海角视频

At Colloquy on March 15, 海角视频 paid tribute to Richard Rockwell, this year's new professor emeritus. Rockwell, professor of mathematics, is retiring at the end of the academic year after teaching at PUC for more than four decades.

Rockwell began his career in the classroom while attending PUC; during his sophomore year in college, he taught a yearlong computer science course. After graduating from PUC in 1967 with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in mathematics, Rockwell went on to the University of California, Berkeley, where he received his master鈥檚 degree in 1969. Immediately after, PUC hired Rockwell to teach in the math department; a few years later, while teaching, he earned his doctorate from U.C. Berkeley. In the 1970s and 1980s, Rockwell was the chair of the math department for over a decade.

At the Thursday morning colloquy program, Steve Waters, also a professor of mathematics, shared his memories of studying under Rockwell in the 1970s. 鈥淚 first got to know him personally my sophomore year at PUC, and he became my advisor and mentor,鈥� said Waters. 鈥淲hether he knows it or not, he鈥檚 never stopped being my advisor and mentor.鈥�

Waters followed in Rockwell鈥檚 footsteps, graduating from PUC with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in mathematics and continuing to graduate school to complete his doctorate. He鈥檚 been teaching alongside Rockwell for 30 years. 鈥淚 now know him not only as a great teacher but as an outstanding colleague. In all those years that we鈥檝e been in the math department together, my respect for him has only increased."

Today鈥檚 students continue to appreciate Rockwell's style of teaching and mentorship. 鈥淓ven before I took a class from him, he knew me by name,鈥� says Christian Guill茅n, a sophomore biophysics and pre-med student. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 help but love him and his class. It鈥檚 almost like you go to class just so you can be around Dr. Rockwell.鈥�

鈥淢y favorite thing about him is his intelligence,鈥� adds Christian, 鈥淭he guy鈥檚 a genius, and it shows every day. To him, all his subjects are really rudimentary while to us they seem so complicated... We can ask questions, and the thing is, he doesn鈥檛 get upset. He just finds another way of explaining it. He knows his stuff but he doesn鈥檛 flaunt it. Its great.鈥�

Since 1946, PUC has bestowed a total of 81 professor emeritus titles, including Rockwell. Professors emeritus have given at least 15 years of service to PUC.