of the Week honor not only this season, but also in his career at UE.

The UE swimming and diving team will return to action this Saturday at 1 p.m. with a trip to Charleston, Illinois, where UE will face Eastern Illinois on both the men’s and women’s sides, and also Wabash College on the men’s side.

After a successful first meet of the season, the University of Evansville track and field team looks to improve over the weekend.

The Purple Aces broke a total of eleven program records at their first indoor meet of the 2024 season in Nashville. At the Commodore Challenge, UE in the first day had six runners break indoor program records and five team members set personal bests. All six of Evansville's new records came during nonchampionship track events with an even split between the men's and women's events.

Program records were set by Nicole Prauchner (Neuhofen an der Ybbs, Austria BORGL St.Pölten) in the women's 1000-meter, Rafael Rodriguez (Segovia, Spain Colegio Claret) in the men's 1000-meter, Eline Brenne (Skien, Norway Telemark Toppidrett Gymnas) in the women's 600-meter, Jakub Nowicki (Poznan, Poland) in the men's 600-meter, Taylor Johnson (Evansville, Ind., Reitz HS) in the women's 300-meter, and Raymond Felton III (Houston, Clear Brook HS) in the men's 300-meter.

The final day of the Commodore Challenge runners Taylor Johnson (Evansville, Ind. / Reitz HS) and Nicole Prauchner (Neuhofen an der Ybbs, Austria BORGL St.Pölten) added two more individual records in the 400 and 800-meter races. While Samuel Lea (Worchester, England / Worchester Sixth Form College) set a record in the 3000 meters with a time of 8:31.79.

Evansville also ended the weekend with two more program records in both the women's and men's 4x400 meter relays. The women's team of Johnson, Prauchner, Eilen Brenne (Skien, Norway / Telemark Toppidrett Gymnas), and Nayla Martin (Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec, Canada) broke the former record by over seven seconds at 4:03.37. While the men's team of Austin Liversgowdy (Florence, Ky. / Cooper HS), Raymond Felton III (Houston, Clear Brook HS), Jose Ocampo (Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico), and Alvaro Monfort (Castile Y Leon, Spain / I.E.S. Alonso de Madrigal) shaved a second off the record from 2020 at 3:27.67.

This weekend, UE will spend two days in Bloomington at the Indiana Invitational hosted by the Indiana Hoosiers. The Aces will see some familiar faces in their second meet of the indoor season in fellow MVC competitors Indiana State and Southern Illinois. Six other teams are also participating in the weekend's invitational in hosts IU, Cincinnati, Dayton, Marshall, Miami (Ohio), and Division III DePauw. The weekend will begin with field events at 3 p.m. on Friday afternoon until sprints wrapping up just before 9 p.m. On Saturday, competition begins at 9 a.m. with the final event at 3:05 p.m.

Contributions came from all ten University of Evansville men’s basketball players on Wednesday evening as the Purple Aces got back on the winning track with a 78-75 Missouri Valley Conference win over Valparaiso inside the Ford Center.

Yacine Toumi and Chuck Bailey III recorded 13 points apiece while Kenny Strawbridge Jr. scored 11 and Antonio Thomas posted 10.  Josh Hughes registered a team-high nine rebounds and contributed eight points.  Toumi hauled in eight caroms.  Tanner Cuff had nine tallies while Ben Humrichous returned to the floor and scored seven points.  Cam Haffner scored five points but dished out three assists in the winning effort.  Isaiah Stafford connected on 10 of his 19 attempts on his way to 31 points.

“For us to go through the stretch that we did over the last five games was tough.  Having Ben back helped but everyone made a contribution,” UE head men’s basketball coach David Ragland said after the win.  “It was a complete team win; we had four in double figures and three more right there.  Josh and Yacine came close to double-doubles and Cam Haffner came in and played unbelievable minutes, especially when we pushed the lead to nine.”

Hitting their opening two shots of the game, the Beacons took a 5-0 lead out of the gate.  After missing the previous five games, Ben Humrichous made his return and hit Evansville’s first basket of the night.  Following a Yacine Toumi field goal, Antonio Thomas connected from downtown to put the Purple Aces up 7-5 before Kenny Strawbridge Jr. followed with a triple that capped a 10-0 run.

Just over six minutes into the contest, Josh Hughes knocked down UE’s third outside shot to give his team its largest lead of the period at 17-9.  Valpo countered with the next four points, but it was Tanner Cuff scoring off a turnover to reestablish the 8-point lead at 21-13 inside of the 12-minute mark.  Posting eight of the next nine points, the Beacons cut the deficit to one before retaking a 30-27 lead with three free throws with 7:16 remaining.

Three more lead changes took place in the final minutes of the period with Hughes recording his second make of the game to send the Aces to the break with a 40-38 lead.

Out of the break, the first basket belonged to the Beacons, who retook a 41-40 lead with their 7th triple of the evening.  Just as he had in the first half, Humrichous opened the scoring in the second stanza.  His long triple put UE back in front and a Valpo foul saw the Aces retain possession.  With the shot clock running down, Strawbridge converted from outside to give Evansville a 46-41 edge.

Eight in a row by the Beacons saw them retake the lead at 49-47 as the teams would exchange the lead once again.  As the final period reached its midway point, Evansville slowly took control.  With the score knotted at 59-59, UE recorded 12 of the next 15 points to take its largest lead at 71-62 at the 6:16 mark.  Cam Haffner knocked down a 3-pointer before a slick pass to Chuck Bailey III resulted in another triple that capped off the run.

Valparaiso had one more run left in the tank and cut the gap to one at 74-73 inside the final two minutes.  Tanner Cuff hit a shot that pushed the lead back to three, but the Beacons matched it on the other end.  With Evansville up by one, Toumi was fouled with 19 ticks remaining and came through with two clutch free throw makes.  In VU’s final possession, Hughes forced a turnover and the Aces hung on to clinch the victory.

Evansville shot 50.9% on the night while limiting Valparaiso to 44.4%.  The Beacons had a slight 32-31 edge on the boards and converted 11 triples with UE hitting 10.

This weekend, the Aces embark to Iowa for road contests at Drake (Saturday at 5 p.m.) and UNI (Tuesday at 7 p.m.).