University of Evansville


The University of Evansville is a private liberal arts university in Evansville, Indiana. Founded in 1854 as Moores Hill College, the university is focused on liberal arts and science degrees, most with strong cooperative learning opportunities both on and off campus. The university operates a satellite center, Harlaxton College, in Grantham, England.
UE offers more than 80 different majors and areas of study, each housed within three colleges and one school within the university: the Schroeder School of Business, the College of Education and Health Sciences, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, and the William L. Ridgway College of Arts and Sciences. The school is affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
Total enrollment is 2,443 students, although full-time undergraduate and Doctor of Physical Therapy enrollment is 1,976 students. The student body represents 55 countries and 44 states with international students comprising 16% of the undergraduate student population. The university also hosts more than 155 student organizations and an active Greek community. UE athletic teams participate in Division I of the NCAA and are known as the Purple Aces. Evansville is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.
Notable alumni include many prominent entertainers and sports stars such as actor Rami Malek, producer/writer Matt Williams, and basketball coach Jerry Sloan.

History

The University of Evansville began in 1854 when Moores Hill Male and Female Collegiate Institute was founded by John Moore in the small town of Moores Hill in southeastern Indiana. The first college building at Moores Hill, Moore Hall, was completed on December 1, 1856, although the opening day of classes for the new college was held in the unfinished building on September 9. The institution struggled financially during its time in Moores Hill, and a fire destroyed Moore Hall in 1915. The institution continued to operate in a second building, Carnegie Hall, until the move to Evansville. The former campus in Moores Hill continued operation as an elementary and high school. Carnegie Hall is now maintained as a museum.
On March 21, 1917, George S. Clifford made a presentation at a special session of the Indiana Conference of the Methodist Church, suggesting that the college be moved to Evansville, Indiana. Clifford produced a map that highlighted a lack of colleges in the Evansville area. After some deliberation and the city of Evansville raising $514,000 for the college, it was relocated to Evansville in 1919 and renamed Evansville College. It operated in temporary quarters in downtown Evansville until Administration Hall was completed in 1922. This is the only building remaining on campus from before World War II.
In the period from World War II to 1960, Evansville College grew significantly. Enrollment grew from about 400 during the Great Depression to 1,500 in 1946. Also following the war, the Science and Engineering Building and Alumni Memorial Union were commissioned. The Clifford Memorial Library was completed in 1957. Five residence halls were built between 1958 and 1967, along with a fitness center, dining hall, and an art building. In 1967, due to the institution's growth and organizational changes, the name was changed to the University of Evansville with the approval of the Indiana State General Assembly. Also in 1967, a new theater building, Hyde Hall, housing Shanklin Theater was finished.
In 2010 The University of Evansville completed early its Endowment Campaign to raise $80 million after having raised an additional $60 million five years previous to the new campaign. On July 1, 2018, Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz became the University of Evansville's 24th president.

Academics

Accreditation

The electrical and mechanical engineering programs have been continuously accredited by ABET since 1970, and the civil engineering and computer engineering programs since 1997. The School of Business Administration is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business and provides a variety of professional programs in accounting, economics, finance, global business, management or marketing. The Department of Music is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. The Exercise Science major is endorsed by the American College of Sports Medicine and the National Strength and Conditioning Association. The Dunigan Family Department of Nursing is accredited by the Indiana State Board of Nursing and the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. UE Nursing offers direct entry and study abroad experiences in England and China.

Colleges and schools

The University of Evansville is academically organized into three colleges and two schools:
In addition to studying in the city of Evansville, the University's students can choose to study abroad in England at Harlaxton College, "The British Campus of the University of Evansville". The College was formed and controlled by Stanford University prior to its passing to The University of Evansville. The college is located about 90 miles north of London in Lincolnshire, a few miles away from the town of Grantham, England. The study abroad program at the University of Evansville has consistently been rated as one of the best study abroad programs in the nation, ranked #1 in Europe and #7 globally.

Theatre department

The UE theatre department features four mainstage and two studio productions a year, many taking place at Shanklin Theatre, which features a 482-seat thrust stage design extending into the audience on three sides. UE students have been invited to perform at The Kennedy Center more often than any other school in the nation, and the department has participated in the Kennedy Center's American College Theatre Festival program since its inception in 1968. It also leads the nation in the top awards for its students as awarded by The Broadway Theatre Wing and other governing bodies of serious theatre. UE's alumni frequently star in television and film roles. Among the successful and famous alumni are: Ron Glass, Jack McBrayer, Crista Flanagan, Kelli Giddish, Carrie Preston, Rami Malek, and Deirdre Lovejoy.

Athletics

The University of Evansville athletic teams have the nickname the Purple Aces. Both men's and women's varsity sports play at the NCAA Division I level and compete in the Missouri Valley Conference, except for the men's swimming and diving teams which compete in the Mid-American Conference

Campus

The university campus is characterized by its grassy open spaces and tree cover. The university landscape is well maintained, and many students take advantage of the spacious lawns and large shade trees. The campus is bounded on the north by the Lloyd Expressway, the south by Lincoln Avenue, west by Rotherwood Avenue, and on the east by Weinbach Avenue. Walnut Street bisects the campus. Sesquicentennial Oval, the ceremonial entrance to campus, opens off of Lincoln Avenue. The oval was named in 2004 in commemoration of the university's 150th anniversary. The Schroeder Family School of Business, McCurdy Alumni Memorial Union, Sampson Hall / Mann Health Center, Hyde Hall, Olmsted Administration Hall, Clifford Memorial Library, and Koch Center for Science and Engineering surround Sesquicentennial Oval. Most of the buildings follow an old limestone motif, and renovations generally emulate the rest of the building.
The Administration Hall and the President's House and Circle were named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
Koch Center was originally named the Engineering and Science Building when it was built in 1947. The motivation for the new building stemmed from WWII, after which UE expected a greater number of students to enroll with the intent of getting industrial degrees. After renovations in the late 1970s, the building was renamed in November 1984 in honor of Robert Louis Koch who had been a member of the UE Board of Trustees since 1968; Koch had recently given a donation to the university's New Century Capital Campaign that was being used to build a new library. Koch Center experienced another renovation, including a large new addition on its south side, in 2001.
In 2016, the Peters-Margedant House museum was moved to campus and then opened for tours in 2017. The 552 square foot house was built by Evansville native William Wesley Peters who was the son-in-law of, and right-hand man to, Frank Lloyd Wright.

Greek life

Sororities
Fraternities
WUEV started in 1951, was a noncommercial, 6100-watt FM Radio station located at 91.5 MHz, owned and operated by the University of Evansville. WUEV also streamed online and became the first internet radio station in Indiana in 1996. The station was operated entirely by a student staff. In May 2019, the university announced plans to sell the station to WAY-FM, a nonprofit nationwide network that plays contemporary Christian music. This decision had been protested by students who had objected that the plan has not been discussed with them despite being studied for two years by the university administration. The sale to WAY-FM was consummated on November 25, 2019.

Notable alumni

Alumni include numerous prominent entertainers, sports stars, and doctors. Among them are Matt Williams, producer and writer of The Cosby Show, Home Improvement, and Roseanne; actor Rami Malek, Golden Globe and Emmy award winner for best drama series and plays Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody for which he won the 2019 Golden Globe for Best Actor and the 2019 Academy Award for Actor in a Leading Role; Jack McBrayer, actor on 30 Rock; Jerry Sloan, NBA player and Hall of Fame head coach; David Weir, Scottish international soccer player; actor on The Wire, Deirdre Lovejoy; Jim Michaels, Golden Globe nominee and NAACP Image Award winning television producer ; Ron Glass, actor on the TV series Barney Miller and on the series Firefly; Carrie Preston, actress on a number of TV series including True Blood, The Good Wife, and The Good Fight; Toby Onwumere, actor on Empire and Sense8; Andy Benes, MLB pitcher, #1 overall draft pick ; Kyle Freeland, MLB top 10 draft pick, NL Cy Young top finisher and current pitcher for the Colorado Rockies; and Kelli Giddish, actress and long-time star on playing Detective Amanda Rollins, previously on many TV shows.