---
title: A Peek Inside … CIVICUS Director Korey Rothman’s Office
date: 2023-09-08T05:30:00-04:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/a-peek-inside-civicus-director-korey-rothmans-office"
section: Articles
---
# A Peek Inside … CIVICUS Director Korey Rothman’s Office

*September 8, 2023* — by [Karen Shih ’09](/author/karen-shih)


> Pez Dispensers, Plushies, Artwork Sweeten Visits With Students

*Korey Rothman Office 08162023 SC 0501 1920x1080 — "I just like things that are a little bit quirky, and things that make me smile," said CIVICUS Director Korey Rothman, whose basement office in Somerset Hall is a bright and cheery spot for students to stop by and chat.*

Freshmen feeling overwhelmed, meet the Bumbles.

The collection of grinning, goofy figures of the Abominable Snowman from “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” in [CIVICUS](https://civicus.umd.edu/) Director Korey Rothman’s office have their own kind of cooling power. So do the beloved children’s book creatures that form a rainbow on the wall, and the furry, friendly Grovers that hang out on her desk.

“You might look at this stuff and say it’s just a lot of plastic junk. But for students, it feels very welcoming,” said Rothman.

Warm and self-deprecating, she’s led the two-year community service and civic engagement living-learning program since 2016. Prior to that, Rothman was a lecturer in the [School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies](https://tdps.umd.edu/), where she also earned her M.A. in 2000 and Ph.D. in 2005, and taught courses on the history of theater, queer theater and musical theater.

Now, as she welcomes a new cohort of about 50 students to their home base in Somerset Hall, she shares how the Pez dispensers topped by Kermit, KISS and “The Office” co-stars are just a smidge of her stockpile; her most precious memento, from Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim; and why her favorite Muppet deserves better than being called “Blue Elmo.”


*Pez dispensers*


**Piles of Pez** Rothman’s collection of more than 1,500 Pez dispensers grew a little larger this summer when she attended her first convention of enthusiasts in Ohio. There, she finally purchased another Uncle Sam from the U.S. bicentennial—which she’s been seeking since she lost her first one two decades ago—and also met the famous “Pez Outlaw” Steve Glew, who smuggled rare European dispensers into the U.S. and became the subject of a documentary on Netflix.

“I like being surrounded by the nostalgia,” said Rothman, who started collecting them in the 1990s. Her favorites include oversized Bert and Ernie dispensers, which she said represent her wife, Meredith Carpenter, who works in UMD’s Department of Resident Life, and Rothman, respectively. “I’m a chaos Muppet, and she’s an order Muppet.”

Ironically, Rothman isn’t a fan of the candy, and keeps a large Ziploc full of them to give away. “They’re very chalky.”



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*Stephen Sondheim autograph*



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*decoration with quote that reads, "So many people come into our lives then leave the way they came. But there are those precious few who touch our Hearts so deeply we will never be the same."*



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*painting of woman singing*



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*Grover figurines in office*


*This is part of an occasional series offering a look inside some of the most interesting faculty and staff offices around campus. Think you have a cool workspace—or know someone’s that you’d like to recommend? Email* [*kshih@umd.edu*](mailto:kshih@umd.edu)*.*




**Topics:** [Campus & Community](https://today.umd.edu/tags/campus-community)


**Tags:** [A Peek Inside](https://today.umd.edu/topic/a-peek-inside)


**Units:** [College of Behavioral and Social Sciences](https://today.umd.edu/topic/college-behavioral-and-social-sciences)