The University of Evansville invites the entire campus community to celebrate an exciting moment in our history as we break ground on The Freeland Clubhouse!

WHO:

• MLB Colorado Rockies Pitcher Kyle Freeland and his wife Ashley ’15
• UE Head Baseball Coach Wes Carroll
• UE President Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz
• UE Director of Athletics Dr. Kenneth "Ziggy" Siegfried

WHAT:
Groundbreaking ceremony for The Freeland Clubhouse, a transformative facility made possible by a record-breaking $3 million gift from alumni Kyle ’15 and Ashley ’15 Freeland. The clubhouse will include a locker room, coaching staff offices, and a lounge, all key elements of UE’s athletics strategic plan, Pathway to Excellence.

WHEN:
Friday, January 24, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. CST

WHERE:
German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium

Join us as we honor Kyle and Ashley Freeland for their generous support and celebrate the future of UE athletics. We hope to see you there!

Go Aces!

Purple Patrol is returning for Spring 2025!

Sign up as coworkers, a department/office, or a team and get ready to pass out fun goodies to our Aces displaying purple pride!

Sign up here!

In the slots below, please include your name and department or additional employees who will be helping you.

Please sign up for one slot only so everyone has a chance to participate.

For questions or more information, please contact Abigail Perry at ap445@evansville.edu.

Employees in need of a headshot can have theirs taken on Tuesday, January 21, at 9:45 a.m.

Headshots will be taken outdoors near the southwest corner of the front oval lawn. In the event of rain, they will be moved indoors to the SOBA atrium.

To add your name to the list, please contact Abbie Perry at ap445@evansville.edu.

The University of Evansville (UE) warmly invites the community to join a series of events honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as part of the institution's annual MLK celebration.

This year's theme of "Collective Leadership in a Changing World," reflects Dr. King's enduring message of unity, justice, and transformative service.

The celebration will begin on January 18 with UE students, faculty, staff and alumni are invited to participate in the Joint MLK Day of Service, where participants will work together to uplift local neighborhoods in partnership with the University of Southern Indiana (USI) and Ivy Tech Community College. Other gatherings such as a faith-based dialogue, a symbolic march, and inspiring lectures will provide space to reflect on Dr. King's vision for a more equitable society.

One of the highlights of the week is the William G. and Rose M. Mays Lectureship, paired with the presentation of the Mays Legacy Award and Rising Star Service Award. The 2025 lectureship will feature keynote speaker will be Dr. Karsonya "Kaye" Wise Whitehead, who returns to Evansville after speaking at the 22nd Annual Women's Equality Day in August 2024.

Concluding the celebration, Dr. Kaye will have a book signing and facilitate the annual Community Leadership Panel that will bring together voices from across Evansville to discuss and explore pathways toward unity and action.

Guided by Dr. King's words- "A genuine leader Is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus"-this week of events invites all participants to celebrate diversity, foster inclusion, and envision a brighter future together.

Pre-registration is required for the Joint Day of Service. For further details and registration links, visit the UE MLK Events page. Join us as we honor the power of collective leadership and move toward a united future together.

In September 2025, a review team from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) will visit the university as part of our reaffirmation of accreditation. To learn more about the criterion on which UE will be evaluated, please take a moment to watch the following video guides.

HLC Criterion 1 | Mission
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJYe4poqk-Q

HLC Criterion 2 | Integrity: Ethical and Responsible Conduct
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEcGIsTJRmU

HLC Criterion 3 | A-D Teaching and Learning for Student Success
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4M_MgYDQDg

HLC Criterion 3 | E-G Teaching and Learning for Student Success
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJAb7We7y6M

HLC Criterion 4 | Sustainability
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZ4quibQzaQ

HLC Federal Compliance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fIP_9MOi0E

January 21, 2025 Wheeler Concert Hall 7:30 p.m. Mark Hatlestad (Viola) and Tom Drury (Piano) will give a concert at Wheeler Hall on Tuesday, January 21st at 7:30PM. They will feature music of celebration and reflection written by Ernest Bloch, Astor Piazzolla, Henri Vieuxtemps and Benjamin Britten. Livestream link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpIcuZrzUiY Admission is free and open to the public.

Please join us in Shanklin Theatre on Tuesday, Jan. 21, at 11:15 am, to hear Judith Cohen speak about her experience as the real-life inspiration for the curator in the widely acclaimed Broadway production of Here There Are Blueberries. As the former Chief Acquisitions Curator at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Ms. Cohen played an instrumental role in deciding how to handle a photo album with pictures from Auschwitz that the Museum received. Unlike many of the artifacts that passed through Ms. Cohen's hands, the concentration camp's prisoners were entirely absent from this album. Instead, it featured pictures of Nazis relaxing and enjoying themselves at Auschwitz.

The first intramural event of the semester is this Thursday at 6:30pm in the fitness center, doubles pickleball!

Sign up at imleagues.com or download the imleagues app or make sure to show up at the Fitness Center by 6:15 to get your team registered!

Teams can be any combination of male, female, they must be a UE student, faculty, or staff.  No non ue members/guests are welcome at this tournament!

Any questions reach out to Drew @ah519

UE Jazz Ensembles is having auditions this week, with priority given to the following instruments: saxophone and trombone. Please contact Dr. Charles du Preez for more information: (cd288@evansville.edu).

UE Athletics is putting on a National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) community clinic Saturday, February 1^st. This clinic is built to celebrate our females in sports and celebrate the upcoming girls in sports!

The FREE clinic will be put on by our female sports and female staff to celebrate! The doors will open at 1:30 PM with the clinic starting at 2:30 PM. The clinic will last until 4 PM when the campers will be given a meal and ushered into the Women’s Basketball game at 5 PM for free!

All campers will receive a tshirt, meal and ticket to the game for FREE thanks to MDWise!

This is open to all kids ages K-8^th grade! I want to provide a link for registration as this event has a deadline for registration! https://gopurpleaces.com/sb_output.aspx?form=116

If anyone has a large box they are wanting to get rid of, the Center for Student Engagement is in need of one to help return an item before February 1st. We need a box around the size of 4'x2'x2' (LxWxH).

Thanks!

The Fall 2024 Deans' List is currently on display at the library. Congratulations!

Join SAA Book club this month in reading Holly by Stephen King. We will meet Wednesday January 29th at 12 noon in the conference room of the 525 Rotherwood house. (Please note this is a location change.) We will be discussing both Holly and a book we read last Fall, The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. Feel free to bring your lunch. Email Kathy Taylor at ks6@evansville with any questions about Bookclub or to request a list of all the books we are reading this semester.

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 spring application to become an Admissions Ambassador is now open! If you are interested in becoming an Ambassador please apply! The application will be open for approximately two weeks.

https://apply2.evansville.edu/register/AmbassadorAppSpring25

Members of the  UE Community,

 The Honorary Degree Committee is seeking 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 nominations to President Pietruszkiewicz so he can make his recommendations to the faculty for their approval later this semester.

Please send your suggestions to the committe chair, Ben Johnson, (bj23@evansville.edu) by Thursday, January 24^th.  It would help us if you could provide some biographical information, the rationale for your nomination, and contact information for the nominee.  

Students can request to change their meal plan for the spring semester anytime prior to 5:00pm on the Friday of the first full week of school (Friday January 17, 2025).

Students can request to change their meal plan by submitting the “Meal Plan Change Request” form in their eRezLife portal.  Please allow 1 business day for meal plan changes to take effect.

If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Residence Life.

Unsure about committing to a meal plan? From January 14-17, students without a meal plan can enjoy three delicious meals absolutely free!

And there's more! Purchase a meal plan now, and you’ll receive an incredible bonus of $100 in Ace Bucks!

To get started, reach out to Ka'Bria at kc403@evansville.edu to sign up for your punch card and kick off your free meals. Take advantage of this fantastic opportunity today!

Exciting news! Late Night Grill has now expanded to all-day service with the launch of Ace's Grill Exchange! We’re open from 10:30 AM to 10 PM, ready to serve you. You can still use your meal swipe for the Hot Meal Exchange, but if you're looking to indulge a bit more or don’t have a meal swipe, you can easily purchase a la carte! Treat yourself to a hot pizza to go or a mouthwatering hamburger. Come savor the flavors with us—see you soon!

The PsyD in Clinical Psychology program is looking for a work study (federal eligible) to work at the UE Mental Health and Wellness Clinic & Emily M. Young Assessment Center starting the beginning of the Spring semester.  This position is posted in Self-Service and listed as PSYC Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Front Desk Clinic Assistant. Details of the job description and skills needed are listed in the job posting.  The work hours for this position are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:30AM to 2:00PM.  If you have any questions, please email Christi Peach, Operations Administrator for PsyD cp144@evansville.edu.

Doug Cook is the Staff & Administrators Assembly Employee of the Month for December. Doug has been a valued member of the Office of Public Safety since 1995. Beginning as a Night Sergeant, Doug now serves as the Assistant Director of Public Safety. Doug's nomination noted "Doug is always willing to answer questions, fix a problem or just talk to." Doug's smile and dedication to the University are known campus-wide.

Doug, we celebrate this achievement with you and are so grateful for your contributions to the University of Evansville. Congratulations Doug!

Submit a Nomination for Employee of the Month

Nominations for the January Employee of the Month are open until January 17: https://forms.office.com/r/vAHuvKJLYC

The ChangeLab CHNG-310 - Celebrating Hispanic Voices podcast has been nominated for a Leadership Everyone's 30th Annual Celebration of Leadership. Congratulations to the team: Tommy Housman, Ale España, Lesly Hernández, Darla Luna, and Ainoah Cruz! Terrific work!

Have a listen! Trailer link: Celebrating Hispanic Voices Podcast

The Honors Program is thrilled to announce Katie Haire as it’s new Assistant Director. Katie comes to Honors from the Office of Admission where she has served for the last year as an international admission counselor. Katie looks forward to working alongside Dr. Diane Brewer, Dr. Kristy Miller, and the entire Honors Program Faculty Advisory Committee to administratively support Honors initiatives at UE.

Call for Applications to Teach at Harlaxton
Fall 2026, and Spring 2027

Harlaxton College is pleased to be accepting applications to teach at the Manor in Fall 2026, and Spring 2027.   These applications are online and can be found by clicking https://pursueharlaxton.evansville.edu/register/teach-with-harlaxton.

Applications for Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 are due on April 1, 2025

Semester applicants will be informed of the status of their application in July 2025.

Semester Applicants:
Semester benefits include room and board for family members at Harlaxton.   Faculty members who wish to bring children and enroll them in the local schools will be assisted in the visa process but will be required to pay any fees for the visa.  These fees are currently approx. $1000 per person and visas are required for every person in the family.   Faculty and families will also be invoiced for health and transportation fees at the Manor for each member of the family and the faculty member.  These fees are approximately $400 per person.

Teaching at Harlaxton is a wonderful experience, and we welcome faculty members for a phenomenal summer or semester abroad.  If you have questions about teaching at Harlaxton and the experience overall, please feel free to email me at hc110@evansville.edu.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Evansville women’s soccer alum Emily Ormson signed her first professional contract to play for renowned Club Atlético Boca Juniors.

Former Purple Aces forward Emily Ormson (Folsom, Calif. / Vista del Lago HS) is the first alum to sign a professional contract from UE women’s soccer. Ormson has signed to play with Club Athlético Boca Juniors Femenino in Buenos Aries, Argentina through 2025. Boca Juniors Femenino is part of the Argentine Primera División A, the premier professional soccer league in Argentina. Boca Juniors Femenino is also the most successful club with 28 league titles since the team's founding in 1990.

“I began my soccer journey at the age of four, growing up playing for San Juan Soccer Club in Northern California,” says Ormson. “I was fortunate to continue my path at the University of Evansville, where I played for five seasons. Following my college career, I pursued multiple opportunities to grow my game internationally to prepare for the next step. Today, I am proud to say that I play professional football for Club Atlético Boca Juniors in Argentina.”

“This journey has been far from linear, filled with both incredible highs and challenging lows. With each step, I have learned invaluable lessons. To now be playing at the professional level is truly a dream come true. Soccer has molded my identity in countless ways. I am beyond blessed by the places it has taken me and the people it has led to me.”

Over her five seasons with the Aces Ormson was a driving force of UE’s offense. Ormson earned three post-season honors for her play from the Missouri Valley Conference being named First Team All-MVC in 2021, Second Team All-MVC in 2022, and the MVC Tournament Team in 2021. During her career, Ormson scored 18 goals and assisted on five for 41 points in 79 games played.

“I am so proud of Emily and her living out her dream to play at the professional level,” says Head Coach Chris Pfau.  “It has been a privilege to coach and watch Emily develop in college.  Her impact at UE was huge and helped lead us to the best start in the history of our program, be ranked fifth in the region, and get to the conference finals.  When she graduated, I knew she still had more in her.  So, to see her now playing and excelling is so exciting.”

Prior to signing with Boca Juniors Femenino, Ormson was in the USL W League playing for her hometown team, the California Storm. She also trained with UNKNWN Athlete in Richmond, Virginia, a well-known soccer development program. Ormson’s first international experience was with FC Malaga City Femenino in Spain where she trained with iconic clubs such as Nottingham Forest in England and Mainz 05 in Germany.

“Thank you to my former coaches, teammates, fellow athletes, professors, and friends who impacted my life at UE. My time there shaped me both as a player and as a person, and for that, I will always be grateful. Each experience has led me to where I am today, representing one of the most historic clubs in the world. It is an absolute privilege and an honor to play at this level. I plan to carry that with joy each and every day! Go Aces!”

The Purple Aces are still looking for their first win in Missouri Valley Conference play after three games on the road to begin 2025. Despite an early lead at Indiana State last week, UE didn't hang on in the eventual 90-74 loss. Evansville did have its best offensive performance in Valley action on Sunday. The Aces crossed the 70-point threshold for the first time since their 84-51 win over IU Columbus. It was also UE's first 70+ point performance against a Division I opponent since scoring 87 points against SIUE on December 8th.

Evansville returns to its regular home court for the first time in over a month. The Aces have been away from Meeks Family Fieldhouse since their 87-74 win over SIUE in early December. UE currently holds a perfect 3-0 record on the Lois D. Patton Court that will be tested on Friday evening against Missouri State and on Sunday afternoon when Southern Illinois comes to town.

The Missouri State Lady Bears come to Evansville for their final MVC series against the Aces as the school moves to Conference USA for the 2025-26 academic year. The Lady Bears are one of four programs with only a single loss in Valley play and have the second-best overall record in the league at 11-4. Missouri State is led by reigning MVC Newcomer of the Year guard Lacy Stokes who leads the Lady Bears in scoring (13.1), assists (4.0), steals (2.3), and minutes played (34.1). On defense, Missouri State is led by sophomore guard Kyrah Daniels with 5.5 rebounds, 0.9 blocks, and 28.3 minutes a game.

The Southern Illinois Salukis are another team looking for its first conference victory. Overall, the Salukis are 2-11 on the season and currently are on a seven-game losing streak. Southern Illinois' last win came over NAIA Central Methodist for an Education Day game on December 2nd. The Salukis' lone win against a Division I opponent was on the road at IU Indy in an 85-80 victory. Southern Illinois is led by the only player in the Valley averaging a double-double in newcomer forward Gift Uchenna. Uchenna averages 14.7 points and 12.7 rebounds a game and has been named the MVC Newcomer of the Week twice.

Against Indiana State, Evansville had its best three-point game of the season. The Aces made a season best 13 treys in the Hulman Center and was their best game in the category since 2022. With 39 points made from three-point range treys made up over 50% of UE's scoring on Sunday. Evansville had 33 attempts from behind the arc for 39.4% shooting, only the team's fifth-best three-point percentage. 

With the high offensive output on Sunday, multiple Aces set new career highs as well. Offensive leader Camryn Runner set a new high in made threes (6), three-point attempts (10), and assists (6) that earned her a program-best sixth MVC Freshman of the Week honor. Freshman guard Avery Kelley, sophomore forward Claudia Clement, and freshman forward Elle Snyder set new career scoring highs against Indiana State. Kelley and Clement had their first double-digit performances with 10 points each. While Snyder had a nine-point game with a career-high three made treys.