USI Trustees approve honorary degrees, new environmental science degree

At its regular meeting on March 7, 2013, the University of Southern Indiana Board of Trustees approved a new bachelor's degree program. A Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science degree will be offered starting in fall 2013.

The trustees also approved more than 1,500 candidates for doctoral, master's, bachelor's and associate's degrees, as well as honorary degrees for John W. Streetman III and James L. and Eileen Berendes Will, to be presented at Spring Commencement May 3-4, 2013.

An honorary degree from USI is the highest form of recognition granted by the institution. Individuals selected to receive an honorary degree exemplify the highest ideals of integrity, service, and dedication to learning.

Streetman, executive director emeritus of the Evansville Museum of Arts, History, and Science, will be presented with the Doctor of Humanities degree. During his 38-year tenure, the museum had two extensive interior renovations, one major expansion, added the Evansville Museum Transportation Center, and became widely recognized as one of the most dynamic general museums in the United States. 

Streetman was instrumental in bridging relationships between USI faculty and students and the museum. He has given leadership to the USI Society for the Arts and Humanities and led the effort to showcase the work of USI, UE, and Ivy Tech artists in a combined annual exhibit at the Evansville Museum. He also was involved in early preservation efforts in New Harmony, Indiana, preceding USI's partnership with the Indiana State Historic Sites in Historic New Harmony.

The Doctor of Laws degree will be presented to the Wills. James L. Will Sr. has served on the USI Board of Trustees, the USI Foundation Board, and the Varsity Club Board. He served as chair of the Board of Trustees from 1999 to 2002 and also was chair of the Varsity Club. Will is active in the community and was a longtime member and past president of the West Side Nut Club.  He also is a former member of the Evansville-Vanderburgh Airport Authority Board, Public Works Board, Area Plan Commission, Cemetery Board, Citizens National Bank Board, and West Side Business and Professional Men's Association. 

The Wills are members of the USI Coaches Club and charter members of Reflections, the USI Foundation's planned giving society. They also provided funding for the programmatic support of the USI Business and Engineering Center, which opened in 2010, and support the Boys and Girls Club, St. Anthony's Catholic Center for Family Life, and the Catholic Diocese Brute Society.

The Board of Trustees also received a regular construction update from Physical Plant staff. A renovation of the USI Bookstore and a road project on Bennett Lane in front of the Physical Activities Center will be completed this summer. The $3.3 million Applied Engineering Center is nearing completion and slated to open in fall 2013. The $17.2 million Teaching Theatre is expected to open in fall 2014. Also discussed were projects currently in design, including a conference center and a visitor's center.