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University of Southern Indiana

The University of Southern Indiana (USI) is a public university just outside of Evansville, Indiana. Founded in 1965, USI enrolls 9,750 dual credit, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students in more than 130 areas of study. USI offers programs through the College of Liberal Arts, Romain College of Business, College of Nursing and Health Professions and the Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education.

University of Southern Indiana
MottoKnowledge for Life
TypePublic university
EstablishedSeptember 15, 1965
As Indiana State University–Evansville
April 16, 1985
As University of Southern Indiana[1]
Academic affiliations
Endowment$155 million (2021)[2]
PresidentSteven J. Bridges (interim)
ProvostMohammed Khayum
Academic staff
677
Students9,286 (fall 2023)[3]
Undergraduates5,409 (fall 2023)
Postgraduates1,854 (fall 2023)
Location
Evansville
,
Indiana
,
United States

37°57′45″N 87°40′39″W / 37.96250°N 87.67750°W / 37.96250; -87.67750
CampusSuburban, 1,400 acres (6 km2)
ColorsCardinal, Navy, White
     
NicknameScreaming Eagles
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division I – OVC
Summit League (Men's soccer, swimming & diving)
Horizon League (Men's tennis)
MascotArchibald Eagle (Archie)
Websiteusi.edu

USI is classified among "M1 – Master's Colleges and Universities: Larger programs". It is also classified among "community-engaged" institutions.[4]

Since the 2022–2023 school year, USI athletic teams participated in Division I of the NCAA as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference. The teams are known as the Screaming Eagles. Previously, USI participated in Division II as a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

History

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Members of Indiana State University, Southern Indiana Higher Education (SIHE), Indiana State University Evansville (ISUE) and the Evansville community gathered to break ground on the new campus.

The University of Southern Indiana began as a regional campus of Indiana State University, opening on September 15, 1965. In 1967, Southern Indiana Higher Education, Inc., (SIHE) raised nearly $1 million to acquire 1,400 acres for the Mid-America University Center. Groundbreaking was held June 22, 1968. Since September 1969, the University has occupied 330 acres, mostly donated by SIHE. The first buildings constructed were the Science Center and the Wright Administration Building. Slowly the school built facilities, as funding became available during the Indiana State University–Evansville period.

On April 16, 1985, ISU–Evansville became an autonomous four-year institution, the University of Southern Indiana. Governor Robert D. Orr, an Evansville native, signed the newly independent school's charter. Since gaining its independence, USI's growth has continued to where it is now the fastest growing comprehensive university in the state.[5] The university established student housing, diversified the programs offered, and enrollment has more than doubled since gaining its independence. In October 2006, the university completed a master plan that provides the framework to double the size of the school and support a campus of over 20,000 students. The master plan features key planning principles to guide the university and help it create a cohesive campus as it continues to grow.[6]

Academics

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Liberal Arts Center and Business and Engineering Center

USI offers over 70 undergraduate majors, 13 master's programs, and 2 doctoral programs as of the fall 2018 semester. Divisions of the University include the Romain College of Business, College of Liberal Arts, College of Nursing and Health Professions, Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education, University Division, and Division of Outreach and Engagement.[7] Each college is led by a dean who reports to the provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. USI employs 652 full-time faculty, lecturers, and academic administrators, and 239 part-time faculty.[8]

The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and carries several discipline-specific accreditations as well, including from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, and ABET.

Southwest Indiana STEM (SwISTEM) Resource Center

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The Southwest Indiana STEM Resource Center offers a free-equipment lending service to K–12 public, private, and parochial school educators as well as informal educators in a seventeen-county region in southwest Indiana. Teacher professional development as well as an extensive line-up of K–12 student outreach activities are offered throughout the calendar year.

Student life

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USI's University Center

Total USI enrollment was 11,033 for the 2017 fall semester, which included students in undergraduate and graduate degree programs and 2,016 students enrolled in USI's College Achievement Program (CAP) classes in 27 high schools across Indiana. Students at USI represented 90 Indiana counties, 39 states and 70 countries. Out of state enrollment, including international students, made up approximately 17% of the student population and minority and international students comprised more than 14%.[9]

More than 40,000 students have graduated since 1971.[10]

Campus

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USI's campus, located on 1400 acres (5.7 km2) of land west of Evansville, is accessed by University Parkway off of the Lloyd Expressway (IN-62). It is marked at the center by University Center East and West, which houses conference space, campus dining, offices and the campus store and by Reflection Lake to the west.

South of the University Center is the Quad, an open-air lawn flanked by David L. Rice Library (completed in 2006)[11] and academic buildings for the College of Liberal Arts and Romain College of Business. Academic buildings for the College of Nursing and Health Professions and Pott College, as well as university administration and forum classrooms, are located north of University Center.

Historic New Harmony

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USI manages programs and properties in Historic New Harmony, site of two historic communal societies of the early 19th century, the Harmony Society and the Robert Owen/William Maclure communal experiment.[12]

  •  
    Rice Hall, Campus Library
  •  
    The Cone
  •  
    The Atheneum, home of Historic New Harmony
  •  
    Trees on USI's campus
  •  
    Fountain and plaza area

Athletics

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Main article: Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles
 
The PAC arena after the renovation, now known as the Screaming Eagles Arena.
 
Display case at the Ford Center in Downtown Evansville, honoring USI's national championship in basketball

The athletic teams of USI are known as the Screaming Eagles. The university competes at the NCAA Division I level as members of the Ohio Valley Conference. USI sponsors 17 varsity intercollegiate sports. The school has won four NCAA national championships (men's basketball, 1995; baseball, 2010 and 2014; softball, 2018), finished three times as the national finalist (men's basketball, 1994 and 2004; and women's basketball 1997), and earned two third-place finishes (men's cross country, 1982; baseball, 2007). The men's and women's cross country/track teams have produced five individual national championships since 1997.

The NCAA II Softball National Championship in 2018 marked the first softball team in Indiana to win an NCAA championship. The national championship in baseball in 2010 marked the first GLVC member and university in the state of Indiana to win such a title, repeating in 2014 to become the first NCAA II program to win multiple team titles. The men's basketball NCAA II National Championship in 1995 garnered 3.9 million viewers watching them on CBS Sports.[13]

On February 7, 2022, the university's board of trustees unanimously approved the athletics program to seek membership at the NCAA Division I level.[14] On February 9, USI announced that it had accept an offer to become a member of the Ohio Valley Conference beginning on July 1, 2022.[15]

USI boasts a strong academic record as well, with 228 Academic All-GLVC athletes in 2021–22 and 35 Academic All-America honors. Student athletes maintain an average GPA of 3.29 and are retained at a high percentage.[16]

Notable alumni

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References

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  1. ^ "About USI – History". www.usi.edu. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  2. ^ "Data USA: University of Southern Indiana". Data USA. November 7, 2023.
  3. ^ "USI records first enrollment increase in over a decade" (Press release). Inside Indiana Business. September 19, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  4. ^ Farless, John. "Carnegie selects USI for Community Engagement Classification". USI University Communications. University of Southern Indiana. Archived from the original on 15 June 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  5. ^ "University of Southern Indiana". Indiana College Network. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2006-12-18.
  6. ^ "USI Master Plan" (PDF). University of Southern Indiana. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2007-04-22.
  7. ^ "About the College". University of Southern Indiana. Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. Retrieved 2012-12-26.
  8. ^ "About USI". University of Southern Indiana. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-31.
  9. ^ Services, USI Web. "USI sets record enrollment in graduate programs - University of Southern Indiana". www.usi.edu. Archived from the original on 2017-09-21. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  10. ^ Services, USI Web. "Class of 2017 will bring USI alumni to more than 40,000 - University of Southern Indiana". www.usi.edu. Archived from the original on 2017-05-04. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  11. ^ American School and University magazine recognized Rice Library, designed by Hafer Associates, PC, and the Indianapolis-based architectural firm of Woollen, Molzan and Partners, in the Outstanding Designs, Post-Secondary category of its annual Architectural Portfolio competition for 2006. See: "Outstanding Designs, Post-Secondary". American School and University. 79 (3): 161. November 2006.
  12. ^ "Historic New Harmony". Archived from the original on 2015-03-22. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
  13. ^ "USI announces OVC as partner for NCAA reclassification". USI. 9 February 2022. Archived from the original on 9 February 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  14. ^ "USI Board of Trustees votes unanimously to approve NCAA application for reclassification from Division II to Division I status – University of Southern Indiana". www.usi.edu. Archived from the original on 2022-02-08. Retrieved 2022-02-09.
  15. ^ Fowler, Ashley (2022-02-09). "University of Southern Indiana intends to join Ohio Valley Conference in Division I". WISH-TV | Indianapolis News | Indiana Weather | Indiana Traffic. Archived from the original on 2022-02-09. Retrieved 2022-02-09.
  16. ^ "USI announces OVC as partner for NCAA reclassification". USI. 9 February 2022. Archived from the original on 9 February 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  17. ^ "Indiana Legislator Database".
  18. ^ Lindskog, Chad (April 7, 2020). "Lindskog: USI's new coach is a bridge to the glory days. That brings high expectations". Commercial-News. Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  19. ^ "Cindy Ledbetter | State of Indiana House of Representatives". www.indianahouserepublicans.com. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
  20. ^ "Tim O'Brien | State of Indiana House of Representatives". www.indianahouserepublicans.com. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
  21. ^ "Zach Payne | State of Indiana House of Representatives". www.indianahouserepublicans.com. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
  22. ^ "Bray in US university hall of fame". Shetland Times. 10 January 2014.
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