Join the Great Spring Step-Off Team Challenge!

Challenge Dates: March 30th - May 10th, 2026

It’s time to get moving, get motivated, and step into Spring! As the days grow longer and the flowers start to bloom, it’s the perfect time to shake off the winter blues and spring into action. Join your colleagues in this team-based step challenge and see which team can rack up the most average steps by the end of the challenge. The winning team takes home bragging rights—and prizes!

How it works:

• Create your own teams of up to 4 participants - choose a team leader & team name.

• Track your daily steps using any step-tracking device (Monday-Sunday).

• Steps are logged weekly by the team leader via Google Form link provided at the start.

• A team leaderboard will be shared weekly on Tuesdays!

To keep the challenge fair for teams of different sizes, final rankings and prizes will be based on average steps per team member.

Earn a one-time $150 HRA credit for participating!

Grab your team and sign-up here: https://forms.gle/8MnDjjTUGzqjcUt89

Send questions to taylor.kollak@ascension.org.

Questions or Concerns Regarding this Work:

Mike Averett: Assistant Vice President for Facilities Management and Campus Operations, 812-488-2050, ma479@evansville.edu

Affected Dates:

Now through June 21, 2026.

Description of Work:

A contractor will remove older/unused equipment, install new pumps, new chillers, and new cooling towers

Impact for Campus:

• There will be construction traffic (i.e., cranes and contractor trucks), dust, and noise.

• Between March 9-13 there will be a large crane on campus removing cooling towers and chillers.

• There will be buildings that will be warmer and colder throughout the construction timeframe.  Shutdowns of existing chiller and boilers are required as work is completed.

Action(s) Required:

• Please follow posted signage, caution tape and cones

• Please do not park near the Central Plant, or in Ridgway Drive

• Use caution near equipment and construction activity.

• If your building becomes too hot (i.e., 80+ degrees) or to cold (62 or lower), please notify campus Facilities Maintenance.

Thank you for your patience as we build and maintain our beautiful campus.

To report a facilities emergency, call (812) 488-2775.

A growing group of pastors and ministry leaders in Evansville have been gathering to pray and seek God’s heart for greater unity across the Church in our city. The One Church Forum is a space to come together for prayer, conversation, and relationship as we explore what it means to live as one Church.

Our hope is to celebrate the diversity of cultures and backgrounds across our community while lifting high the name of Jesus together, pursuing greater unity in Evansville for the sake of God’s Kingdom.

The Center for Professional and Continuing Education invites you to our upcoming Lunch and Learn workshop, Navigating Organizational Change, on Wednesday, March 18, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Eykamp Hall, Room 252.   In this interactive session, Dr. Tad Dickel will share practical tools to help leaders navigate change more effectively, communicate with clarity, and keep teams engaged during times of transition.   During this session, you will learn how to:

• Understand common reactions to change
• Lead teams through change with practical frameworks
• Communicate change with confidence and clarity
• Support and engage employees throughout the change process

Lunch will be provided.   Cost: $15 per participant Registration Deadline: Friday, March 13   REGISTER HERE   We hope you will join us for this engaging session.

The YMCA will be holding their Summer Day Camp on campus this summer for kids ages 5-9 and 10-12. Camp will be held from May 28 to July 31. The YMCA is offering the first 10 UE employees who register a discount of $25 off per week. Spots are filling quickly. REGISTER TODAY at Summer Day Camp – YMCA of Southwestern Indiana!   Once you register, please notify the Office of Youth Programs at youthprograms@evansville.edu so your account can be adjusted by the YMCA to reflect the discount!

UE Emily M. Young Mental Health Center is running several mental health groups right now, including an adult DBT groups! DBT, or Dialectical Behavior Therapy, is an evidenced-based treatment that teaches skills to reduce emotional suffering and improve relationships we have with ourselves and others including mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness. The adult group is set to start March 17 and will run Tuesday's at 6pm. Please contact (812)488-5640 to sign up!

Photographer Kylie Padgett will be on campus Monday, March 9, at 1:30 p.m. for headshots. University employees in need of a new or updated headshot can email Julie Beer (jb855), Marketing Coordinator, to be added to the list.

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

Spiritual Formation & Development will be hosting a Ramadan Iftar on March 17th at 6:00 PM in Ridgway 252.

Whether you observe Ramadan or are simply curious to learn more, all are welcome. Regardless of your religious background, come as a learner and bring your questions. Iftar is a time of reflection, community, and shared table fellowship, and it’s a meaningful opportunity to deepen our engagement with one another.

What might it look like for us to continue building relationships across differences, growing in understanding and connection? We hope this evening will be one small but important step in that direction.

The University of Evansville is honored to launch the UE Health Sciences Lecture Series with its inaugural lecture, “From Discovery to Cure: The American Journey of Medical Progress,” presented by Dr. Jay Moskowitz on Thursday, March 19, at 5:00 p.m. at the Stone Family Center for Health Sciences.

This inaugural lecture will explore the American journey of medical innovation—from George Washington’s early embrace of inoculation to the rise of biomedical research and transformative technologies such as pacemakers and cochlear implants, leading to today’s molecular and digital breakthroughs.

The lecture will highlight how progress occurs where science, courage, and human need intersect, and will examine how medicine has evolved into an era of precision, prevention, and personalization while maintaining its core purpose of improving and extending human life.

A reception with light refreshments will follow the lecture.

Guests are asked to RSVP by March 12 at evansville.edu/HSLecture.

For more information, please contact Billie Chandler at bc185@evansville.edu.

View additional information about the lecture and guest speaker.

The Staff and Administrators Assembly (SAA) is excited to host the Second Annual Employee Services Fair designed to highlight the many campus services that support our employees, both professionally and personally.

Employees - Ascension St. Vincent is providing mobile mammography services for the University of Evansville. The mobile mammography bus will be located in the Health Clinic Parking Lot on March 26th from 8:00AM - 2:00PM. Please call the Ascension St. Vincent Breast Center at 812-485-4437 to schedule your mammogram screening. See the flyer for additional scheduling details!

2026-27 MARGERY FLORENCE KAHN SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION NOW AVAILABLE

It was the desire of the donor, Margery Florence Kahn, that her scholarship be awarded to "dedicated and conscientious students who exhibit a true passion for their chosen fields of study, and who, in the opinion of the members of the University of Evansville faculty, are likely to bring the same enthusiasm into the performance of their jobs or the practice of the professions which they will pursue following graduation."

All University of Evansville full-time undergraduate students who will be juniors or seniors in the 2026-27 academic year may apply. An essay of about 300 words must accompany the application along with two to five faculty recommendation letters.

Download the application and faculty recommendation information.

Completed applications and recommendation letters should be returned to the Office of Student Financial Services by MAY 8, 2026.

Questions may be directed to the Office of Student Financial Services at 812-488-2364 or studentfinancialservices@evansville.edu.

The bookstore will have reduced hours for Spring Break, which are as follows:

• Saturday, March 7th: 10am-2pm
• Sunday, March 8th: CLOSED
• Monday, March 9th-Friday, March 13th: 10am-3pm
• Saturday, March 14th-Sunday, March 15th: CLOSED

We will resume standard hours on Monday, March 16th.

The February 2026 issue of Crescent Magazine is out and ready for you to read it! Paper copies of the magazine are available around campus and the digital issue can be found at https://crescent.evansville.edu/. 

A team of over 15 student writers, editors, and designers took part in creating this issue. Reach out to Student Media advisor Tommy Housman if you are interesting in contributing to a future issue!

Titles in this magazine include: 

The Coffin of Media Literacy & the Death of Fandoms (Mia Gallagher)

Secular Perspectives on the Seven Sins (Devon Matthews)

Help, Healing, & Hope at the Trotter House of Evansville (Grace Gleisner)

America's Winter Has Come (Devon Matthews)

From Page to Stage: Finding Inspiration in Relatability (Rachel Hoke)

Are Your Roads Covered in I.C.E? (Lola Sills)

The House Force Built, Where Terror Returns Still (Tommy Housman)

4 Favorites from 2025 (Heidi McCombs)

The Danger of Believing (Gabriel Long)

A Conversation About Acceptance (Anonymous)

The Margaret E. Schriefer Liberal Arts Scholarship has been established for the University of Evansville in loving memory of Margaret E. Schriefer. This scholarship will be awarded annually to a deserving student, covering full tuition, books, supplies, materials, and laboratory fees. To be considered for this scholarship, students must meet the following qualifications:

• Must be enrolled at the University of Evansville and have a major of study in Literature, English, Music or Theatre.
• Must be a natural-born citizen of the United States of America with no prior criminal record, other than minor traffic violations.
• Must be a free and accepted Mason in good standing in a local lodge under the authority of the Grand Lodge of its state, or be the descendant, sibling, or nephew/niece of a Master Mason in good standing in his respective lodge under the authority of the Grand Lodge of its respective state. If the related Mason shall not be living at the time of the student’s consideration for this scholarship, a letter shall be obtained from the Lodge of the related Mason to the effect that the related Mason was in good standing at the time of his death.

Must have and maintain a “C” average.

*Previously awarded students are eligible to re-apply for this opportunity.

If you meet the requirements for this scholarship, please complete the scholarship application and return to the Office of Student Financial Services by April 17, 2026.

Questions may be directed to Carly Cox, Office of Student Financial Services, by email at cc477@evansville.edu or by phone at 812-488-2364.

Nominations are now being accepted for consideration of The Howard S. Rosenblatt “Dean of Students Leadership Awards.”  These awards will be presented at the 33rd Annual Leadership Awards Reception scheduled for Wednesday, April 29, 2026.  Invitations will be prepared by the Center for Student Engagement.  

Awards from the Dean of Students Office are presented in the following categories:

• Student Organization Advisor of the Year

• Student Organization of the Year

• Student Leader of the Year

Our student organizations are successful because of the commitment of the student leaders and the advisors who give freely of their time and support.  The recipients of these awards are selected based on their commitment to the University of Evansville as well as the development and success of their efforts within their chosen student organization.

The deadline for nominations is March 20, 2026.  Click on this link to submit your nomination: 

https://forms.office.com/r/5WhHUF7J6i 

If you have any questions, please contact the Vice President for Student Affairs/Dean of Students office at 812-488-2500 or by e-mail via deanofstudents@evansville.edu 

Thank you in advance for celebrating our student leaders’ achievements!

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Rania Mousa’s latest paper has been accepted for publication in EDPACS: The EDP Audit, Control, and Security Newsletter (Taylor & Francis). Hear from Dr. Mousa in her own words:

“I’m excited to share that my paper, ‘Audit Cyber-Resilience as a Governance Capability: Evidence from U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) Performance Audits,’ has been accepted for publication in EDPACS: The EDP Audit, Control, and Security Newsletter, published by Taylor & Francis.

EDPACS is the world’s longest-running IT audit newsletter and is known for providing highly regarded guidance across audit, control, and security.

In this paper, I develop a performance-audit framework for evaluating cyber-resilience as a governance capability—that is, whether governance arrangements enable organizations to anticipate, absorb, adapt to, and learn from cyber disruption.

Drawing on a directed documentary content analysis of 10 cybersecurity-related performance audits issued by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) (2018–2025), I translate recurring cross-report patterns into practical audit design guidance across key governance pillars. I also distinguish two complementary assurance pathways: informational assurance (credible, triangulated evidence) and normative assurance (how recommendations and follow-up expectations function as governance levers).

The central contribution is an actionable, audit-ready logic for scoping, criteria anchoring, evidence triangulation, and recommendation framing—one that supports capability-focused assurance without implying technical certification.

This paper will be most relevant to performance auditors, internal auditors, and assurance providers, as well as risk leaders, cybersecurity governance teams, regulators and oversight bodies, and public-sector accountability professionals interested in evaluating resilience as a governance capability.”

Dr. Rania Mousa has been a valued professor within the Schroeder School of Business for many years. We are proud of her outstanding contributions as an educator and her continued commitment to impactful scholarly research in the business and cybersecurity governance fields.

The UE Purple Aces Investment Research Team competed in the 2025–2026 CFA Institute Research Challenge in Nashville, TN, on Wednesday, February 25. The subject company was Harrow. Team members Kristen Eykamp, Katlyn Hall, and Moe El Osman traveled to Nashville to present the team’s investment recommendation - Sell - reflecting rigorous research, valuation analysis, and preparation by the entire team. Professor Walayet Khan served as faculty mentor.

The CFA Research Challenge is a prestigious global competition that immerses students in real-world equity analysis. Participants conduct in-depth company research, prepare a professional equity report, and defend their recommendation before industry judges. The experience sharpens analytical skills, builds confidence, and gives students a meaningful competitive edge in the job market. Past participants have repeatedly shared that their involvement in the Challenge was instrumental in securing interviews and advancing their careers.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – In its home-opening doubleheader against Illinois State, the University of Evansville softball team battled to the finish, dropping both games by just a single run. The opener was a defensive battle with ISU taking a 3-2 win. In the second game, the Redbirds scored five in the first inning, but UE battled back to tie the game at 5-5 before ISU scored the decisive run in the top of the 9^th.

Game 1 – Illinois State 3, UE 2

A quick start by Illinois State saw them plate two runs on three hits to take the lead. Evansville cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the first. Brooke Voss led off with a walk before advancing to second on a sacrifice by Taylor Howe. With two outs, Morgan Adams singled through the left side to bring in Voss.

One inning later, the Aces tied the score. Emma McDonald drew a 2-out walk. After moving to second on a single by Voss, she scored the tying run when Howe singled up the middle. The Redbirds quickly retook the advantage in the third, scoring a run while earning three walks. Kate Ridgway limited the damage as she forced a strikeout to strand the bases loaded.

Evansville’s defense kept the deficit at a single run with a big play in the top of the fourth. With a runner on second and two outs, ISU hit a single to right field. The baserunner rounded third, but a laser from Ashtyn Holbrook to Niki Bode recorded the out at home to keep it a 3-2 game.

Over the final innings, the Aces picked up a pair of hit but could not push the tying run across the plate as the Redbirds clinched the 3-2 win. Paige McLeod threw six innings allowing two runs to earn the win while Hannah Meshnick earned the save. UE starter Kate Ridgway tossed the complete game allowing three runs on eight hits.

Howe registered two of UE’s six hits in the game. The Redbirds had eight hits with Morgan Calhoun picking up three.

Game 2 – Illinois State 6, UE 5 (9 innings)

It did not take long for the Redbirds to pounce in game two. Up 2-0, Hannah Meshick hit a 3-run home run to left field to make it a 5-0 game in the top of the first. Brooke Voss immediately cut into the deficit. Her leadoff home run to deep center got UE on the board in the bottom of the first.

Two more runs scored as UE inched closer in the bottom of the third. Taylor Howe reached on a 1-out walk before consecutive 2-out doubles by Morgan Adams and Niki Bode saw the Aces make it a 5-3 game.

Evansville fought back to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth. Bode got things started with a leadoff walk while Jess Willsey followed with a single. Ashtyn Holbrook singled up the middle to bring in pinch runner Keghan Pye. With the bases loaded and two outs, Howe earned a walk to bring in the tying run.

The game remained tied until the top of the ninth. ISU put runners on second and third with one out. Voss threw a baserunner out at home to secure the second out, but Bella Atkinson hit the go-ahead double to put the Redbirds back on top.

Down to their final three outs, the Aces staged a rally. Maliyah Wilkins was hit by a pitch to open the inning while Dori Brown came in to pinch run. With one out, Niki Bode doubled to put runners on second and third. Unfortunately, the Redbirds picked up the final two outs to take the win.

After taking the win in game one, Paige McLeod was the winner of the second contest. She threw the final four frames with one run scoring. Alexis Tucker went the distance after a tough start. Tucker allowed one run on four hits over the final eight innings after ISU scored five in the first. UE had 10 hits in the game with Voss, Adams, and Bose recording two apiece.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Evansville freshman Ashtyn Holbrook hit the first two home runs of her collegiate career to help the Purple Aces softball team defeat Illinois State in walk-off fashion on Saturday at Tri-State Orthopaedics Field at Cooper Stadium.

Holbrook went 3-4 with three RBI as UE earned an 8-7 victory over the Redbirds. Jess Willsey, Niki Bode, Taylor Howe, and Brooke Voss posted two hits apiece as the Aces recorded 11 hits in the victory. UE trailed by a 7-4 margin entering the bottom of the seventh before rallying for the victory. Holbrook’s home run tied it up before Angela Valentine scored the winning run on an ISU error.

Illinois State looked to take an early advantage with a leadoff double in the top of the second. UE starting pitcher Kate Ridgway pitched out of the jam unscathed. In the bottom of the inning, the Aces put forth their first threat of the day. After Niki Bode was hit by a pitch, Jess Willsey and Ashtyn Holbrook posted singles to load the bases with no outs. Emma McDonald’s sacrifice fly brought home the first run of the afternoon.

The Redbirds followed up by loading the bases with no outs to open the third. They would tie the game on a walk, however, Ridgway struck out the next two before a line out limited the damage and kept the game knotted at 1-1. Helped by a Morgan Calhoun 2-run shot, ISU scored four runs in the top of the fourth.

Ashtyn Holbrook’s first collegiate home run got UE one run closer in the bottom of the fourth. One inning later, Hannah Meshnick hit a 2-run homer to extend the Redbird lead. UE got one of those runs back on a Morgan Adams sacrifice fly that made it a 7-3 game entering the sixth.

Taylor Howe’s single to right field made it a 3-run game in the bottom of the sixth as UE continued to battle back. That continued in the bottom of the seventh. With one out, Niki Bode reached on a single with Addyson Leonard entering to pinch run. Leonard crossed the plate on a Jess Willsey double to cut the deficit to two. That brought Holbrook to the plate who launched her second homer of the game to tie the score.

With two outs, Voss reached on an error to bring Howe to the plate. She reached on an error before a second ISU error allowed the game-winning run to score. Sophia Otten earned her first collegiate win. She threw to scoreless innings.

UE returns to action on Tuesday at Louisville before a 3-game series at Belmont next weekend.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville (UE) has secured the most significant apparel partnership in the history of Purple Aces Athletics, announcing a renewed and expanded multi-year agreement with NIKE and BSN SPORTS.

The comprehensive agreement represents a dramatic increase in overall support to UE Athletics and positions the Purple Aces for sustained competitive growth in the evolving landscape of Division I athletics.

NIKE, the global leader in athletic apparel, footwear, and equipment, will continue as the exclusive outfitter for all 17 Purple Aces athletics programs and the University’s spirit squads. BSN SPORTS will remain the department’s exclusive supplier of NIKE uniforms, apparel, footwear, equipment and accessories.

“This is more than a renewal. It is a transformational investment in the future of Evansville Athletics,” said UE Director of Athletics Dr. Kenneth “Ziggy” Siegfried. “The expanded partnership dramatically increases the level of support to our entire athletics department, making it the most significant apparel partnership in the history of Evansville Athletics. It reflects confidence in the direction of UE Athletics and aligns directly with our commitment to excellence in the Missouri Valley Conference.”

The new agreement enhances resources available to student-athletes and coaches across all programs while elevating the Purple Aces brand both regionally and nationally. In addition to increased apparel support, NIKE and BSN SPORTS will invest in expanded facility branding and visual enhancements, strengthening the identity and visibility of UE Athletics across campus venues.

As college athletics continues to evolve, strategic corporate partnerships play a critical role in sustaining competitive success and enhancing the student-athlete experience. This agreement reinforces the University’s Pathway to Excellence strategic plan and underscores a shared commitment to innovation, brand growth, and long-term success.

“Ziggy and the entire team have one of the strongest visions and plans I’ve seen to continue elevating their athletic program,” said Todd Northrop, Sr. Vice President of BSN SPORTS Collegiate Select Division. “We appreciate the trust and investment behind this expanded partnership and look forward to helping all Purple Aces athletes, coaches and supporters show up in the best apparel while opening new opportunities for visibility and promotion.”

The Purple Aces will continue to wear NIKE competition and sideline apparel at all games, practices, and official team events.

In addition, the partnership creates new opportunities through BSN SPORTS’ My Team Shop platform, providing new pathways for Purple Aces student-athletes to benefit. For the first time, fans will have consistent, sport-specific NIKE purchasing opportunities throughout the year, creating new ways to support Purple Aces student-athletes.

ABOUT BSN SPORTS
BSN SPORTS is a leading distributor and manufacturer of sporting goods apparel and equipment that serves more than 1,100 collegiate partners nationwide. With a focus on game-changing partnerships, one of the widest selections of private and leading brands, and a one-stop-shop model, BSN SPORTS has helped elevate team sports participation for more than 150,000 teams and organizations nationally at all levels of competition since 1972. For more information, visit BSNSPORTS.com.

 Fireside Aces Radio, the digital broadcasting arm of University of Evansville (UE) Student Media, has officially launched its mobile app on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, expanding access to student-produced radio, podcasts, music programming, and community storytelling.

The app allows listeners to stream live and prerecorded programming and access the Crescent Magazine from any mobile device. Fireside Aces Radio is also available online at fireside.evansville.edu and via Alexa-enabled devices through the Fireside Aces Radio skill.

Fireside Aces Radio operates within UE Department of Communications through Student Media, a collaborative media organization that brings together students, faculty, academic departments, and local nonprofits to create public-facing content focused on journalism, sports, entertainment, and social impact storytelling.

Student Media platforms collectively reach thousands each month:

• Crescent Magazine website: Approximately 6,000 monthly visitors
• Fireside Aces Radio website: Nearly comparable monthly traffic
• Podcast downloads: Approximately 1,000 downloads per season per show on average, with higher-performing programs exceeding that number
• Print publication: Crescent Magazine publishes three issues per semester, print and digital distribution

Businesses, organizations, and community partners may support Student Media through podcast sponsorships, streaming radio underwriting, print advertising in Crescent Magazine, Digital advertising on crescent.evansville.edu and fireside.evansville.edu.

Sponsorship and advertising inquiries can be directed to Tommy J. Housman, Instructor of Communications & Student Media Advisor, at th208@evansville.edu.

Direct donations to support student programming and equipment may be made at: fireside.evansville.edu/donate.