by Melissa Batty
Staff Writer
Recognized for 25 years of service to the University of La Verne, Jim Paschal, professor of physical education and athletic director; Rex Huigens, professor of physical education and assistant athletic director; and Dr. Rhoda Kachuck, professor of English are celebrating a quarter-century of hard work and dedication to the University, their fellow faculty members and their students.
Paschal came to La Verne when the University began its membership in SCIAC. He came from Bonita High School and was very eager to start his career at a university.
“When you get here, something happens to you. You become so loyal and dedicated that you become committed to carry out the mission that brought you here,” he said.
Paschal said that La Verne has been very good to him. He has worked with three University presidents and has been a coach, a physical education teacher, and an athletic director. “I capitalize on teaching and coaching. They are both rewarding,” he said.
He said that ULV has given him the opportunities to “grow, flourish, and be successful,” and he has become committed to the mission of La Verne by spending his time improving the institution.
“When you wake up every morning and you’re happy to go to work, it makes your job much more interesting.”
Paschal gives students an opportunity to expand the way they look at things, while they give him the opportunity to stay young. Paschal does not foresee retiring anytime in the near future, “I know that there is still a challenge for me here. It’s been fun and it will be fun,” he said.
Though Huigens had other employment opportunities, he chose La Verne because of its future expansion and because it was his his family’s decision to stay. “I was looking for a home… a secure place to work,” said Huigens.
He thought that he would be at La Verne only four to seven years, but it ended up becoming a “family decision” to stay in one place.
It is very difficult for Huigens to compare the La Verne of 1971 with present-day ULV. He said that most of the changes have occurred in the past few years.
In the past 25 years, Huigens believes that he has become more accepting while the the physical education program has become more competitive. “I am much more confident. I have a peace of mind,” he said.
Huigens has been very involved with teaching and coaching and is working on getting the golf team to the top.
He said, “It’s been exciting, it’s been a great experience… there is nothing like teaching.”
He genuinely cares about students and said that he “enjoys La Verne’s caring atmosphere and the opportunities that are offered here as well as the chance to learn from mistakes.”
He has been a member of the La Verne Athletic Association Board since it started, and he hopes to continuously improve the Physical Education Department, as well as all sports.
Huigens believes that “La Verne will continue to get better and better every year.”
Dr. Kachuck is a professor of English but is very active among English, multi-cultural literature, and drama.
When Dr. Kachuck came to ULV she “found a very welcome environment with the opportunity to experiment with new kinds of classes and new approaches to learning,” she said.
Dr. Kachuck has added new literature classes to the curriculum. These classes consisted of a multi-cultural literature course, a course dealing with Yiddish drama, and a summer class that goes to the Ashland, Ore., Shakespeare Festival.
“The Ashland trip is special because it combines all the things I like about teaching into one,” she said.
La Verne accepted these new ideas with open arms. Students began to experiment with these new classes.
“I really felt like it was working. Our students have continued to be very open,” said Dr. Kachuck.
Dr. Kachuck thinks that one of the most remarkable things that she has been involved with since her arrival at ULV is, “the ability to teach classes where I take people to the theater. They usually tell me that it has changed their lives.”
Dr. Kachuck has always been impressed with the faculty and programs that are offered at ULV.
She has said that she loves teaching and that she would do it forever. In regards to her experience here at La Verne she said, “In many ways I have found myself and I can be myself.”
Dr. Kachuck has enjoyed ULV’s friendly environment and said that she will be here “for 25 more years. I will be here for as long as I think I can accomplish something, as long as I can make a difference.”
All three will be honored at the Annual University Awards Town Meeting, which will take place May 15 at 10 a.m. in La Fetra Auditorium.
Melissa Batty
