The University of Evansville is proud to announce that it will launch a new physician assistant program, the first in the Tri-State area, to build on its existing strength in health professions education and help meet the growing need for health care providers. The master’s-level program is slated to begin classes in 2016.

The University began conducting a feasibility study for a physician assistant program more than a year ago. The study, led by Tripp Umbach, indicated that the prevalence of physician assistants (PAs) in the Tri-State is lower than the national average. In addition, experts in the health care field project significant shortages of primary care providers, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that employment for physician assistants will grow by 30 percent from 2010 to 2020, much faster than average.

The University is currently conducting a national search for a physician assistant program director and is pursuing provisional accreditation, a status granted to new PA programs, from the Accreditation Review Council for Physician Assistants (ARC-PA).

Physician assistants work as part of a physician-led team to provide a broad range of diagnostic, therapeutic, preventive, and health maintenance services: performing physical exams, diagnosing and treating illnesses, ordering and interpreting tests, prescribing certain medications, and more. PAs work in diverse medical and surgical settings, including family and internal medicine, emergency departments, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, general surgery and surgical sub-specialties, and mental and behavioral health care.

UE’s physician assistant program will last approximately 24 to 27 months and will include both classroom and clinical education in topics such as medical, behavior, and social sciences; clinical medicine; patient assessment; and health policy and practice issues.

“We look forward to offering the region’s first physician assistant program, which we are developing based on the current and future needs for health care providers – both here in the Tri-State and nationwide,” said John A. Mosbo, UE senior vice president for academic affairs. “The new program provides an excellent opportunity to educate local students and import talent from a broad geographical area. Given our existing strength in health sciences education, UE is well positioned to make an impact on those needs through a physician assistant program.”

“Physician assistants can be a vital part of medical practices here in Evansville, and I’m thrilled to see a local university stepping up to educate these health care professionals,” said David Schultz II, MD, a local physician with Evansville Primary Care and 1994 UE alumnus. “With the physician and nurse shortage in Indiana and America, physician assistants serve an important role in increasing healthcare availability.”

For the first time, the University of Evansville has been named to the Kiplinger’s Personal Finance list of the country’s best values in private colleges.

The annual list names the top 100 private universities and 100 liberal arts colleges around the United States. UE and the other schools on the 2014 lists represent the colleges that provide high-quality academics at a reasonable cost.

“At the University of Evansville, more than 95 percent of students receive financial aid or scholarships to help them pursue a meaningful, personalized college education,” said UE President Thomas A. Kazee. “We’re honored to receive national recognition from Kiplinger’s for our efforts to make an impact on students’ lives by making a UE education accessible and affordable.”

“The University is constantly striving to enhance our high-quality academic programs and ensure relevance to our students,” Kazee added. “Several recent examples are our announcements of a Baccalaureate to MD program, a physician assistant program, and the award of the largest faculty grant in UE history, which will provide scholarships and support to math and science students. We’re pleased to see these efforts recognized by such a prestigious entity as Kiplinger’s.”

“Our rankings serve as a valuable resource to help students and families make more informed choices,” said Janet Bodnar, editor of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. “Combining a high-quality education with an affordable price tag is a challenge, but the colleges on this year’s list offer the best of both worlds.”

Kiplinger’s rankings measure both academic quality and affordability. Academic criteria include the student admission rate (the number of students accepted out of those who apply), the test scores of incoming freshmen, the ratio of students to faculty members, and the four- and five-year graduation rates. On the cost side, Kiplinger’smeasures the sticker price, the availability and average amount of need-based and merit-based financial aid, and the average student debt at graduation.

The full list is available online now at www.kiplinger.com/links/college.

Wendy Bredhold

After earning an undergraduate degree from the University of Southern Indiana, Amanda Kloeppel’s interest in international development took her around the world and back.

Armed with a bachelor’s degree in economics, Kloeppel ‘09 spent a summer with an African mission program and a year teaching English on the island of Saipan. Her quest for new challenges, however, has brought her back to USI where she is pursuing a Masters of Public Administration (MPA) degree.

“I liked living overseas, but didn’t like teaching, and wanted to pursue a master’s degree. I chose the MPA program because I have a strong tendency toward administration and, in the long-term, want to be involved in some kind of philanthropic endeavor.”

The skills she’s developed through the MPA program have allowed her to help a nonprofit organization with which she traveled to Myanmar in January plan its first annual fundraiser—a gala event set for this fall.

Since returning to Evansville, Kloeppel has been involved with the Jacobsville neighborhood revitalization initiative, which is working on a quality of life plan to improve the area. She chairs the group’s employment committee and serves on the business corridors committee.

“The goal of both is to increase and retain businesses and employment in that community,” she says. “Whether it’s Jacobsville or Africa, if you can show people how to start a business or gain meaningful employment, you give them the skills to lift themselves out of poverty.”

Kloeppel is currently employed by Vectren Corporation as an analyst in regulatory affairs. She plans to graduate from USI in December, and hopes to work for a corporate or community foundation.

By Jacie Shoaf

INDIANAPOLIS – A Vigo County resident is the first Hoosier death caused by West Nile virus in 2013, the State Department of Health announced Friday.

This year Indiana has 87 counties with positive tests for West Nile virus, and 20 human cases have been reported so far. The statistics are down from 2012, when there were 77 reported human cases and eight deaths in Indiana.

“Although we’re past the normal peak season for West Nile virus, which was in August and September, there’s still a risk of becoming infected on warmer days when mosquitoes are biting, so Hoosiers should continue to take precautions,” said Jennifer House, director of zoonotic and epidemiology at the Indiana State Department of Health, .

Mosquitoes are not usually active below 60 degrees Fahrenheit, but because Indiana has not experienced freezing temperatures so far this year, Hoosiers still risk succumbing to West Nile virus if they come into contact with the insects.

The West Nile virus typically causes West Nile fever. That’s a mild form of the illness and symptoms include a fever, headache, body aches, swollen lymph glands and a rash. In some cases, a more severe form of the disease develops with encephalitis, meningitis or flaccid muscle paralysis. Anyone who experiences West Nile virus symptoms should see a medical professional.

There is no vaccine or cure for West Nile virus. The Indiana State Department of Health encourages Hoosiers to use insect repellent that contains DEET, picaradin or oil of lemon eucalyptus; maintain window and door screens; avoid locations with mosquitoes such as woods or marshes; and wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts.

By Jacie Shoaf

INDIANAPOLIS – State higher education officials are trying to help students graduate from college in four years with a campaign urging them to take enough credits every semester.

“Indiana’s ‘15 to Finish’ campaign will drive home the importance of students completing at least 15 credit hours per semester in order to stay on track to graduate on time and minimize college debt,” said Ali Curtis, communications and media relations manager for the Indiana Commission for Higher Education.

“Indiana’s higher education system must continue to make strides in becoming more student-centered, but students must do their part as well by making smarter choices and taking advantage of the resources and supports provided to them,” she said.

The “15 to Finish” campaign is aimed at all college students, but especially at individuals who meet the criteria for the state’s 21^st Century Scholarship and are eligible to attend Indiana institutions of higher education for free.

Indiana law now mandates that 21^st Century Scholars take 15 credit hours per semester or 30 credit hours during a full school year. If a student chooses to only take 12 hours during a fall semester, he or she can only earn a partial scholarship. If the student then takes 18 credit hours in the spring, thereby earning the total of 30 credit hours for the year, he or she can once again be eligible for a full scholarship. There are no scholarships for summer classes.

“Because the state has such an investment in the 21^st Century Scholars, they decided to make the policy for them,” said Kevin Corcoran, strategy director for the Lumina Foundation, a private organization that focuses on helping Americans achieve success in higher education.

Corcoran said that 21^st Century Scholars are the only students required to pay attention to the campaign but he said it’s “aimed broadly at all students.”

About a third of Hoosier college students working towards bachelor’s degrees finish their classes on time. About half finish in six years. Of Hoosier students earning their associate’s degrees, only 4 percent finish on time and 12 percent finish in three years.

Furthermore, the “15 to Finish” campaign encourages institutions to only require 120 credit hours for a bachelor’s degree, unless accreditation or licensure is otherwise required.

The idea for “15 to Finish” developed when several students were taking only a few credit hours each semester, prolonging their education and draining the budget for the 21st Century Scholarship. The campaign in still in the process of being launched, and it was presented to several universities on Sept. 19.

“15 to Finish is really designed to get students to pay attention to the math of how many credit hours they need to graduate,” said Corcoran.

“Time is money,” Corcoran said, advising students that if “you don’t take 15, you’re paying a lot more for the 12 you are taking.”

Additionally, the Indiana Commission for Higher Education has completed a recent study called “Pathways to Student Success: Perspectives from Indiana College Students & Advisors.” It includes a series of practices that help students and their advisors create four-year degree maps so that the students complete all of their degree requirements in a timely manner.

The commission has called for more thorough four-year planning after it realized that several students were taking classes they didn’t know weren’t required for their degrees.

“Indiana students often experience college as a maze rather  than as path to            success, and many finish with debt and no degree,” said       Higher Education Commission Teresa Lubbers. “With clear degree maps, proactive advising and related strategies, we can empower students to make better decisions, save time and money, and increase their likelihood of earning a degree.”