This year, the University of Southern Indiana’s Commencement will be held on campus for the first time since 1991. Five ceremonies will be held over two days, April 27-28, in the Physical Activities Center (PAC), with a reception in University Center East following each ceremony.

“Since we have held the fall Commencement on campus, graduates and their families have responded enthusiastically to being at USI for degree conferral,” said President Linda L. M. Bennett. “With spring Commencement now on campus, more families will experience a memorable connection to the University at the time of great achievement for our graduates.”

More than 1,400 students are eligible to participate in Commencement, including 16 summa cum laude graduates, 100 magna cum laude graduates, 128 cum laude graduates, and 51 University Honors Scholars. Participation in spring 2012 Commencement is up by almost 10 percent over spring 2011.

A ceremony for graduate students will be held at 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 27.

Undergraduates will participate in four ceremonies on Saturday, April 28. The College of Business and Division of Outreach and Engagement ceremony will be held at 9 .am.; College of Liberal Arts at noon; Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education at 3 p.m.; and College of Nursing and Health Professions at 6 p.m. The doors to the PAC will open one hour prior to the start of each ceremony.

Speakers at each Commencement ceremony will be USI alumni who have excelled in their professional lives. They will come from Chicago, Evansville, Henderson, Nashville, and Princeton, New Jersey. “We celebrate our alumni and are pleased to have alumni representatives address our graduates,” Bennett said. “They are resounding models for today’s graduates.”

FRIDAY

Dr. Sheila Lynn Hauck, executive director of Professional Practice for Oncology and Palliative Care at St. Mary’s Medical Center, will deliver the Commencement address during the 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 27, ceremony. In 1997, she was a member of USI’s first graduating class in the master’s level nursing program when she completed a post-master’s certificate in the family nurse practitioner track. In 2011, she was among the first graduates of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program. Also during the ceremony, USI President Emeritus H. Ray Hoops and his wife Linda will receive honorary Doctor of Laws degrees.

SATURDAY

New Jersey resident Valerie McKinney, who earned a Master of Business Administration degree from USI in 2005, will be the speaker for the College of Business and Division of Outreach and Engagement ceremony at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 28. She is the global serialization operations lead for Bristol-Myers Squibb and directs a cross functional global team to implement pharmaceutical serialization through the company, including all third party manufacturers and logistics partners.

College of Liberal Arts graduates will hear Joycelyn Winnecke, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in communications from USI in 1982, during the noon ceremony. Winnecke is vice president and associate editor of the Chicago Tribune and is the sister of Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke. In 2004, she received USI’s Distinguished Alumni Award. She earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Chicago.

Dr. Joey V. Barnett is the vice chair and director of Graduate Studies in Pharmacology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from USI in 1981. Barnett will address graduates in the Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education at 3 p.m. Dr. Paul A. Kuban, associate professor of engineering, will receive the 2012 Distinguished Professor Award during this ceremony. The President’s Medal, the highest honor presented to a USI graduate, will be presented to Phillip H. Behrens.

J. Wayne Meriwether will be the speaker at the 6 p.m. ceremony for the College of Nursing and Health Professions. He is the chief operating officer at Methodist Hospital in Henderson, Kentucky. He earned a Master of Health Administration degree from USI in 2008.

Guests of graduates participating in the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Nursing and Health Professions ceremonies will need tickets. For more information, go to www.usi.edu/commencement.

Friday, July 27th 8PM

Tickets: $32.00 – $67.00 (Additional fees may apply)

Tickets go on sale FRIDAY, APRIL 27th at 10AM at the Centre box office, all Ticketmaster
outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com, or charge at 800-745-3000. The Centre is located at
715 Locust Street.

This intimate evening of powerful performance will incorporate stories, both humorous and
meaningful, that pay homage to Adkins’ working-man roots and rich musical heritage.

Inspiration for the SONGS & STORIES TOUR came as Trace released his 10th studio album, Proud To Be Here, last summer with
a CMT Invitation Only special. The special featured new hits “Just Fishin’” and “Million Dollar View,” a Q&A session and the
most-loved songs from Adkins’ twenty year career. The taping was so fun for Trace and his guests that he began laying plans for a
tour. “I’ve had many narrow escapes and blessings in my life. The right song at the right time has been my saving grace and that’s
something I have in common with the audience. Sharing meaningful songs, stories and some laughs ‘around the campfire’ is the
Country music tradition and I’m looking forward to it.” Fans can share their own stories, questions and the songs that have inspired
or shaped their lives on the Songs & Stories page at www.traceadkins.com. From humble beginnings as a small-town Louisiana
roughneck, to a Country super star with a twenty year career of hits, to his recent roles as outspoken author and actor, Adkins’ life
parallels the songs he sings. His albums showcase a range of earnest tributes and party anthems with humor and depth – the Songs &
Stories Tour promises to offer the same.

See the CMT performance that inspired the SONGS & STORIES TOUR:
http://www.cmt.com/videos/invitation-only-trace-adkins/1671287/full-episode.jhtml

Trace Adkins is one of Country music’s most versatile and accomplished entertainers. His instantly recognizable baritone has
earned 30 charted singles and 15 Top Ten hits gold, platinum, and multi-platinum albums with total sales surpassing 10 million.
He is the author of A Personal Stand: Observations and Opinions from a Freethinking Roughneck. He was a finalist on NBC’s The
Celebrity Apprentice, where he charmed millions while his recent role in The Lincoln Lawyer put him in the company of Matthew
McConaughey, Ryan Phillipe, Jon Leguiazamo and William H. Macy in the box-office topping theatrical release. A member of the
Grand Ole Opry, Adkins was raised on Country and Gospel and is known as a traditionalist who speaks his mind and honors the past.
The 6’6″ star is a father of five daughters and a family man to the core. He is a former oil rigger who still works his farm himself.
His “gruff” demeanor hides a self-deprecating, humble man with the coolness that comes from defeating death (more than once) and
realizing everything else is small stuff. When a fire claimed his home in June 2011 in Tennessee, Trace first made sure his family was
unharmed, then immediately redirected his fans’ offers of support to the Red Cross. Trace Adkins’ tenth studio album, PROUD TO BE
HERE, features the Top Ten hit, “Just Fishin'” and latest single, “Million Dollar View.” The album was released on August 2, 2011 on
Show Dog – Universal Music and debuted at #2 on the Billboard Country Album Chart.

Exemption Requirements – Section 501(c)(3) Organizations

To be tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, an organization must be organized and operated exclusively for exempt purposes set forth in section 501(c)(3), and none of its earnings may inure to any private shareholder or individual. In addition, it may not be an action organization, i.e., it may not attempt to influence legislation as a substantial part of its activities and it may not participate in any campaign activity for or against political candidates.

Organizations described in section 501(c)(3) are commonly referred to as charitable organizations. Organizations described in section 501(c)(3), other than testing for public safety organizations, are eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions in accordance with Code section 170.

The organization must not be organized or operated for the benefit of private interests, and no part of a section 501(c)(3) organization’s net earnings may inure to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual. If the organization engages in an excess benefit transaction with a person having substantial influence over the organization, an excise tax may be imposed on the person and any organization managers agreeing to the transaction.

Section 501(c)(3) organizations are restricted in how much political and legislative (lobbying) activities they may conduct. For a detailed discussion, see Political and Lobbying Activities. For more information about lobbying activities by charities, see the article Lobbying Issues; for more information about political activities of charities, see the FY-2002 CPE topic Election Year Issues.

Link to more info and other links:

http://www.irs.gov/charities/charitable/article/0,,id=96099,00.html

From the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press:

Private and Quasi-Private Entities: Private entities are generally not subject to federal FOIA. A quasi-private entity is one that, while private, conducts government business. For example, in 2000, the Colorado Court of Appeals determined that a nonprofit corporation was subject to the state open records law in Denver Post Corp. v. Stapleton Development Corp. The company, while private, had been created by the city of Denver and tasked by to redevelop a former airport through the Denver Urban Renewal Authority. The court held the private corporation was subject to the state open records act because the project was of a public nature, on publicly owned land and because the city had significant control over the project and the corporation.”

“A federal court may also find private or quasi-private activities subject to FOIA if it is determined that the government retains custody and control of the records. No matter how much federal money an entity receives, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Forsham v. Harris that to determine whether an entity’s records are public is a question of control. It is not clear, however, how much control over an outside entity is needed to satisfy that test, as the Court in Forsham determined that a mere right to possess and control the records is not enough to subject the entity to FOIA. Records must “have been, in fact, obtained,” according to the Court.

States often follow similar rules as the federal government, but many tend to follow a “functional equivalent” test to determine if the records of private or quasi-private entity should be disclosable. That test involves determining whether the entity has become essentially a branch of the government either through financial support or whether the entity performs a task that is traditionally one conducted by government.

In Memorial Hospital-West Volusia, Inc. v. News-Journal Corp., a private company was found subject to the Florida open records act after the West Volusia Hospital Authority transferred to it its duties to operate and maintain local hospitals. “[I]n performing pursuant to the Agreement transferring the authorized function, West Volusia, Inc. was ‘acting on behalf of’ the Authority.”‘ When “acting on the behalf of” an agency, the Florida Supreme Court held that private entities are subject to the state open records act.

States use differing language and look to different factors, but the Florida case is relatively typical. West Volusia, Inc. was receiving benefits normally reserved for the government — it was able to exercise the government’s right to eminent domain and received tax money to fund its operations. In addition, the company was performing a function that had been previously tasked to a government authority. These factors added up, in the eyes of the court, to the company “acting on behalf of” the government and, therefore, subject to the open records law.