The front oval will be closed on Wednesday, August 6, and parking will not be permitted until 10:00 a.m. in order to take photographs for a University Virtual Tour. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. 

The 2014-2015 parking permits are now available for purchase in the Office of Safety and Security. They will be sold between 8 a.m.–4 p.m., Monday through Friday. The price remains $50 for the academic year. Employees will once more be able to use payroll deduction to pay for their permits. 

Please join us Thursday, Aughst 7 for a farewell reception honoring Jessica Zellers, coordinator of health education and wellness. The event will be held in the Lobby area within the Student Life Suite in Ridgway University Center on Thursday, August 7 from 1:30 - 3:00 pm. After working at UE for nine years, Jessica has accepted a position with Vincennes University.

The wellness nurse will be in Ridgway University Center lobby Wednesday on Aug. 6, from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Please stop by for any health care questions you may have. The nurse can check your blood pressure or calculate your body mass index and body fat percentage. For those in the current Healthy Behaviors Challenge, a visit to the nurse earns bonus points. 

The Office of Development office mailed the President’s Club parking decals last week. However, campus President’s Club members are welcome to stop by the Igleheart Building to pick up their decals anytime.

If you have been considering becoming a President’s Club member, this is a great time of year to do it! To become a member of UE’s premier leadership giving society, a gift of $1000 or more is required. You may also make a payroll deduction pledge in that amount, to be spread out through May 2015. Gifts may be designated to virtually any University account, or to one of our unrestricted Annual Fund accounts (Alumni Scholarship Fund, Harlaxton Annual Fund, Purple Aces Scholarship Fund, or Friends for Educational Excellence).

For more information, please contact Scott Gilreath, Director of Annual Giving (sg157@evansville.edu or x2429) or Beth Speer, Director of Stewardship and Special Events (bs67@evansville.edu or x1013)

The TIAA-CREF representative will be on the UE campus on Wednesday, August 20, for individual counseling sessions. To schedule an appointment, call TIAA-CREF at 1-800-732-8353 or 317-706-6200. The sessions are held in the Clifford Rare Books Room of the University Libraries (room 158). 

It is time once again to welcome a new class to the University of Evansville. As has been our tradition, we are looking for faculty and staff members to volunteer for a 2 hour shift on Saturday, August 23rd to coordinate the movers and welcome students living in the Residence Halls along with their families. All materials and directions will be provided, we just need people to assist with the process. To sign up for a shift, please visit this site: www.SignUpGenius.com/go/805094EAEA62F4-move

For further questions contact Geoff Edwards in the Center for Student Engagement at ge21@evansville.edu

Each February at Founders Day, the Alumni Association presents four awards to individual alumni who’ve made great achievements in their careers and in service to others and UE. The Alumni Awards Committee of the UE Alumni Association Board of Directors is now seeking nominations for the following awards:

Distinguished Alumnus Award
Young Alumnus Award
Samuel Orr Honorary Alumnus Award
Edie Bates Volunteer Service Award

Find out more about these awards, view a list of past recipients and link to the nomination form, visit http://www.evansville.edu/alumni/alumniAwards.cfm.

Nomination deadline is August 25. 

Assistant Professor of Education Matthew Knoester has just published an article in the Journal of International Social Studies entitled “Education for Democracy at the University Level,” in which he discusses an FYS course he taught at UE entitled “Perspectives on Democracy.” Knoester has also just signed a book contract with Teachers College Press to co-edit a volume on the topic of whole-school thematic units within the K-8 curriculum. 

Assistant Professor Lisa Kretz's article “Emotional Responsibility and Teaching Ethics: Student Empowerment” was accepted for publication in the journal Ethics and Education.

Abstract: “This class is so [insert expletive] depressing.” I overheard a student communicating this to a friend upon exiting one of my ethics courses and I wondered how my classes could generate a sense of empowerment rather than depression, a sense of hope rather than despair. Drawing from David Hume’s and Martin Hoffman’s work on the psychology of empathy and sympathy I contend that dominant Western philosophical pedagogy is inadequate for facilitating morally empowered students. Moreover, I stipulate that adequate analysis of the role emotion should play in pedagogy requires tending to the politics of emotional expression and how oppression functions. I argue that ethical educators have a moral responsibility to facilitate not only critical moral thinking but critical moral agency. Part of ethical education should involve the provision of tools for effective citizen engagement and reasoning alone is insufficient for this goal. The role of emotion in ethical decision making and action remains devalued and under-analyzed. Approaches that fail to adequately recognize the role of emotion in ethical education are to the detriment of effective ethical pedagogy. I recommend a number of methods for remedying this omission so as to provide tools for moral action. 

Weeks into his tenure as University of Evansville softball coach, Mat Mundell has hit the recruiting trails hard and has announced his first three signings to the 2015 squad.

“This is an exciting day for Aces softball as we usher in my first recruiting class,” Mundell said. “All three of these young ladies bring something unique with them to add to our returners. The one thing they all have is a proven record of success on and off the field.”

Highlighting the class is reigning NJCAA Division III Pitcher of the Year Amanda Blankenship. Blankenship comes to UE from Rock Valley College in Rockford, Ill. Last year, she accumulated 21 victories while striking out an unbelievable 241 batters while finishing the year with a 1.97 ERA. That success translated into a national championship and school record 42 wins for the college.

“Amanda is a big time pitching recruit for us,” Mundell added. “She will be able to come right in and compete in the MVC.”

The NJCAA Tournament MVP was named pitcher of the tournament and earned a pair of All-America honors. She was named a 1st Team NJCAA All-American while garnering National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) NJCAA Division III All-American accolades. She is originally from Rockford, Ill.

Outfielder Ashlee Kawall comes to Evansville after spending last season playing at Waubonsee (Ill.) Community College. As a freshman, Kawall posted a .520 batting average, which was 10th in the nation. She registered seven triples (6th in the country) while stealing 39 bases in 40 attempts, a tally that put her ninth in the NJCAA. Waubonsee finished the season with a 39-15 record and 11-1 in conference action.

Mundell is excited about the way Kawall will impact the Aces offense. “Ashlee is a game-changer with her ability to get on base and use her speed to create havoc,” he said.

The native of Somonauk, Ill. produced even better numbers in high school at Somonauk. In 2012, she finished the season with a .611 batting average. She was one of five players in documented IHSA history to record over 70 hits, 60 runs and 50 stolen bases in the same season.

Kawall was named to the Illinois High School Coaches Association All-State Team each year from 2011-13 and served as a co-captain for her team in those same seasons. Her senior season saw her earn a spot on the MaxPreps/CBS Sports All-American 2nd Team.

First baseman Morgan Lambert transfers to Evansville after redshirting last year at New Mexico State. The Lemoore, Calif. product was a 4-year varsity starter at Lemoore HS. As a senior, she batted .398 with a .448 on base percentage. Lambert finished the season with 21 RBIs and six home runs.

“Morgan comes with a year of division I training under her belt,” Mundell said. “She can help solidify our infield.”

In 2013, Lambert was named a First Team All-West Yosemite League player and participated in the 2013 City County All-Star Game. She also got the job done in the classroom as she garnered NFCA All-America honors.