Dr. Jason Hardgrave has been named Assistant Provost for Academic Affairs at the University of Southern Indiana, effective January 1. He had served as Interim Assistant Provost for Academic Affairs since July 2023.
As Assistant Provost for Academic Affairs, Hardgrave assists the Provost in managing many different facets of undergraduate and graduate education programs, including general administration with college deans, the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Online Learning, Disability Resources, the Honors Program and Themed-Living Communities.
“I am pleased that Dr. Hardgrave will continue as the Assistant Provost,” says Dr. Shelly Blunt, Provost. “He plays a critical role in many key projects for the University, such as the Quality Initiative for the Higher Learning Commission reaccreditation, the implementation of Watermark and many key retention efforts. He brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to the position that will benefit our students and the University.”
Hardgrave has been with USI for over 21 years. He previously served as Chair of the History Department and Associate Professor of History. As Chair, he guided students to success while developing promotional guidelines, assessment procedures and a merit review rubric for the department.
He actively collaborates with the Teacher Education Department to support student preparedness, curriculum standards and licensure and accreditation processes. He also works closely with the University’s College Achievement Program (CAP), fostering strong connections with local teachers to expand dual-credit opportunities for USI students.
Previously, Hardgrave served as both Chair and Vice Chair of Faculty Senate, participated in the Academic Program Review and chaired the University Promotions Committee. He has also contributed to various committees and extracurricular activities at USI, including the Economic Benefits Committee, Core 39 Committee and serving as Faculty Advisor for the USI Fencing Club and the University’s chapter of Phi Alpha Theta National History Honor Society.
His research and teaching focus on pre-modern Europe, specializing in law, trade and gender. He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in history from the University of Wyoming and a doctorate in history from the University of Kansas.
House Democrats attempt to wrestle some sports legislation into a hectic session
FEBRUARY 5, 2025
By Erin Bruce, TheStatehouseFile.com
Rep. Mike Andrade, D-Munster, in a lucha libre Wearing shirts to represent their favorite leagues, teams and athletes, five Indiana House Democrats outlined their legislative agenda for Hoosier sports in a press conference Tuesday morning.
Five bills and two amendments complete the proposed package, “The Hoosier Home Field Advantage.” The legislative agenda follows Indianapolis’ record-breaking World Wrestling Entertainment Royal Rumble, which boasted big names like John Cena.
“We’re doing great in the sports realm, but this group of people in the Indiana House Democrats think that we can capitalize on that success and really take things through the stratosphere,” said Rep. Mitch Gore, D-Indianapolis.
Indy is home to three professional athletic teams as well as the National Collegiate Athletic Association headquarters. The city also has hosted major events, including the 2024 Olympic swim trials, 2024 NBA All-Star Game and 2012 Super Bowl.
Gore has authored House Bill 1517, which would create “American Professional Football Day,” a state holiday celebrated the Monday after the Super Bowl. The bill was co-authored by Rep. Ethan Manning, R-Logansport, and is currently in committee.
Gore said that this year, 16 million people are expected to miss work the day after the Super Bowl.
“I think Hoosiers don’t care as much about attacking DEI. They want to support the NBA,” said Gore.
Gore also presented an amendment that would make children’s athletic gear exempt from sales tax. The sales tax holiday would take place in the spring and fall, coinciding with major athletic seasons. According to Gore’s press representative, he is currently working with the authors of several different bills in an attempt to place the amendment.
“We could do something positive for kids, get them involved in something, maybe keep them out of trouble,” Gore said. “If we can provide families with the resources to be able to do that for their kids, I think that’s a good thing.”
Rep. Phil GiaQuinta, D-Fort Wayne, has presented two bills that would attempt to make high-school sports more accessible to fans.
HB 1534 would require schools to provide a cash payment option at athletic events. GiaQuinta said the intent of the bill is to make games more accessible for students, so they can buy tickets and concessions with cash as opposed to using their parent’s credit card.
HB 1541 would prohibit the Indiana High School Athletic Association from charging viewers to stream athletic events. GiaQuinta said this aims to make games more accessible for families to watch and encourage new fans.
“Frankly, I believe that would then gain more interest in people. After they watch something on the Internet, they’re going to then go to the game,” said GiaQuinta.
Both these bills remain in committee.
Rep. Kyle Miller, D-Fort Wayne, wrote HB 1608, which would have the Indiana Economic Development Corporation submit a report to the General Assembly on the potential esports hold for the state.
“Esports is not the basement Nintendo or the mall arcade we had as kids. It’s a growing industry with billions, that’s worth billions, and Indiana is in the prime position to lead in this booming industry,” said Miller.
Miller cited Ball State University, Purdue University, Butler University and Indiana State University as examples of the growing industry, as they’ve all developed esports programs.
“Esports aren’t just important for Indiana, they’re vital. They bring economic opportunities, education benefits, a sense of community and inspiration for our future,” he said.
Also looking to expand into new territory, Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago, presented HB 1292.
The bill would establish the Northwest Indiana Professional Sports Development Commission. Co-authors include Rep. Ethan Manning, R-Logansport, Rep. Timothy O’Brien, R-Evansville, and Rep. Doug Miller, R-Elkhart.
“When you look at the lineup on the bill, my co-authors are all Republicans that asked to be on the bill, so I appreciate that support,” said Harris. The bill is in committee.
Harris said he wants to create jobs, develop the economy and attract tourists to Northwest Indiana, using sports as the framework to do so.
The commission would be composed of mayors, county officials, and economic leaders and be responsible for developing plans to build an athletic facility and support existing athletic franchises.
Rep. Mike Andrade, D-Munster, was wearing an Indianapolis WWE Royal Rumble jersey and blue and white wrestling mask. The amendment he proposed matched his outfit, as it would require the Indiana Sports Corporation to attract professional wrestling by placing bids on events. According to a press representative, the amendment is in the drafting process.
Andrade said the recent Royal Rumble event saw almost 70,000 fans and created an economic impact of over $300 million.
“At this time, give me a ‘Hell yeah!’ if you smell what the House Democrats are cooking,” said Andrade.
Students and potential College Students to get free FAFSA filing help at College Goal Sunday
FEBRUARY 5, 2025
EVANSVILLE, IND. – Financial aid professionals from Ivy Tech, USI and UE will be on hand to help college-bound students and their families to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), at College Goal Sunday – Feb. 23, from 2-4 p.m. The event will take place in Carter Library on the Ivy Tech Evansville campus, 3501 N. First Avenue.
The FAFSA is required for students to be considered for federal and state grants, many scholarships, and even federal student loans at most colleges, universities, and vocational/technical schools nationwide. Filing must occur by the State of Indiana priority deadline of April 15th to guarantee state aid for those who qualify.
“Indiana was a nationwide leader last year in maintaining the FAFSA filing rate from 2023 to 2024. That success is due in large part to the Commission’s partnerships with INvestEd and other community partners, philanthropy investment, and support from local leaders,” said Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education Chris Lowery. “Though this is an encouraging statistic for Indiana, we must continue to aim higher. The FAFSA is a gateway to unlock potential career options, improving social and financial outcomes for individuals, strengthening Indiana’s talent pipeline, and enhancing our communities as a whole.”
Now in its 36th year, College Goal Sunday has helped more than 98,000 Indiana students and families complete the FAFSA properly and on time. College Goal Sunday is a charitable program of the Indiana Student Financial Aid Association (ISFAA).
“Financial aid remains as important to the college-going process as ever. At College Goal Sunday events across the state, we aim to provide families with peace of mind about timelines and aid processing steps by surrounding them with a team of experts in the field,” said Caleb Fendrich, director of financial aid for the Ivy Tech Evansville campus. “The Indiana Student Financial Aid Association recognizes the value that this event can provide and is dedicated to helping Hoosier students ensure their financial aid applications are filed and completed promptly, allowing for the most financial aid possible as students consider their education beyond high school.
“At the event, experts from our area colleges will be present to guide students and families through the FAFSA, helping turn any uncertainty about the financial aid process into certainty about the future of our students’ education.”
ST. LOUIS – Senior outfielder Zoe Frossard has been named to the Preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference Team as the University of Evansville softball team is set to open the season this weekend.
Frossard led the Purple Aces with a .301 batting average last season while recording 28 walked, 26 runs, and 13 RBI. The 2022 MVC Newcomer of the Year earned a nod on the league’s scholar-athlete squad last season. In 2023, Frossard was a member of the MVC All-Defensive Team.
Along with the preseason squads, the league announced the preseason poll, which has Evansville picked 10th out of 12 schools.
UE opens the season this weekend at the Paladin Tournament in Greenville, S.C.
The University of Southern Indiana is excited to host the inaugural TEDxUSI, an independently organized TEDx event, as part of the Core Speaker Series. This three-hour event will feature engaging talks in Carter Hall with interactive Discover USI sessions in the University Center. Attendees can enjoy light refreshments before the event, followed by an hour of thought-provoking talks, a break for hands-on activities and another hour of inspiring presentations.
The University is currently seeking dynamic speakers with powerful ideas for TEDxUSI. Members of the USI community and beyond are invited to submit proposals for talks that embody the spirit of “ideas worth spreading.”
While TEDxUSI may include speakers from outside the USI community, the focus will be on showcasing the innovative ideas and achievements of USI faculty, staff, students, alumni and community partners. This event provides a platform for thought leaders, innovators and storytellers to share perspectives that challenge, inform and inspire. Talks will be recorded and published on the official TEDx YouTube channel, extending their impact to a global audience. Registration and event details will be available soon on the USI website.
To submit a speaker proposal for TEDxUSI, navigate to the TEDx Speaker Proposal form at USI.edu/tedxusi. The deadline to submit proposals is Friday, February 14. While all submissions will be reviewed, the organizing team is unable to respond to each proposal.
For more information about the event happening March 20, visit USI.edu/tedxusi. You can also find more information about TED, at TED.com.
A TEDx event is a local gathering where live TED-like talks and performances are shared with the community. TEDx events are fully planned and coordinated independently, on a community-by-community basis. USI was previously the host site for TEDx Evansville in 2017, and several faculty and alums were featured speakers at that event.
By Caleb Crockett & Ryan Gage, TheStatehouseFile.com
Super Bowl LIX is set and ready to go as the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles get ready to clash in New Orleans on Feb. 9.
The Chiefs make it back to their third Super Bowl in a row after taking down the Buffalo Bills 32-29 in Kansas City on Sunday.
The Eagles return to the Super Bowl for their third time since 2018. They got here after holding off the Washington Commanders in a dominating fashion at home 55-23.
Kansas City is looking to become the first team in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowls and are the first team ever to make the Super Bowl after winning the previous two.
How they got here
Kansas City dominated, going 15-2 in the regular season with their two losses coming from the Bills in week 11 and the Broncos in week 18.
Logo by Sydney Byerly, TheStatehouseFile.com.
The Chiefs have a knack for the close game this year as 11 of their wins were within one score.
The NFL Playoffs consist of 14 teams competing in their own conferences (the AFC and NFC) to make it to the Super Bowl. The Chiefs had the best record in the AFC and earned the coveted No. 1 seed.
The No. 1 seed gave the Chiefs an extra week of rest and preparation as well as guaranteed home-field advantage. Due to Kansas City’s regular season dominance, their path to the Super Bowl was easier than most teams.
The Chiefs’ playoff path included taking down the fourth-seed Houston Texans 23-14 in the divisional round. Then they defeated the No. 2 seed Bills, winning them the AFC championship and Lamar Hunt Trophy for the fifth time.
The Eagles got here after a 14-3 season. After a 2-2 start to the season, a 10-game winning streak put early-season concerns to rest.
The Eagles came into the playoffs as the No. 3 seed and bested the seventh-seed Green Bay Packers 22-10 in the wild card round, then in the divisional round in a snowy battle came out on top over the fourth-seed Los Angeles Rams. And with a commanding display in the NFC championship game against the sixth-seed Washington Commanders, they won their fourth NFC title.
Players to watch
Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs quarterback, has accomplished something no quarterback has ever done in the history of the NFL by making it to seven straight AFC championship games.
Mahomes will be heading to the Super Bowl for his fifth time and is looking for his fourth victory. With a fourth ring, it would make Mahomes just the fourth quarterback to win four or more Super Bowls and put his name on the list with legends such as Terry Bradshaw (four), Joe Montana (four) and Tom Brady (seven).
Travis Kelce, the Chiefs tight end, has been Mahomes’ right-hand man since the quarterback entered the league. Kelce looks to also win his fourth Super Bowl and add another piece to his Hall of Fame resume.
The Eagles offense has been led by their star running back Saquan Barkley, who ran for over 2,000 yards and 13 touchdowns in the regular season. Barkley has continued his dominance into the postseason; in the three games this postseason, he has 442 yards and five touchdowns.
Jalen Hurts, quarterback for the Eagles, looks to win his first career Super Bowl. The former Oklahoma and Alabama star QB won a national championship with the Crimson Tide in 2017. A Super Bowl win to go with that would make Hurts just the third QB all-time to win both, the other two being Joe Namath and Joe Montana.
Two storied teams face off
Philadelphia comes into this game with a large chip on their shoulder as, just two years ago, the Chiefs defeated the Eagles in the Super Bowl 38-35. The teams have only played each other once since that Super Bowl, and the Eagles defeated them in Kansas City 21-17.
Outside of the Super Bowl loss, the Eagles have played the Chiefs 10 times in their history as a franchise and have a record of 5-5.
By making it back to the Super Bowl, Eagles quarterback Hurts breaks a 35-year curse. The last 19 quarterbacks to make their Super Bowl debut and lose never made it back to the Big Game.
The New Orleans Super Bowl experience
New Orleans is no stranger to hosting the Super Bowl and has thrown America’s largest sporting event a record-tying 11 times. No other city has hosted the Super Bowl more than New Orleans and Miami.
The last time New Orleans hosted the event was in 2013, which was between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens. Super Bowl XLVII is infamous for the stadium’s power outage that occurred a minute and a half into the third quarter.
The failure in the electrical distribution system resulted in a frustrating 30-minute delay for all parties involved. The city of New Orleans and Caesars Superdome will look to prevent any similar malfunctions from occurring.
The first time New Orleans hosted the Big Game was in 1970 for the fourth Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Minnesota Vikings. The Chiefs were 13.5-point underdogs but ended up crushing the Vikings 23-7, winning their very first Super Bowl.
There will be plenty of events for fans down in New Orleans as Super Bowl Opening Night, the teams’ only public appearance before game day, kicks off the week on Monday at Caesars Superdome and the Super Bowl Experience, a NFL fan festival, opens Wednesday at the New Orleans Convention Center. The Louisiana Culture Festival at French Market starts on Friday, and the host committee parade is on Saturday. There are plenty of other events for fans of all ages to attend.
Yes, Taylor Swift increases TV ratings
The NFL has long been America’s No. 1 sport in terms of viewership, and yet the impact of Taylor Swift has led the league’s popularity to unprecedented levels.
In July 2023, Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Kelce mentioned on his podcast that he had gone to one of Swift’s concerts. It was only a few months later, on Sept. 24, that she made her first appearance at a Chiefs game.
She sat right next to “Mama” Kelce and watched Kansas City defeat the Chicago Bears 41-10.
The Chiefs-Bears game saw a 63% increase in female viewership between women 18 and 49 years old, and Kelce’s jersey sales saw a 400% increase.
Swift’s presence drove the NFL’s viewership up to an average of 17.9 million views per game, which was up 7% from the previous season, and female viewership rose by 9%.
Not long after the Chiefs won Super Bowl LVIII—in which the Chiefs beat the 49ers 25-22—Swift and Kelce were confirmed to be in a relationship. It was the most-watched Super Bowl of all time and averaged 123.7 million viewers.
The halftime show
Kendrick Lamar will be performing this year’s halftime show, following up Usher’s performance a year ago, which drew in a record 129.3 million people.
For the third straight year, the NFL selected a hip-hop artist to perform, as Lamar is widely considered one of the greatest rappers of all time.
Lamar’s popularity skyrocketed in 2024 due to his entertaining feud with Drake. The two artists released several diss tracks, which gave millions the joy of witnessing two music titans battle through song.
The Super Bowl’s cultural impact
The Super Bowl is America’s largest sporting event in terms of TV viewership, with the game expected to hit over 200 million viewers, according to a 2025 Super Bowl Spending Survey. More than 113.7 million people are expected to throw a party.
Super Bowl ads are a big draw for some fans, as companies use the massive viewership to promote their brands. A 30-second ad costs $7 million, and all the ad space sold out in August, according to a report from Variety.
Caleb Crockett and Ryan Gage are reporters for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students. The Statehouse File’s new sports team will be reporting all the Super Bowl happenings live from New Orleans Feb. 2-10.
FOOTNOTE: EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.
