After more than 20 years of service, Timothy F. Brooks, assistant vice president and dean of students, will retire June 1.

"Seeing a student who has really struggled, go on to succeed, not only here, but also in her or his career, is an incredible perk of the job," he says. "That is an aspect of my position that I enjoy immensely--having the ability to help students, to be an advocate for them."

Reminders of Brooks' positive impact on students are stored in a filing cabinet in his office. A folder full of thank-you notes is cited by Brooks as one of the reasons he's stayed for so long in his challenging job.

During his years of service, the University has seen the size of the graduating class increase by more than 1,000 students, with the current average around 4,000. Since 1979, nearly 58,000 students have joined the ranks of UD alumni.

"UD has increased positively, in every sense--the faculty, the physical plant and the quality of students," Brooks says.

"The students have definitely changed," he continues. "They are more consumer-oriented and much better--academically and technically. The diversity of the student body also has increased, and more students are involved in part-time work than ever before."

Brooks says he is considering working with agencies that support persons with disabilities or volunteering with the National Park Service. He currently is chairperson of the Governor's Council for the Mentally Retarded.

Maurice Fowler does not appear in many Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP) productions, but he's included in one publicity shot for every show.

PTTP's goose mascot has shown up clasped to the cleavage of an actress in a restoration comedy, sporting rabbit ears with the cast of Harvey, wearing a jaunty cap with plume for Shakespearean productions, donning a blond wig in School for Scandal and putting on his shades as a member of the gang in The Resistable Rise of Artuo Ui.

Fowler, who was created as a prop for a one-person show of The Christmas Carol, is not quite all there. He has a molded head and feet, with a goose-shaped muslin wrap in between. Yet, he has become a theatrical tradition at UD and has been invited to a wedding, a Shakespeare festival and graduation ceremonies. He even has vacationed at the shore.

When Aladrian Crowder, EG 2004, entered a contest for an Essence cover model last January, she never expected to be selected from the more than 7,000 candidates and to actually appear on the magazine's cover.

In addition, the UD freshman from Owings Mills, Md., was offered a $50,000 modeling contract. Crowder accepted the cover assignment, but turned down the modeling contract.

"It would have demanded too much of me as a student," she says, "especially an engineering student. I'm trying to be especially careful not to take on too much during my first semester here. I want to get a strong foundation in school."

Originally a chemical engineering major, Crowder found she was more interested in the mechanical side of her intended career in biomedical engineering. Right now, she thinks she would like to work on prosthetics development.

When friends ask her if she is going to pursue a career as a model, Crowder says, "I tell them that I'm going to be an engineer. Modeling is just another hobby I have, along with playing the piano, painting and writing poetry."

Jeraldine D. Magliulo, AS 2000, a graduate student in history, has been awarded a James Madison fellowship that will help her fulfill her childhood dream of becoming a teacher.

Magliulo was Delaware's sole winner, selected from applicants throughout the state. James Madison fellowships are given to encourage graduate work by aspiring or experienced middle school and high school teachers of American history, government or social studies.

Magliulo is eligible to receive up to $24,000, with the stipulation that her curriculum include a concentration of courses on the history and principles of the United States Constitution. The fellowship also requires that she teach secondary education in American history, government, social studies or political science for at least two years.

"From the time I was 7 years old, I've wanted to be a teacher, and I've always loved history," Magliulo says, and she intends to teach it in middle or high school. She is especially enthusiastic when she talks about wanting to "instill a sense of citizenship in young people."

While Magliulo loved her courses at UD, she says it wasn't until her student teaching experience that she knew she had found her niche. "Even after a bad day, I couldn't wait to return the next morning. I felt like a duck out of water finally put into the pond. I knew I was where I belong."

The fellowship was awarded by the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation of Washington, D.C.

For centuries, books have caught the attention of collectors. These sought-after objects range from rare, centuries-old, autographed works to pop-up books--those containing intricate, movable pieces of specially designed paper often associated with children's literature.

Book artist Martha Carothers, chair of the UD Art Department, recently was asked to write a brief history of pop-up books for Brooklyn Pops Up! This 16-page book, with a Maurice Sendak movable illustration on the cover, contains eight pop-up spreads created by 11 illustrators and paper engineers.

The work was developed and released to coincide with an exhibition, "Brooklyn Pops Up! The History and Art of the Movable Book," at the Brooklyn Central Library through December. More than 100 books are featured in the exhibit--with the oldest dating to the 1500s--and the subject matter ranging from the Wild West and airplanes to folklore, astronomy, the alphabet and science. Carothers' book, Inner Room, is part of the exhibit.

Her condensed history points out that the earliest example of a pop-up, intended for adults, dates to the 13th century. The three-dimensional books were used for educational, religious or moral purposes until the 18th century, when Robert Sayer of London introduced the idea of amusement into children's books.

"Writing the history was, for me, coming full circle 20 years after my thesis," Carothers says. "Also, I saw this as a chance to be involved in a project to help inform the public and help raise the level of appreciation of pop-up art. I'd been fascinated with them ever since I was given my first pop-up book as a child."

The University of Delaware ranks among the top 20 universities and colleges in the mid-Atlantic region in producing Peace Corps volunteers.

A total of 20 UD alumni currently are serving in the Peace Corps, working to fight hunger, bring clean water to communities, teach children, start new businesses and stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. Among the newest recruits is Jamie Berwick, AS '99, who is teaching secondary English and mathematics in St. Lucia, East Caribbean. A total of 175 UD alumni have volunteered throughout the history of the Peace Corps, since it was established in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy.