Wellness Day will take place on Monday, February 12. This day is an opportunity for both students and employees to take a break from day-to-day responsibilities and focus on mental and physical health. All UE academic departments and administrative offices will be closed, but dining services will operate with adjusted hours. Café Court will be open from 10:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m., and Chick-fil-A will be open from noon until 8:00 p.m. Rademacher's Café will be closed. The library will remain open on Wellness Day.

Join us for a talk by Archaeobotanist Rebekah McKay.

When: Friday, February 9, 4 pm

Where: Hyde Hall 14

Title and Description: Our Field, Your Forest: Common-Pool Resource Management and Sustainability in the Pylian Kingdom

The Bronze Age on mainland Greece is a period in prehistory that is at once rich in archaeological and documentary evidence and beset with inscrutable mystery. We have testimony of the minutiae of state bureaucracy, palatial administrative centers, and a rich mortuary landscape. Yet we still debate the nature of basic power structures, the flow of resources and commodities, spheres of influence over behavior, wealth, and community autonomy, and the state formation processes. To address these persistent questions it is important to investigate a particular, if ignored, angle: human-environment engagements. To this end, I examine the interface between the institutional environment in Bronze Age Messenia and their common-pool resources (CPRs); whether formalized systems of rules and penalties related to resource procurement were instituted; whether demographic, political, or economic conditions influenced institutional change; and in what ways CPR management institutions intersected with palatial power structures in the period of state formation.

Calling all trivia nerds!

Team sign-ups are now open for this year’s Nerd Wars trivia competition, scheduled for Monday, March 25 at 6:00pm in Eykamp Hall. The Honors Program invites you to form your team of five competitors to battle in a competition of wits for prizes and bragging rights. Teams of students, faculty, administrators, and staff are welcome to register.

Both spectators and competitors can enjoy pizza and snacks at the event, as well as the nerdiest-dressed competition and the chance to receive giveaway prizes!

Register online now at this link: https://forms.gle/6iY2tgyLoVQMKb3F9

Registration is free for the event. Those who are unable to compose a team of five may still register and will be matched to form a team. The registration deadline is Friday, March 1.

Please contact Rafay at rk166 with any questions.

The UE Music Conservatory will host a Guest Recital "Piano Music of Debussy and Ravel" by Dr. Ryan Fogg of Carson-Newman University (TN) on Friday, Feb 9 at 7:30 p.m. in Wheeler Concert Hall. The program will feature extended and shorter selections for solo piano by Debussy and Ravel, highlighting their tendencies toward neoclassical structures and impressionistic sonorities. The recital is free and open to the public.

SAB and RSA will be hosting Build-A-Buddy on February 13, 2024! Students will be allowed to pick one animal and stuff it themselves with the provided supplies!

Center of Diversity Equity and Inclusion collaborated with BRIDGE (Building Respect & Integrity in Diverse Greater Evansville) hosted the 2nd Annual UE Sponsored BRIDGE Community Service for Racial Justice. The event was held in Neu Chapel and featured:

• Rev. Gerald Arnold – Independence Baptist Church
• Rev. Floyd Edwards – Mt. Olive Galilee Baptist Church
• Rev. Walter Fisher – Nazarene Missionary Baptist Church
• Rev. Heather Foley – Aldersgate United Methodist Church
• Karuna Pandit – Tri-State Hindu Temple
• Rector Holly Rankin Zaher – St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
• Ali Saqib – Muslim community representative
• Ed Scharf – Temple Adath B’nai Israel

Dr. Bill Hemminger, UE Professor Emeritus, provided the music during moments of reflection. Guest vocalist Gina Moore brought soul-stirring songs of hope and inspiration. Our very own Dr. Rob Shelby presided over the service.

Come by the Center of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion to learn more about this service and how you can be a part of next years service and other activities to come through this office.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Anthropology Dr. Kyle Clark will present "The Role of Ancestors in Iban Traditional Religion" on Wednesday February 7 at 7:00 via Zoom as part of the UE Archaeology and Art History Alumni Lecture Series. All are invited to attend. To register: http://tinyurl.com/2sh48e97

Come see us in SOBA from 9a to 1p on Valentine's Day for a cup of hot chocolate to warm your heart!

It is no surprise how much UE loves Harlaxton.

That is why we are inviting you to celebrate with us on February 14 for a special "We Love Harlaxton Day!"

Wear your Harlaxton gear on campus on Valentine's Day and you might get a sweet treat from a patroller.

The University of Evansville SAA will be hosting a blood drive on February 14, 2024, in Eykamp. The drive will run from 6:00 am to 5:00 pm.

The Center for Innovation & Change is happy to announce applications once again are open for the Global Scholars program. This will be the 18th cycle of funding for our incredibly innovative faculty, made possible by John H. Schroeder Global Scholar Endowed Fund. Details at https://www.evansville.edu/centerforinnovation/scholars.cfm.

Any faculty member can apply (cross-curricular collaborations are encouraged!) to receive funding for travel and research abroad. While all proposals are considered, priority is given to work that involves changemaking, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, or work that can be applied in a beneficial way for the world upon return. If someone wants to get feedback on a potential idea, they can contact Executive Director Erin Lewis (EL131@evansville.edu or ext. 5002, text is best at 812-449-1044) or Director of Field Innovation Derek Jones (dj3@evansville.edu) directly to help develop proposals.

Deadline to submit a proposal is March 31. Awards will be notified shortly after that, and all details on proposal specifics are at https://www.evansville.edu/centerforinnovation/scholars.cfm. The page includes all past recipients if you would like to see the kinds of proposals that have been funded previously.

The University of Evansville's Center for Innovation & Change is excited to announce that Evansville NewsLab, a UE ChangeLab, has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Listening Post Collective, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting innovative community-driven journalism projects.

The grant will support the ChangeLab in expanding its efforts to foster community engagement and promote civic journalism in the Evansville area. The funds will be used to enhance the organization's community outreach initiatives in Spring 2024 as they conduct community-wide research through surveys and focus groups to help develop a civic journalism hub in Evansville.

"We are thrilled to receive this generous grant from the Listening Post Collective," said Andrew Carter, Associate Director of UE's Center for Innovation & Change and coach for the NewsLab course. "We are committed to adding a civic journalism component to local news that promotes a more vibrant media landscape with better informed and engaged citizens." Evansville NewsLab will be making more announcements about the initiative as it rolls out in 2024.

The Listening Post Collective focuses on supporting projects that prioritize community voices, encourage civic participation, and foster inclusive and equitable journalism practices. The grant reflects the organization's recognition of the NewsLab's dedication to amplifying diverse perspectives and building bridges between local residents, local government, and the media.

"We are excited to partner with Evansville NewsLab ChangeLab and support their goals of making local journalism more accessible and representative," said Grace Northern, Program Officer at the Listening Post Collective. "Their commitment to empowering citizens through civic information aligns perfectly with our mission, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact of their projects on the Evansville community."

Evansville NewsLab is proud to partner with Our Times, Evansville's Black-owned newspaper, to establish a community-driven civic journalism model in Evansville and encourages residents of Evansville and the surrounding areas to get involved in shaping the narrative of their community. The grant will facilitate focus groups, listening sessions, and survey distribution to empower individuals to tell their own stories and contribute to a more diverse and inclusive local media landscape.

About Evansville NewsLab ChangeLab

ChangeLabs are academic courses offered at the University of Evansville for students to earn academic credit while working on projects that make an impact in the community. Evansville NewsLab is a community-driven journalism initiative dedicated to fostering meaningful connections between media outlets and the local community. Through innovative projects and collaborative efforts, the lab seeks to amplify diverse voices and empower citizens to actively participate in shaping the narrative of Evansville. Students in this the NewsLab are mentored by Steve Burger, Andrew Carter, Erin Hempfling, and Guy Sides.

About Listening Post Collective

Listening Post Collective is a nonprofit organization that supports and promotes community-driven journalism projects. By providing grants, resources, and guidance through their Civic Media Playbook, the organization aims to empower communities to create their own narratives, fostering a more inclusive and participatory media landscape.

High school students throughout the Tri-State and beyond were awarded significant scholarships on Saturday at the University of Evansville's tenth High School Changemaker Challenge, made possible by Toyota Indiana. The challenge is designed to motivate young people to take a leading role in identifying and solving challenges in the world through innovation and creativity.

UE has committed more than $1 million in scholarships to winners of this competition since its inception. Those who choose UE as their college destination will each receive four-year scholarships as listed below:

1st place: Full tuition

SolarLens: Jacob Barnwell and Elie Duff (New Tech Institute, Evansville, Ind.)

Summary: SolarLens is a solar powered streetlight with a monitored dome camera attached to it. It will all be in one unit and established into the Evansville Promise Neighborhood to help improve the quality of life by saving money on energy and helping lower the crime rate in the city of Evansville.

2nd place: $27,000 per year

UpLift18: Claire Deardorff and Jennifer Vazquez (Signature School, Evansville, Ind.)

Summary: UpLift18 raises awareness about human trafficking by providing education, prevention, student empowerment, and community service opportunities. UpLift18 creates a meaningful impact for students in fighting human trafficking.

3rd place: $23,000 per year

Boomerang Learning: Kris Lau, Abdul-Aleem Mohammed, and Parth Patel (Signature School, Evansville, Ind.)

Summary: Boomerang Learning is program to help students that have had trouble catching up to Indiana standards post COVID and to help students who are falling behind their peers.

Academic Affairs is pleased to announce the call for nominations for the 2024 Outstanding Teacher Award. The University bestows this award annually to honor a faculty member for extraordinary teaching effectiveness that inspires the intellectual development of students. Nominees must be a full-time faculty member who has taught at UE for two years or more and holds the rank of lecturer, instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, or professor. The winner is recognized at Commencement in May.

The following recipients from the past five years are not eligible: 2019 – Dr. Atefeh Yazdanparast Ardestani; 2020 – Dr. Mike Roscoe; 2021 – Dr. Julie Merkle; 2022 – Dr. Katie Whetstone; and 2023 – Dr. James Ware.

Access the link below to submit a nomination.

https://www.evansville.edu/offices/academicaffairs/outstanding-teacher-form.cfm

Forward supplemental documentation to: ph28@evansville.edu. Please include the faculty member’s name and OTA 2024 in the subject line.

The deadline to submit a nomination is Friday, March 8, 2024.

The Tuition Remission applications for the 2024 - 2025 academic year are now available on the HR sections of MyUE: https://ueliveevansville.sharepoint.com/sites/MyUEHumanResources

The book for February is The Kindest Lie by Nancy Johnson.

A promise could betray you.

It’s 2008, and the inauguration of President Barack Obama ushers in a new kind of hope. In Chicago, Ruth Tuttle, an Ivy-League educated Black engineer, is married to a kind and successful man. He’s eager to start a family, but Ruth is uncertain. She has never gotten over the baby she gave birth to—and was forced to leave behind—when she was a teenager. She had promised her family she’d never look back, but Ruth knows that to move forward, she must make peace with the past.

Returning home, Ruth discovers the Indiana factory town of her youth is plagued by unemployment, racism, and despair. As she begins digging into the past, she unexpectedly befriends Midnight, a young white boy who is also adrift and looking for connection. Just as Ruth is about to uncover a burning secret her family desperately wants to keep hidden, a traumatic incident strains the town’s already searing racial tensions, sending Ruth and Midnight on a collision course that could upend both their lives.

Powerful and revealing, The Kindest Lie captures the heartbreaking divide between Black and white communities and offers both an unflinching view of motherhood in contemporary America and the never-ending quest to achieve the American Dream.

(From goodreads.com)

"The Kindest Lie is a deep dive into how we define family, what it means to be a mother, and what it means to grow up Black. This beautifully crafted debut will keep you asking these questions and more." - Jodi Picoult

Join us Wednesday Feb 28th in the Philips Alcove (2nd floor Ridgway across from CDEI) to discuss the book.

Employees - Ascension St. Vincent is providing mobile mammography services for the University of Evansville. The mobile mammography bus will be located next to the Krannert Building on March 14th from 9:00AM - 2:00PM. Please click the link below to sign up for an appointment time! An Ascension Breast Center representative will call you prior to your appointment date to verify all necessary registration information.

Register for an examination

Come join us in the Eatery on February 13 for a Mardi Gras inspired lunch! Featuring gumbo, jambalaya, beignets, and more!

We are lighting up the week with KINDNESS! Mark your calendars for Feb 12 through 16th where we will be giving away goodies at our DELIGHTFUL event!

The School of Engineering and Computer Science will be hosting the Soutwestern Indiana Regional MATHCounts competition on Saturday February 10 in Eykamp Hall. Middle School Students from across the region with be on campus to compete. We are in need of 4-5 volunteers to assist with registration and/or scoring. Volunteers are needed from 8:00 am until noon. Please contact Tonya Albright, Administrative Assistant for the School of Engineering and Computer Science, (ta58@evansville.edu) if you are intersted in volunteering.

Evansville Mayor Stephanie Terry recently announced plans to create an Interfaith Council. Among the religious leaders appointed to the council, UE Chaplain Rev. Andy Payton has joined the group, which will advise Mayor Terry on matters that affect the spiritual, faith, and religious well-being of the community.

The Council will also assist in planning community Interfaith gatherings and programs that foster education and inclusivity in schools, businesses, and within the larger community; and will work to address issues of discrimination, bigotry, xenophobia, homophobia, antisemitism, and Islamophobia.

The Eykamp Prize was established by Richard and Rita Eykamp in 2015 to honor Faculty Achievement at the University of Evansville. Recipients of the prize will receive a one-time award of $10,000 in recognition of extraordinary contributions to the University of Evansville as University Citizens. Examples of such contributions include deep and successful involvement in recruiting students; expanding the number, scope, and competitiveness of grant funding for their department; and bringing positive public awareness to the University through scholarship, knowledge, and understanding of their discipline.

Nominations for the Eykamp Prize may come from any member of the University of Evansville community. Nominees should be tenured or tenure-track faculty members at the University of Evansville who have not received the award in the previous five years. Nominations can be submitted in writing or via e-mail to Mary Kessler, Interim Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs/Provost, at mk43@evansville.edu by March 1, 2024. Nominations should include the name of the faculty member and a brief statement of the reasons that they are being nominated.

Recipients of the Eykamp Prize will be selected by an Award Committee, appointed by the Interim EVPAA/Provost that includes members of the faculty, staff, administrators, and a member of the Board of Trustees. The award will be announced and presented at the May Commencement Ceremony.

Recipients in the previous five years: 2019 – Dr. Kristy Miller; 2020 – Dr. Jerrilee LaMar; 2021 – Dr. Joyce Stamm; 2022 – Dr. Mari Plikuhn; and 2023 – Dr. Suresh Immanuel.

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!

Camp Road Trip - February 23-25. 2024

Register today to be a Road Trip Host!

The Office of Admission needs current UE students who live in a residence hall or Jones Hall to host prospective high school seniors for Road Trip. Deadline to register is February 9th.

Please contact Heather Cook (hw30@evansville.edu), Alli Haley (ah757@evansville.edu) or Jennifer Troutman (jt65@evansville.edu) with questions.

Free, confidential HIV and Hepatitis C testing at the Student Health Center, first Wednesday of every month, from 9-11am. No appointment necessary. All students and faculty welcome!

Walmart giftcards available while supplies last!

Congratulations to Emily Jagielo, Financial Aid Counselor/Work Study Coordinator in the Office of Student Financial Services, on the birth of her baby girl! Bronwyn Von Jagielo was born on January 19, 2024 and she weighed 7 lbs. 3.8 oz. and was 20" long. Emily will be back to work in March, but until then, work study questions can be directed to MaryAnn Catt Kidwell.

After earning its third consecutive Missouri Valley Conference win on Saturday at Valparaiso, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team looks to continue its streak on Wednesday against Bradley.  Tip is set for 7 p.m. CT with ESPN+ and the Purple Aces Radio Network having the coverage.

Last Time Out

- Eleven lead changes ensued before the Purple Aces fended off a late challenge to earn a 63-62 road win over Valpo on Saturday

- Up by two in the final seconds, UE sent Valpo to the line where the final free throw fell short giving Evansville the win

- Kenny Strawbridge Jr. led the Aces with 14 points and 2 steals while Yacine Toumi and Antonio Thomas posted 10 apiece

- Josh Hughes hit a pair of triples in the second half that put UE in front

Getting Back to Form

- As he continues his return from injury, Ben Humrichous has seen his workload increase in each game

- At Valpo, Humrichous played 24 minutes and tallied 8 points and 3 boards; in his first game back against UIC, his presence was immediately felt as he finished with 15 points, 5 boards and 4 assists after missing the 3 previous games and 8 out of 9

- He remains one of the most versatile players in the MVC and the stat rankings are indicative of that: scoring (11th | 15.1 PPG), FG% (8th | 52.9%), 3PT% (1st | 45.2%), blocks (7th | 1.20/game)

Clutch Triples

- Josh Hughes converted a pair of second-half triples that were pivotal in Saturday’s road win at Valparaiso

- He recorded nine points against the Beacons, rebounding from a scoreless game against UIC

- Evansville is 10-1 in games where Hughes converts at least 50% of his attempts

- He has been held scoreless in 2 of the last 4 outings

- Hughes recorded two blocks at VU and is tied for 5th in the MVC with 1.23/game

- In the home game against Missouri State, Hughes connected on seven 3-point attempts; he has a total of 12 triples in the other 22 games

Adding More Swipes

- Kenny Strawbridge Jr.’s defense has been off the charts over the last six games

- With 14 steals in that span, his average has risen to 1.77/game, second in the MVC

- Offensively, he led UE at Valpo with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting and is third on the team with 9.6 PPG on the season

- His season mark of 21 points came in the win over UT Martin

Scouting the Opponent

- Winners of 11 out of their last 12 games, Bradley comes to town with a 17-6 record and a 9-3 mark in MVC contests

- The lone defeat during the recent streak for the Braves was a 95-86 overtime loss at Indiana State

- Since the loss on Jan. 27, BU beat UNI by a score of 85-69 before a 73-60 road win at Illinois State on 2/3

- Connor Hickman continues to pace Bradley with 14.7 points per game while shooting 48.6% from the field

- Malevy Leons is averaging 14.0 points while leading the team with 7.0 rebounds

- Just behind him is Duke Deen with 13.3 PPG and a team-high 59 3-point makes

University of Evansville graduate first baseman Chase Hug (Indianapolis, Ind./Olney Central/Pike HS) was named on Tuesday to the preseason all-Missouri Valley Conference baseball team at first base in a vote of the league’s head coaches.

Hug, who recently was ranked as the nation’s 29th-best first baseman by D1Baseball.com entering the 2024 season, earned preseason all-Valley honors after capturing first-team all-MVC honors a season ago for the Purple Aces.  Hug led UE with a team-best .311 average in 2023 with 15 doubles, three triples, 14 home runs, 48 RBI and 51 runs scored.  He was also named to the MVC’s All-Defensive Team and MVC All-Tournament team a year ago for the Purple Aces.

As a team, Evansville was predicted to finish third in a closely-contested preseason poll.  Indiana State, which advanced to the NCAA Tournament Super Regional round last year, was predicted to finish first in the preseason poll with 95 points and eight first-place votes, with both Missouri State (89 points) and Evansville (81 points) finishing close behind, with each school receiving a first-place vote.  Evansville returns seven position starters from a year ago, with five of them earning all-MVC honors at some point in their UE career, and 10 pitchers, including 2022 MVC Pitcher of the Year Nick Smith.  Evansville posted a 37-24 overall record in 2023 and advanced to the MVC Tournament final against Indiana State.

Season tickets for UE baseball are currently on sale.  Tickets can be purchased by phone by calling the UE Athletic Ticket Office at 812-488-2623.  Tickets can also be purchased on-line at GoPurpleAces.com/Tickets through HomeTown Ticketing.

The 2024 UE baseball season will kick off on Friday, February 16 at 2023 College World Series participant Oral Roberts.

For the second time in a week, the University of Evansville baseball team had one of its players rank among D1Baseball.com’s Top 50 positional rankings on Monday, as senior Simon Scherry (Santa Claus, Ind./Heritage Hills) was tabbed as one of the nation’s top shortstops.

Scherry ranks 22nd among the country’s top shortstops according to D1Baseball.com, one of the premiere collegiate baseball websites.  Scherry was an honorable mention all-MVC selection a year ago after hitting .267 with 12 doubles, three triples, three home runs and 23 RBI.  He was also considered one of the nation’s top defensive players at any position a year ago, as he led all of Division I baseball in Defensive Runs Saved among infielders at 12.7, per 643 Charts & Synergy, and finished as runner-up for the MVC Defensive Player of the Year while posting a .973 fielding percentage and ranking second in the Valley in total defensive assists with 173.

Scherry joins teammate Chase Hug on D1Baseball.com’s Top 50 positional rankings entering the 2024 season, as Hug was ranked 29th in the nation at first base on Friday.  D1Baseball.com is currently releasing positional Top 50 rankings at every position on the diamond on its website.

Season tickets for UE baseball are currently on sale.  Tickets can be purchased by phone by calling the UE Athletic Ticket Department at 812-488-2623.  Tickets can also be purchased on-line at GoPurpleAces.com/Tickets through HomeTown Ticketing.

The 2024 UE baseball season will kick off on Friday, February 16 at 2023 College World Series participant Oral Roberts.

For the first time in history, the Missouri Valley Conference Swimming & Diving Championships will come to Evansville from Wednesday, February 21 through Saturday, February 24, as both the University of Evansville and the Evansville Regional Sports Commission will serve as the hosts at the Deaconess Aquatic Center in Evansville.  Tickets for the event are now available on-line at www.GoPurpleAces.com/Tickets .

An all-session adult pass, which will grant access to all seven sessions of the 2024 MVC Swimming & Diving Championships, is currently available for $55.  A youth pass for children ages 3-17 is also available for $30.  Single-session tickets are also currently available for $10 for adults and $7 for youth, and all tickets can be purchased on-line by visiting www.GoPurpleAces.com/Tickets and clicking on the “MVC Swim & Dive Championship Passes” link.  UE students can receive free admission by showing a valid UE I.D. each day of the MVC Championships.

The MVC Swimming & Diving Championships will feature competitors from nine different schools on the women’s side, including traditional Valley schools Evansville, Illinois State, Indiana State, Missouri State, Southern Illinois, UIC, UNI, and Valparaiso and MVC affiliate member for swimming and diving, Little Rock.  The MVC Championships will begin Wednesday night, February 21 at 6 p.m. with finals in the 200-Yard Medley Relay and 800-Yard Freestyle Relay events.  The championships will continue on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with preliminary round swims beginning each day at 10:30 a.m., and final-round competition beginning at 6 p.m. each night.