The University's Early Learning Center on Wyoming Road near the central campus opened this summer and now is serving 237 children from age 6 weeks to 12 years in a model early care and education center.

According to director Karen Rucker, the center provides full-day, year-round care for 30 infants, 48 toddlers and 84 preschoolers and also will offer before- and after-school care, as well as a full-day summer camp program and a kindergarten program, for 75 older children.

In addition, it will serve as a site for University students in a variety of fields to gain experience working with children and as a research center for faculty and students to conduct their studies. All the children's classrooms, as well as special activity rooms and the gym, can be viewed from state-of-the-art observation booths. The booths, which are equipped with controls to operate the cameras and microphones located unobtrusively in the rooms, can be used by students and researchers to observe children as they play and learn.

"The Early Learning Center is a unique facility that will support education and research programs for UD students and faculty while providing exemplary care to a diverse population of children from the University community and from the wider Delaware community," Provost Dan Rich says. "It will provide a wonderful opportunity for clinical education for our students in such fields as early childhood education, nursing, physical therapy and nutrition, to name just a few. It also will be a focal point for interdisciplinary research on early learning and development by faculty from many academic departments, including psychology and education."

The center also is expected to help develop and to be a model of best practices in child care and to be a professional development site for other providers statewide, Rich says.

Rucker says that the center's professional staff of 47 will enable each group of children to have small class sizes and low child-to-staff ratios, resulting in a great deal of individual attention. Each infant room, for example, will accommodate six babies and two staff members to care for them. Toddlers will be in rooms of eight children with two staff members.

"In addition, we're going to have large numbers of students doing internships and practicums here, which will give the children even more personal attention," Rucker says. "Our ratios are very good already, and the University students' help will be icing on the cake."

Also expected to be involved in the center are other colleges and departments such as agriculture and natural resources; psychology; nursing; physical therapy; hotel, restaurant and institutional management; health, nutrition and exercise sciences; consumer studies; music; and foreign languages and literatures.

The center, which also will offer support services to families, has been designed to target children with such risk factors as poverty, foster care and disabilities.

Besides providing model services, the 30,000-square-foot building includes such child-centered physical features as diffused overhead lighting to protect babies' eyes when they are lying on their backs and an outdoor playground with two large tricycle paths. The center also has rooms set aside for a Pediatric Rehabilitation Clinic, which is planned to open this fall and will offer physical, occupational and speech/language therapy to children enrolled in the center and to those from the community.

Not long ago, University alumnus William Sullivan drove past the campus of his alma mater and thought, "This is where I belong." Now, his dream has come true.

Sullivan, BE '74, recently ended a 31-year career with the DuPont Co. to become the managing director of the new Courtyard-Newark, University of Delaware, located on the Laird Campus. He also will be director of UD's Conference Services.

"What a great opportunity!" Sullivan, who retired as DuPont's project leader for mergers and acquisitions and whose experience includes managing the Hotel du Pont and DuPont Country Club, says of his new job. "I enjoy the hospitality business, and getting back to this is exciting and challenging."

He says the new hotel, which will open in late fall, is not only ideally located next to the newly renovated Clayton Hall Conference Center but also will complement UD's academic program while serving the University community.

The 126-room, four-story, business-class hotel, which will feature an indoor pool, exercise room and restaurant, will have a computerized learning center for weekly classes for Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management (HRIM) students assigned to the hotel for a semester's practicum in lodging. It will double as a conference room with online meeting capability, Sullivan says.

UD has partnered with the Shaner Hotel Group, which will provide key marketing and management support for the hotel and conference operations. Under the terms of the partnership, the University owns 75 percent of the hotel and Shaner owns 25 percent.

"HRIM will be involved in opening and managing the hotel, thus gaining rare, hands-on experience," UD President David P. Roselle says.

Unlike similar operations at other institutions of higher learning, UD students will be fully integrated into every aspect of running the hotel, according to Sullivan, who also has served as an adjunct HRIM professor for 20 years.

"This enables students to learn hotel operations and guest experience at the same time, with the support of faculty," he says. "UD's program is ranked the seventh-best of its kind in the country, and we believe we can do even better."

Sullivan says the new hotel will be equipped with the latest technology, and at least one guest room will be used to test new concepts, from enhanced Internet access to energy conservation. "What we hope to do is to make this hotel a model for industry to bring their products and see how they work," he says. "It also will benefit students as they work with vendors.

"My focus is to try to apply technology to business solutions. How does it promote service and does it generate earnings for the hotel?" Sullivan says.

University Conference Services includes Clayton Hall in Newark, Arsht Hall and the Goodstay Center in Wilmington and the Virden Retreat Center in Lewes, Del.

"If I could have designed my next job, I don't think I would have designed it better," according to Sullivan, whose two daughters, Lauren and Kathleen, are UD students. "To me, it's kind of a homecoming because I've loved the University. I'm just very proud to be part of it."

A series of recent upgrades to the offices, skating surface and public areas at the Gold Ice Arena has turned UD's oldest ice-skating arena into a state-of-the-art facility.

The Gold Ice Arena was built in 1971, and the Fred Rust Ice Arena was built in 1988.

Upgrades to the Gold Ice Arena include

• Installation of protective netting around the perimeter of the National Hockey League-sized (200 feet by 85 feet) playing/skating surface area;
  
  
• A new Low-E (low-energy transmission) ceiling over the skating surface to help reduce refrigeration loads and energy costs, improve lighting levels and quality, eliminate moisture and condensation problems and improve appearances; and
  
  
• New ice--complete with the interlocking UD and the YoUDee ice hockey logo.

Additional enhancements include new bleachers and outdoor signage in the Gold Ice Arena, new paint, replacement of the HVAC system in locker rooms and offices and a new roof, covering nearly an acre of surface.

The ice arenas are used by nationally and internationally ranked skaters who train at the Ice Skating Science Development Center, the Blue Hen Club Hockey Team, youth ice hockey and high school ice hockey teams, community skating classes and the general public.

In preparation for the new Center for the Arts, foundation and site utility work have begun, and construction of a 715-car parking garage on Elkton Road is well under way.

The parking garage, projected to cost $12.4 million, is expected to open by February.

The $42 million Center for the Arts, located just south of the Amy E. du Pont Music Building, will include a recital hall, orchestra rehearsal hall and proscenium theatre, theatre rehearsal space and music practice rooms. Half of the total amount has been raised, with UNIDEL, MBNA, Wilhelminia Press Thompson and Willard Hackerman heading the list of donors. Information on giving opportunities for this top-priority UD project is available at [www.udel.edu/makeagift].

If funding permits, a major concert hall also will be added. The architect is Ayers Saint Gross of Baltimore.

Construction of the first of three modern residence halls to be built on the Laird Campus began in May.

Over the summer, the foundation was excavated for the north residence hall, which will contain 509 beds. It is expected to be completed in August 2005. The Pencader housing complex will be torn down in the summer of 2005, and two additional residence halls with 250 beds each are scheduled to be completed in August 2006.

A pedestrian bridge will connect the new residence halls to the Ray Street Complex.

Two former fraternity houses near Elliott and Mechanical halls have been acquired by the University and will become the headquarters for the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures.

The two houses will be joined by a central structure and renovated. The building will house 60 faculty offices, a language laboratory and conference space.

Home for Life dedicated near campus

A new house on South College Avenue was formally dedicated in June, marking a continuing partnership between the University and numerous community agencies that serve the needs of adults with disabilities.

The group home for four men was built by the Homes for Life Foundation, established by Micki and Lanny Edelsohn, and ownership was turned over to The Arc of Delaware, a nonprofit agency that is an advocate for persons with cognitive disabilities. The Edelsohns also obtained $1 million in donations to endow the Robert Edelsohn Chair, in UD's Department of Individual and Family Studies, to study services for adults with disabilities. A national search is under way for the new position, which is named for the couple's son who lives in a similar group home in Wilmington, Del.

The group home is expected to serve as a site for students to do practicums and for researchers to do pilot projects.

Wilmington artist Loper receives honorary degree

Longtime Wilmington artist and teacher Edward Loper received an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from the University during the African-American Students of Distinction ceremonies on the campus in May.

"Mr. Loper has distinguished himself with nearly 70 years of achievement

as an artist," President David P. Roselle noted in his introductory remarks. The honorary degree was conferred by Cynthia Primo Martin, a member of the University's Board of Trustees. First bestowed by UD in 1841, the honorary degree is the highest honor that the University bestows and is presented to individuals whose contributions to the quality of life in the state and the nation warrant exceptional recognition.

Loper is the first Delaware artist to be added to the Paul R. Jones Collection at UD. Donated to the University in 2001 by Atlanta collector Paul R. Jones, the 1,500-piece collection represents one of the oldest, largest and most complete holdings of African-American art in the world.

The three works by Loper that now are part of this collection are Portrait of Benoit Cote, Winter Still Life and Buildings. His works also are found in the collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Museum of African-American Art in Tampa.

Throughout his career, Loper has continued to pass on his passion for painting by serving as mentor and teacher to generations of students at the Wilmington Society of Fine Arts, the Christina Cultural Arts Center and Lincoln University.

"Most people think that the 'picture' is what a painting is all about, but a painting also is about the qualities that a human being tries to show to the rest of the world," Loper said. "Works of art are about human expression and the expression of a certain situation. This is something that I try to get across to all my students."

Graduate programs rank nationally

UD graduate programs in physical therapy, engineering, urban affairs and education are ranked in the 2005 edition of U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Graduate Schools."

Three programs were ranked among the top 10 in the nation.

Physical therapy was ranked fourth, and urban affairs and chemical engineering were both ranked ninth. UD's Department of Chemical Engineering tied in its ranking with the universities of California at Santa Barbara and Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Overall, UD's College of Engineering was ranked 48th in graduate education, tied with Boston University. In the College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy, graduate programs in urban affairs and education were ranked this year. The School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy was ranked 35th among public affairs programs nationwide, and its program in nonprofit management was ranked 14th. The School of Education was ranked at 55, tying with Florida State University and Washington University in St. Louis, and UD's elementary education program was ranked 23rd.

UD launches many chemistry Ph.D.'s

In a survey of doctoral degree recipients from 1,052 baccalaureate institutions nationwide, UD had the 22nd highest number of those who went on to earn Ph.D.'s in organic, inorganic and analytical chemistry. More chemistry Ph.D.'s started their careers at UD than at the University of Chicago, Michigan State University or Texas A&M.

The data comes from the National Science Foundation's WebCASPAR, a statistical data resource dealing with science and engineering at U.S. academic institutions, which recently made available a survey on the number of persons who received bachelor's degrees from colleges and universities and then went on to earn doctorates in science and engineering.

The numbers were compiled over a 10-year period, in this case, from 1993-2002.

Disaster Research Center celebrates four decades

UD's Disaster Research Center (DRC), the first social science research center in the world devoted to the study of disasters, celebrated four decades of research with a two-day conference this spring on campus and the introduction of the center's new director, Havidan Rodriguez.

Tribute also was paid to the founders of DRC, who pioneered the study of the social science of disasters, Enrico Quarantelli and Russell Dynes, now professors emeriti at UD. The two researchers established DRC at Ohio State University, moving it to the University in 1985.

DRC conducts field and survey research on group, organizational and community preparation for, response to and recovery from natural and technological disasters and other community-wide crises. DRC researchers have conducted nearly 600 field studies since the center's inception, including cutting-edge research on the multi-organizational response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City. The staff routinely travels throughout the United States, carrying out systematic studies on a broad range of disasters, including hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, plane crashes, civil disturbances and riots. At press time, a DRC team was in Florida in the wake of Hurricane Charley.

Under Rodriguez, who came to the University last year from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, the center's focus will expand to include investigating emergency weather warnings, urban search and rescue teams and evacuation behavior during emergencies.

Rodriguez received his doctorate in sociology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He has held associate and interim dean positions at the University of Puerto Rico and served as director of the Center for Applied Social Research there.

New administrators named

Conrado M. (Bobby) Gempesaw, UD's vice provost for academic programs and planning and international programs since 1999, has been named interim

dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He succeeds Mark W. Huddleston, who became the 15th president of Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio, on Aug. 1.

"Bobby Gempesaw is an outstanding academic leader with wide-ranging experience and success in working at all levels across the University, and he enjoys the confidence and respect of colleagues on the campus," Provost Dan Rich said in making the announcement.

A national search for a new dean of the College of Arts and Sciences will be conducted. The largest of the University's seven colleges, the College of Arts and Sciences has programs in three general areas--arts and humanities; social science and history; and natural sciences and mathematics. Enrollment in 2003 included 6,832 undergraduates and 1,153 graduate students.

In January 2005, T.W. Fraser Russell, vice provost for research, will begin a yearlong sabbatical, and Carolyn A. Thoroughgood, dean of the College of Marine Studies, will serve as acting vice provost for a year. Nancy M. Targett, professor of marine studies, will become acting dean of the College of Marine Studies.

"We all owe Fraser Russell a great debt for his outstanding leadership of the Office of the Vice Provost for Research and for his many contributions as a key member of UD's academic leadership team," Rich said. "I am delighted that Carolyn Thoroughgood has agreed to take on this important position and to sustain our continued improvement in research productivity and scholarly standing. Finally, I have great confidence in Nancy Targett and her abilities to lead the college she has served so well as a faculty member for 20 years."

UD's 'California Baby' celebrates first birthday

The University's "California Baby," Andrew Callahan, celebrated his first year at a big birthday bash, with music, food and a birthday cake at the Blue & Gold Club on July 17, hosted by his parents, John and Tina Callahan.

Family, friends, coworkers and Andrew's day-care teachers all were invited to the celebration as a thank you for the help and support the family received since Andrew was born prematurely on July 11, 2003, in San Diego, where his parents, both Geographic Information Systems (GIS) specialists at UD, were attending a conference.

Andrew, who weighed 3 pounds at birth, was hospitalized in San Diego for five weeks. As his condition improved, his parents wanted to take him home to Delaware. Thanks to President David P. Roselle and MBNA, a private plane was arranged, and the family flew home, accompanied by Amy Johnson, assistant professor of nursing and a neonatal specialist.

At the time of his birthday party, Andrew weighed in at 19 pounds. His mother describes him as "wonderfully healthy, with no apparent lasting effects or problems from being born prematurely" and says he is "a social baby who wants to be where the action is."

Exhibit, talk highlight renowned engraver

An exhibit showcasing the wood engravings and tools of renowned artist John DePol are featured in an exhibit on display through Dec. 17 in the Special Collections Exhibition Gallery of the Morris Library.

"John DePol: Artist and Engraver" presents an overview of DePol's work and includes a collection of his drawings, paintings, lithographs and wood engravings from his days as a student in the 1930s through his heyday as a master engraver and teacher.

Iris Snyder, associate librarian in Special Collections, assembled the exhibition with works from the library's recently acquired archival collection of DePol's papers.

"This exhibition offers an in-depth look at a national treasure in the field of printmaking," Susan Brynteson, May Morris Director of Libraries, said.

A related lecture will be presented at 4:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 30, in the Reserve Room of the Morris Library. David R. Godine, founder and president of David R. Godine Publisher, a fine arts specialty press in Boston, will shed further light on DePol's work. His talk, "Five Decades of the Burin: The Wood Engravings of John DePol," is free and open to the public and will be followed by a reception.

The exhibition and lecture are being held in conjunction with both the 28th annual Conference of the American Printing History Association, scheduled Sept. 30-Oct. 1, at the University of Delaware Library, and with the Oak Knoll Fest, slated Oct. 2-3, at Oak Knoll Books on Delaware Street in New Castle, Del. 

Vita Nova offers 'best lunch buffet'

Vita Nova, the Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management (HRIM) student-run restaurant in the Trabant University Center, has won Delaware Today's 2004 Best of Delaware Award for best lunch buffet.

In operation since 1996, the restaurant is a learning laboratory for HRIM majors who rotate through 16 different jobs there. One day's restaurant manager might be the next day's sous chef.

Everything at Vita Nova is made from scratch by students from breads to desserts.

Vita Nova also provides learning experiences for other majors. Music majors often provide dining music, and information systems students have installed state-of-the-art point-of-sale systems so waiters can input orders instantly on hand-held terminals.

The 60-seat restaurant is open only during the fall and spring semesters. The popular restaurant is frequently booked months in advance for special occasions.

A new 18-seat tapas-style dining area, dubbed the Darden Bistro, will open for dinner this fall and will provide overflow seating for lunchtime buffets.

Blue Hens defend Blood Drive championship

Two-time winner of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) "Have a Heart" Blood Challenge, the University of Delaware plans to hold its 2004 drive from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 17, in the Multipurpose Rooms of the Trabant University Center.

On that day, all other Blood Bank facilities in the state will be closed so that all staff and equipment can assist at UD.

The annual competition pits CAA members against one another to see which institution can donate the most blood in a single day. Student groups, faculty, staff, alumni and friends are encouraged to participate.

In the 2003 Blood Challenge, UD turned out 408 prospective donors, who provided 326 units of blood to the Blood Bank of Delmarva. Both the number of donors and the total units of blood collected are single-day University records, according to the Blood Bank of Delmarva. The event also turned out to be the biggest one-day drive ever for the blood bank.

The challenge was started in 2002, when UD President David P. Roselle challenged the 10 member institutions of the CAA to a friendly competition to save lives by seeing which school could recruit the most donors for a single-day drive.

CAA agreed to organize the "Have a Heart" challenge, and UD beat out all other schools that first year by recruiting 374 donors and collecting 262 units of blood.

Alumni and friends who wish to donate are urged to call (302) 737-8400. 

Meet the Class of 2008

The Class of 2008 includes 3,477 first-year students, with the largest number (1,256) coming from Delaware.

New Jersey is well-represented with 668 entering students, followed by Pennsylvania (538), New York (421) and Maryland (259).

Massachusetts (83), Connecticut (82) and Virginia (45) provided the next largest group, and Florida and Ohio each contributed 11 students. Ten freshmen hail from Illinois and also from the District of Columbia.

Minority groups make up 15 percent of the new class, including African American, Latino American, Asian American, American Indian and Pacific Islander American students.

The College of Arts and Sciences enrolled 1,301 members of the new class. Other college enrollments totaled 448 in the Lerner College of Business and Economics; 361 in the College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy; 346 in the College of Engineering; 323 in the College of Health and

Nursing Sciences; and 124 in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. An additional 574 new students have not yet specified a major.

Matthew is the most popular male name, and Lauren is the most popular female name. There are 22 pairs of twins, and 20 freshmen were born on the same day--March 18, 1986. 

Commemorative Coke

Fans of Fightin' Blue Hen football can savor the sweetness of the 2003 national football championship season with special commemorative bottles of Coca-Cola Classic. The 8-ounce bottles, sold individually or in six-packs for $4.99, are available at all UD Bookstore locations, including the campus shops in Delaware Stadium during home football games, and at Walter's Café in Hullihen Hall.

Excellent teachers

 Four faculty members were presented excellence-in-teaching awards during the Honors Day celebration on campus in May. Recipients, from left, are Marie Laberge, assistant professor of women's studies; Elizabeth Parker Ware, assistant professor of psychology; Robert Neeves, professor of health, nutrition and exercise sciences; and Jonathan Russ, assistant professor of history. Sponsored by the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation and the University Alumni Association, the $5,000 awards are based primarily on student evaluations.

Colleges introduce online newsletters

Five colleges have initiated electronic newsletters, providing online news of faculty, staff, alumni and students, as well as notices of upcoming events and lectures.

All the online newsletters also feature articles about the colleges and their programs.

Go to [www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/connections] and choose the college whose newsletter you wish to read. You also can subscribe to them.

• Horizons, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources' newsletter;
  
  
• Business Briefs, the Lerner College of Business and Economics' newsletter;
  
  
• Engage, the College of Engineering's quarterly electronic newsletter;
  
  
• Directions, the College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy' newsletter; and
  
  
•  At Sea, the College of Marine Studies' newsletter.

 To subscribe to UDaily's online news service, visit [www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/subscription].

Human Resources' campaign focuses on customer service

The Human Resources unit has launched a customer service campaign under the banner "UDeserve Our Best!" Maxine Colm, vice president for administration, said the campaign slogan puts customer service in the forefront.

"The campaign is designed to highlight the many services available to support the needs of faculty and staff. Whether an issue relates to benefits, payroll, parking or planning for retirement, the Human Resources' staff stands ready to be of assistance and to do so proactively," Colm said.

The opportunity to bring together a variety of services under one roof at 413 Academy St. has enabled the development of an integrated approach to customer service, Colm said.

Technological advances also have changed the way Human Resources' business practices are conducted on campus, and the successful installation of the PeopleSoft personnel/payroll system provided the impetus for developing new ways to communicate with employees, Colm said. Web technology has made it easier and more convenient for UD employees to access and update information.

Students can download music through iTunes

The University of Delaware has joined the Apple Computer's iTunes on Campus program, which, beginning this fall, provides students with a legal option to download music from the Internet and manage digital music collections.

"We are thrilled to be participating in this innovative program, which provides students with a new service in a conscientious way," Ron Nichols, manager in UD's Information Technologies-User Services, said. "The program should help reduce the issues of copyright infringement and bandwidth use that have become a problem at universities across the country."

The iTunes on Campus program enables universities to provide students with a legal means to download music, making it easy to import entire compact discs or individual songs, create playlists, burn CDs and download audio books. Through the program, students can legally share their music libraries with other people in their apartment or residence halls. They also can transfer music they have downloaded to the Apple iPod, one of the leading portable digital music players.

At UD, concerns about both bandwidth use and copyright infringement led to the Code of the Web educational campaign, launched several years ago, and to tougher enforcement.

Unplugging the campus

As more and more members of the campus community turn to portable computers, UD is expanding the number of wireless areas on the campus.

"The primary value is convenience," Daniel Grim, executive director of UD's Information Technologies Network and System Services, says. "You can take your laptop with you and connect to the network without 'plugging in.' The main idea is to make it easier to be on the network wherever you might want to be, at lunch, at a meeting or while studying between classes."

Currently, buildings supported by the wireless network include the Morris Library, Memorial Hall, Alfred Lerner Hall, the Amy E. du Pont Music Building, Clayton Hall, the Trabant University Center, Perkins Student Center and all dining halls and residence hall lounges. Also supported is Arsht Hall on UD's Wilmington campus.

For a list of areas supported by the wireless network, see IT's UnpluggeD web page at [http://www.udel.edu/wireless]. The site also includes helpful maps indicating wireless locations, as well as information on system requirements, set-up and UD's wireless computing policies.

 

Faculty Senate changes undergraduate requirements

Two changes to UD's undergraduate requirements made in May by the University Faculty Senate demonstrate UD's leadership role in enhancing the undergraduate curriculum.

• Beginning in September 2005, all first-year students will be required to participate in at least one first-year experience. These can be either participation in a LIFE (Learning Integrated Freshman Experience) learning community made up of students with similar academic interests; enrollment in a Pathways interdisciplinary thematic course; or attendance in a first-year seminar or a University Honors Program colloquium.
  
  
• All undergraduate students entering in September 2004 or later will be required to take at least three credits of discovery-based or experiential learning. These can include an internship, a service learning course, independent study or participation in an undergraduate research program or a study-abroad program to fulfill degree requirements.

In addition, senators recommended ongoing development of other goals first introduced in 1998 by the senate's initial Ad Hoc Committee on General Education [www.udel.edu/facsen/ Executive/TenGoalsGenEdProgram.htm]. All departments and academic programs were asked to develop capstone courses, wherever appropriate and feasible, for their majors, minors, concentrators and certificate students. Other goals of the general education initiative--including written and oral communication, quantitative reasoning and instructional technology--are expected to be incorporated in the range of undergraduate courses.

"Full implementation of the general education initiatives approved by the Faculty Senate will greatly benefit UD students and strengthen the signature of a UD education," Provost Dan Rich said, noting that "Harvard University recently announced that it would begin consideration of many of the very improvements approved by the University of Delaware Faculty Senate."

Performing arts, theatre events on the fall schedule

Plays by Chekhov and Shakespeare, children's theatre, performances by the Chestnut Brass Company and by members of the National Symphony Orchestra and the popular annual Calliope concert are all on tap this fall on the Newark campus.

The Professional Theatre Training Program, welcoming a new class of graduate students, will present Chekhov's The Three Sisters and Shakespeare's Twelfth Night or What You Will in late November and December. For more details, call (302) 831-2204.

The Family Performing Arts Series will present Peter and the Wolf on Nov. 14 and A Christmas Carol on Dec. 12, and the Performing Arts Series will kick off its 2004-05 season with a performance by the Chestnut Brass Company on Dec. 5. For information, call (302) 831-8741.

Calliope IX, a one-of-a-kind show featuring more than 400 UD student musicians, will be held Oct. 23. Tickets will be available at UD box offices.

The 2004-05 UD Chamber Music Series opens Nov. 8 with "The Baltimore and National Symphony in Town." For information, contact the Department of Music at (302) 831-2577.