| VINCENNES, Ind., August 29, 2022 -Â Vincennes University has received a $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its initiative, Indiana Youth Programs on Campus. The grant will help VU broaden its series of Pre-College Programs for K-12 students.
The Lilly Endowment initiative is designed to help Indiana colleges and universities to engage youth, ages 5 to 18, in high-quality on-campus enrichment programs that encourage young people to explore their interests and envision a future for themselves in college. With the new grant, VU will expand its Pre-College Programs to help more students see themselves as college-level and college-deserving students. This funding will enable VU to expand multi-day summer programs such as the Summer STEM Academy, Techmester, and Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) programs, as well as short-term camps throughout the year for students in 7th-12th grades, hosted on VU campuses throughout the state. The breadth of different programs is particularly important to VU’s Pre-College Programs as students will have access to explore a variety of career fields, including STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), automation, information technology, aviation, music, and agriculture. Partnering with VU Early Colleges and Career and Technical Education (CTE) centers, JAG, and middle and high schools, VU’s Pre-College Programs will provide students with opportunities to discover their passions, experience advanced instructional labs, interact with faculty, and learn about college life by immersing themselves in all the VU campuses offer. VU President Dr. Chuck Johnson believes this initiative comes at an opportune time for the University. According to Johnson, “Vincennes University is proud to be a part of this Lilly Endowment initiative in Indiana to increase the number of high school students pursuing post-secondary education. VU will use this generous support from the Lilly Endowment over the next three years to bring more K-12 students to our campuses than any other time in VU history. Through these efforts, students will engage our outstanding faculty and staff and will learn about the many career paths that exist in Indiana and the education and training required to pursue them at VU and among our sister institutions.” Lilly Endowment launched the initiative, in part, to respond to the significant decrease in the number of Hoosiers pursuing higher education degrees. In 2015, 65 percent of Indiana high school graduates were going straight to college. The college-going rate has dropped steadily since. In 2020, only 53 percent of Hoosiers were attending college the year after high school. Goals for the initiative include increasing the number of Indiana youth who obtain valuable postsecondary degrees and credentials and helping schools strengthen how they recruit students, especially students who have been traditionally underserved by higher education institutions. Lilly Endowment launched the initiative, in part, to respond to the significant decrease in the number of Hoosiers pursuing higher education degrees. In 2015, 65 percent of Indiana high school graduates were going straight to college. The college-going rate has dropped steadily since. In 2020, only 53 percent of Hoosiers were attending college the year after high school. Goals for the initiative include increasing the number of Indiana youth who obtain valuable postsecondary degrees and credentials and helping schools strengthen how they recruit students, especially students who have been traditionally underserved by higher education institutions. |
Vincennes University Receives $1 Million From Lily Endowment Inc. To Expand Pre-College Programs
Residential Recycling Collections Suspended Extra Week
(Evansville, IN) – The City’s residential recycling program will be suspended for an additional week. Pumps needed to operate the baling equipment at Tri-State Resource Recovery will not arrive until after Labor Day.
The baling machine malfunctioned and efforts to secure replacement pumps before the Labor Day weekend have been unsuccessful. Residential recycling collections for week B were suspended this week. The delay in receiving the pumps makes it necessary to suspend recycling collections next week, for week A, through September 9.
Recycling collections are expected to resume for week B on Monday, September 12. Recycling collections for week A will resume on Monday, September 19.
Should residents need an alternative to holding their recyclables until the next scheduled collection day, residents of the City of Evansville may deposit their recyclables at the Laubscher Meadows Convenience Center from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm Monday through Friday where they will be recycled.
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EPA Announces Winners of Let’s Talk About Heat Challenge
Winners Share Strategies To Help Communities Stay Safe During Extreme Heat
Eagles tie 0-0, Etienne earns 250th career save
FLORENCE, Ala. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer competed hard on the road Thursday night to a 0-0 tie against the University of North Alabama Lions, as senior goalkeeper Maya Etienne (Midland, Michigan) surpassed 250 career saves and earned her 32nd career shutout in the match.
The first half of Thursday night’s match was defined by physicality and battle for possession. The defensive midfield proved pivotal in keeping the game scoreless at the break.
Graduate student defender Mia Rose Daly (Haiku, Hawaii) took the lone shot in the first half for the Screaming Eagles, stepping up to shoot in the early minutes. She also made a key tackle 12 minutes in to prevent the start of a breakaway attack by the Lions.
In the middle portion of the first half, USI’s defense stood tall when the possession was controlled by North Alabama in the attacking half. The Lions’ sophomore forward and Evansville, Indiana native Hope Lensing took the first shot on frame for North Alabama but was saved by the Screaming Eagles’ Etienne.
The start of the second 45 minutes began like much of the first half, battling for possession. Then in the 62nd minute, North Alabama strung together some chances and applied some pressure on Southern Indiana’s defense. The Screaming Eagles were up for the challenge, blocking one shot and Etienne thwarting another opportunity with a save.
In the 73rd minute, Etienne collected her fourth save of the match on a shot lofted in by the Lions’ graduate student midfielder Kate Wiseman. The save marked a milestone 250th career save for Etienne, placing her in the top five all-time for saves in Southern Indiana’s record books. Etienne was tested a couple more times by North Alabama’s attacking front before the match ended, but she came through with two more saves to take sole possession of fifth place all time.
Team totals for the match were five shots – one on goal – for Southern Indiana compared to 10 shots – six on goal – for North Alabama. All five of USI’s shots were taken by five different players. Freshman midfielder Peyton Murphy (Bargersville, Indiana) had the only shot on goal for the Screaming Eagles, extending her streak of games with a shot on goal to four.
“We’re playing extremely well and competing for every ball,” Head Coach Eric Schoenstein said. “We’ve been in every game, and the girls are playing hard and getting after it on every play.”
Following a physical match against the Lions, the Screaming Eagles will head back home and rest up before returning to Strassweg Field Monday for a Labor Day meeting against Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis at 1 p.m. Admission to Monday’s match is free thanks to The Women’s Hospital Deaconess.
Evansville swept at Washington
WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Evansville Otters could not find enough offense to match pace with the Washington Wild Things, falling 9-1 in the series finale.
Washington scored right away in the first, using back-to-back RBI singles from Andrew Czech and Cam Balego to grab a 2-0 lead.
In the second, the Otters believed they had scored on an RBI infield single from Bryan Rosario, but the call was reversed after a meeting between the umpires.
In the home half of the second, Wild Things’ offense continued as Devon Fisher and Wagner Lagrange each hit two-run home runs to extend the lead to 6-0.
The lead expanded once again in the fifth when Ian Walters drove in a pair of runs with a double. A third run scored in the fifth as Tristan Peterson drove in a run on a fielder’s choice.
The Otters finally found the run column in the sixth, using a pair of stolen bases from Miles Gordon to their advantage. After getting to third base, Gordon scored easily on J.R. Davis’ sacrifice fly to center.
The 9-1 scoreline would hold to the end, granting Washington a series sweep of the Otters, their first since 2010.
Evansville is still in a position to claim a playoff spot as soon as Friday. They would need a win and Lake Erie loss to get it done.
The regular season concludes with a three-game set in Florence beginning Friday night at 6:05 p.m. CT from Thomas More Stadium. Audio-only coverage can be found on the Evansville Otters YouTube page.
USI Board Approves Biennial Capital Improvement Request, Housing And Meal Plan Rates
At its regular meeting on Thursday, September 1, the University of Southern Indiana Board of Trustees reviewed and approved the 2023-25 Capital Improvement Budget Request to be presented to the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, the State Budget Committee, and later before the fiscal committees of the Indiana General Assembly during the 2023 Legislative Session.
The University is seeking $83 million for the renovation and rehabilitation of capital projects including Academic Renovation Phase I—inclusive of Phase IV of the Health Professions Center and renovation of the Byron C. Wright Administration Building. Renovations will include updates to classrooms, student study spaces, technology infrastructure, teaching labs and expanded simulation training.
In other business, the Board of Trustees approved housing and meal plan rates for the 2023-24 Academic Year. Due to universal increases in food costs, meal plans will increase by $96 per semester. In response to this, and to keep student cost increases at a minimum, the University is reducing the cost of housing rates by $96 per semester to provide a net zero increase for those students utilizing University housing and standard meal plans. In addition, the University will offer a two-year housing rate lock in 2023-24 and 2024-25 to students who plan to reside in University housing for their first two years.
The Board also heard an update on current campus construction projects.