Rolando Trentini

Holiday World's top-ranked wooden roller coaster, The Voyage, will be featured Wednesday night as part of The Travel Channel's "Extreme" series.

The show will repeat on Friday and Sunday.

The one-hour episode, called "Extreme Terror Rides," will premiere Wednesday at 7 p.m. CDT. The show will feature top thrill rides from around the world. The Voyage is currently ranked the No. 1 Wooden Coaster on the Planet by Amusement Today magazine.

The show will air again at 5 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. Sunday. The Travel Channel is Cable 59 on the Henderson Insight line-up

Source: http://www.courierpress.com/news/2009/sep/01/holiday-worlds-voyage-featured-travel-channel-wedn/?partner=RSS

The University of Evansville says it welcomed its largest freshman class in more than a decade this morning. UE says the class of 701 is the largest in 13 years and the overall full-time student body is up 6 percent over last year. The university says it experienced increased enrollment from students in Vanderburgh and surrounding counties and saw its number of transfer and adult students grow this fall.

The University of Evansville began fall classes this morning with an increase in overall student enrollment, including the largest freshman class in more than a decade.

UE's freshman class of 701 is the largest in 13 years, and the full-time student body is up 6.0 percent over last year. The new class also ranks among the strongest in the last decade, with higher SAT scores and a larger percentage of students who ranked in the top 10 of their high school graduating classes.

"We are extremely pleased to see such strong growth of full-time students on campus," said Thomas Bear, UE vice president for enrollment services. "Seeing this kind of increase, especially in these difficult economic times, is an endorsement to the quality of education UE provides. Our recent rankings in U.S. News & World Report as a top 10 Masters-granting institution in the Midwest, #6 strong commitment to teaching, and #2 Best Value in the region has prompted more students locally to consider UE."

The University experienced increased enrollment from students in Vanderburgh and surrounding counties. Additionally, UE saw its number of transfer and adult students grow this fall.

"There continues to be a strong desire for many local students and residents to obtain a University of Evansville education. Several local veterans who served in either Iraq or Afghanistan have embraced UE's participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program. This financial award provides these servicemen and women a full-tuition scholarship," stated Bear. "To support the enrollment of these students, the University opened an Office of Veterans' Affairs on campus."

As in past years, diversity is a hallmark of the UE student body for the 2009-10 academic year, with students representing 44 states and 48 countries. Ten percent of the entering class are domestic minority students, meeting another University strategic goal.

Source: University of Evansville & Inside INdiana Business http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?ID=37379

The University of Evansville will provide an open discussion next week about health care issues. The forum, which will be held September 10 at UE's Schroeder Family School of Business Administration, will address America's health care system, some of the plans for change and possible ramifications of various ideas. UE says it wanted to create a non-political event to discuss the system and various options for changes.

With Congress preparing to return to work, and health care the topic on every American's tongue, faculty from the University of Evansville are looking to provide an open discussion about the issues.

The forum, which will be held Thursday, September 10 at 7:00 p.m. in Harkness Hall (room 162) of UE's Schroeder Family School of Business Administration, will be a discussion of America's health care system, some of the plans for change, and possible ramifications of various ideas.

The event is free, and open to the public.

"Obviously, health care is always an important issue for quality of life. Currently, there is considerable controversy surrounding the best way to provide quality and access while managing cost," said Lynn Penland, dean of UE's College of Education & Health Sciences. "With all of the attention being paid to the issue, we wanted to create a non-political event where we can discuss our system and various options for changes."

The forum will begin with brief comments from Penland, who will serve as the moderator, and the three panelists. They then will open the floor for questions and comments.

The panel will include:

· Dr. Amy Hall, chair of the UE Department of Nursing
· Dr. William Stroube, UE Professor and Director of Health Services Administration
· Mary Kessler, chair of the UE Department of Physical Therapy
· Dr. Robert Clark, dean of the UE Schroeder Family School of Business Administration

The Core Purpose of the University of Evansville is to provide life transforming educational experiences that prepare students to engage the world as informed, ethical and productive citizens.

Source: University of Evansville & Inside INdiana Business

http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?ID=37458

The University of Evansville's Ridgway University Center is the second Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified building in Vanderburgh County - and the second on the UE campus.

The building, located on Walnut Street across from the Carson Center, opened in November 2008. It was designed by Hafer Associates and Mackey Mitchell Associates and built by Industrial Contractors as an environmentally friendly building, and was registered with LEED before construction began in mid-2007.

"At the University of Evansville, we are proud of our commitment to sustainable, 'green' living," said UE President Stephen Jennings. "As a university, we have made it one of our goals to reduce our carbon footprint in any way we can, and by building the county's first two LEED-certified structures, we are backing up that commitment with action. These campus facilities have been constructed so they require less energy, use less water, and adhere to all of the standards laid out by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design."

The Alcoa Foundation also provided generous financial support to the LEED components of the Ridgway University Center.

Buildings must earn points in six categories set forth by the U.S. Green Building Council in order to achieve LEED certification. Those six categories are: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation and design.

Construction was completed on Ridgway University Center in late summer 2008. The center opened in November 2008. After opening, all LEED-registered buildings must go through several months of use and testing before being officially LEED-certified.

- Mark Wilson

Source: http://www.courierpress.com/news/2009/aug/30/evansville-ue-widens-its-lead-in-green/

Christmas will be a monthlong celebration this year in this Spencer County town famous for its name and gung-ho-ho spirit.

In past years activities were packed into one weekend.

"This is going to be the event we've always wanted but never had," said Philip Koch, president of Lake Rudolph Campground & RV Resort, coordinating the celebration with Kevin Klosowski of Santa's Candy Castle.

Activities will begin Nov. 20.

A major addition will be a 1.2-mile "Family Christmas Light Adventure" light show at Lake Rudolph next to Holiday World & Splashin' Safari theme park.

Costing several hundred thousand dollars and telling the story of Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, it will feature 35 scenes - each 20 to 30 feet tall - and is being custom built by Carpenter Decorating out of South Carolina.

"I always thought Santa Claus, Ind., should be celebrating Christmas in a tremendous way," said Koch, "and last year on the Travel Channel I saw some other Bavarian communities (in Georgia and Oregon) that were doing a better job than we were.

"I found myself in the same position my grandfather (Evansville industrialist Louis J. Koch) was in in 1945 when he built Santa Claus Land here to give people something to do."

Koch said he's been told the light show will be the largest drive-through attraction of its kind at a campground in North America and the only one featuring an actual story line.

It will use energy-efficient LED lighting.

Plans also call for an illuminated Nativity scene, 23 feet high and 150 feet long, on the theme park's parking lot - "kind of our gift to the community," said Koch.

He said the campground 35 miles east of Evansville will involve charities in the light show and charge admission.

Visitors will have the option of staying in their car or renting a golf cart, according to Dave Lovell, marketing director at Lake Rudolph.

Other events during the town's celebration will include a Nov. 20 tree lighting ceremony, a pre-Christmas dinner at Santa's Lodge, a puppet show, Christmas Karaoke every Friday and Saturday, an early December parade and contests ranging from Christmas tree decorating and fruit cake eating to gingerbread house building.

Besides the lights at Lake Rudolph, the annual Festival of Lights tour of homes will continue the second and third Saturdays of December in nearby Christmas Lake Village.

There also will be chestnut roasting and performances by area choirs at the Candy Castle, a possible weekend craft show at Lake Rudolph and a wine tasting at Christmas Lake Golf Course.

Koch is asking charities and other organizations interested in running food booths or having entertainment to call (812) 224-1790.

"We want to help everyone in town," Koch said, "churches, schools, charities, businesses and individuals. We want families to come here and create wonderful memories, to make people happy, raise money for charities and businesses and grow the town of Santa Claus."

Meanwhile, Koch (three of his siblings own the adjacent theme park) expects to open the new Santa Claus Christmas Store by Labor Day in Kringle Place shopping center here. It's being developed by his Santa Claus-based HO HO HOldings, which owns the campground.

It's described as the largest store of its kind in the region and will carry gift items, indoor and outdoor Christmas lights, wreaths, tree trimmings, nativities, Christmas yard art, home decor, collectibles, candy and cookies.

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas children can have their picture taken with St. Nick.

Koch says his goal is to make the town of 2,000 "synonymous with Santa Claus" and "attract people from all over the world to Santa Claus, Ind., no matter the season."

Sourcre: http://www.courierpress.com/news/2009/aug/26/expanded-festival-and-light-show-coming-santa-clau/