The University of Evansville (UE) is a private university in Evansville, Indiana, United States. It was founded in 1854 as Moores Hill College. 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 (including full and part-time, undergraduate, adult, graduate, and UE students at Harlaxton) 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. 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. UE sold the property to Wesselman Woods in 2023 for $2 million.

Academics

thumb|right|upright=1.35|[[Harlaxton Manor in 2005]]

The University of Evansville is academically organized into three colleges and three schools:

  • William L. Ridgway College of Arts & Sciences
  • College of Education & Health Sciences
  • School of Education
  • School of Public Health
  • College of Engineering & Computer Science
  • Schroeder Family School of Business Administration

Accreditation

thumb|right|upright=1.35|Front Oval in the Spring of 2005

The electrical and mechanical engineering programs have been continuously accredited by ABET (the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) 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 (NASM). The Exercise Science major is endorsed by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). The Dunigan Family Department of Nursing is accredited by the Indiana State Board of Nursing and the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc.

Rankings

In 2022, U.S. News & World Report ranked the University of Evansville against other regional Midwest universities, awarding it #7 overall, #3 for veterans, and #12 for value. It called the school's admissions policy "more selective."

Harlaxton College

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 at Harlaxton Manor, about 115 miles north of London in Lincolnshire, a few miles away from the town of Grantham, England (home of Sir Isaac Newton and Margaret Thatcher and Thomas Paine). 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.

Harlaxton Bureau at Harlaxton College

On July 30, 1997, the now-closed student radio station 91.5 FM WUEV opened the former Harlaxton Bureau at Harlaxton College, Lincolnshire, England. Shortly thereafter, Harlaxton Bureau correspondents covered the death of Princess Diana and were subsequently recognized by the Indiana Society of Professional Journalists. This made the University of Evansville the first American to have a student-run news bureau on a foreign campus.

Theatre department

The UE theatre department operates at Shanklin Theatre, which features a 482-seat thrust stage design extending into the audience on three sides. UE's alumni include Ron Glass, Jack McBrayer, Kwame James, Rutina Wesley, Crista Flanagan, Kelli Giddish, Carrie Preston, Rami Malek (winner of the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and British Academy Film Award for Best Actor), and Deirdre Lovejoy.

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. (Not to be confused with the Kochs, Robert L. Koch was the chairman of the board of George Koch Sons, Inc.—an industrial company in Evansville—and son of Louis J. Koch, founder of the Holiday World amusement park.) 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.

Athletics

The University of Evansville athletic teams have the nickname the Purple Aces (originally the "Pioneers"). 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

Media

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.

On May 17, 2019, the University of Evansville made what members of the Evansville community claimed to be a controversial decision to sell the students' station to WAY-FM, a non-profit nationwide network that plays contemporary Christian music.

While the story garnered national media attention from major media outlets and public scrutiny in support of the students and WUEV, the issue was brought to light in September 2018 when a group of University of Evansville alumni, community, and students began to uncover information that the University of Evansville previously had kept from the public as reported by WEHT News 25. The university later admitted in 2019 the decision was made over a two-year study since 2016 which they previously never mentioned.

The FCC finalized the transfer of WUEV's license to WAY-FM on November 25, 2019. The terrestrial signal went silent at 11 p.m. CST. The final song played on WUEV was "Closing Time" by Semisonic. The station began broadcasting WAY-FM programming on November 26, 2019, and changed its call sign to WJWA on December 4, 2019.

Notable alumni

Alumni include numerous prominent entertainers, sports stars, writers, and scientists. Among them are:

  • Richard Harbert Smith, professor and researcher of aeronautical engineering
  • Matt Williams, TV producer and writer
  • Rami Malek, actor
  • Jack McBrayer, actor
  • John B. Conaway, United States Air Force officer
  • Jerry Sloan, basketball player and coach
  • David Weir, Scottish international soccer player
  • Marilyn Durham, novelist
  • Deirdre Lovejoy, actress
  • Lisel Mueller, poet
  • Jim Michaels, TV producer
  • Ron Glass, actor
  • Carrie Preston, actress
  • Toby Onwumere, actor
  • Andy Benes, baseball player
  • Kyle Freeland, baseball player
  • Kelli Giddish, actor
  • Crista Flanagan, actor and comedian
  • Jeff Galfer, actor, producer, and writer
  • Kent Parker, business executive and investor
  • Craig R Tooley, American engineer at NASA

References

Bibliography

  • Klinger, George; "We Face the Future Unafraid" (Evansville, Ind; University of Evansville Press, 2003).
  • Athletics website