It’s the spring semester of 1986 and in walks a tall and slender male into the Student Activities office as the new Coordinator of Student Activities.

17 years later, that tall and slender male that walked into that office that day as his first day on the job not really knowing what to do, has become a beloved and adored member of the Cerritos College faculty and is now retiring.

Coordinator of Student Activities Dean Ackland will no longer be a faculty member of the college by the end of this semester.

His retirement has come as a surprise to many faculty members and students.

Psychology major Andrew Munoz said, “I couldn’t believe (Ackland) was retiring. I saw the post that Talon Marks put on its Facebook page before his retirement was approved by the Board of Trustees and all I could think to myself was ‘Please don’t approve it, please don’t approve it, please don’t approve it.’ I was shocked and to be a honest quite sad.”

Though some are left in awe, Ackland’s retirement has been an issue him and his wife have been discussing for some time now.

“It wasn’t like one day I just got up and said ‘I’m going to retire soon.’ It’s something that my wife and I have discussed for a while now.  I’m old enough to retire and there comes a point where you just know when you’re ready.” he said.

Art major Marisela Moreno thought that maybe his retirement had to do with the economic state that our state and country is in.

She resorted to blaming President Barack Obama for making Ackland retire.

She said, “If it has to do with money and him not getting paid enough then maybe all the students should get together and write petition letters to the president and ask to pay Ackland more. I know it’s ridiculous but it’s worth a shot.  I’m sure the students will do anything to keep him here. Everybody loves him and if somebody doesn’t it’s because they haven’t met him.”

However, Ackland clarified that he is not retiring because of financial need or anything to do financially.

If he retires now, he will break even, meaning he will make the same amount of money whether he is working here on campus or doing stuff at home after his retirement.

He began his career here at Cerritos as both the Coordinator of Student Activities and the Assistant Basketball Coach to the men’s basketball team, aiding the head coach at the time who was Holly Bogdanovich’s dad.

Bogdanovich, Director of Student Activities, basically grew up with Ackland and now not only works with him in the Student Activities office but also lives across the highway from him.

She attended Cerritos College and eventually became the Comissioner of Student Activities for the Associated Students of Cerritos College, all the meanwhile watching Ackland coach with her father.

She is also saddened that he is leaving and said “he was so many things to so many people.”

Judicial Affairs Assistant Nikki Jones and Program Assistant Nancy Bonilla, who also work with him in Student Activities, will miss him very much.

Jones said with her eyes welling up with tears, “I’m going to miss him. He always brighten up my day.”

Bonilla described Ackland as the “glue that hold the Student Activities office together.”

They all feel that that office will not be the same without him and that they will hate to see him go.

Out of all the things that he will miss the most, he said the faculty, staff, and students will be at the top of his list.

He said he hopes that people will remember his sense of humor, his levity, as well as his ability to care.

He also said he will miss the best-looking black secretary (Jones) and the best looking hispanic secretary (Bonilla) as well as the tall woman who has a lot of energy and no where to burn it (Bogdanovich).

Ackland’s wife Denise Ackland knows that as much as he wants to retire, he would also really love to stay.

“He loves Cerritos College,” she said, “I knew right from the beginning that this job was going to be a big commitment and although I’ve wanted him to be home at times, I’ve supported him this entire time because I knew he loved what he was doing. He is going to miss the kids so much.”

Ackland said that had it not been for his wife who has been a strong and solid woman thoughout his teaching career, he probably would not have done as good as a job and would have been constantly worried about the raising of his children as well as the maintainence of his home.

He said, “I owe that woman a lot. I couldn’t not have done this without her.”

If there is one thing that Ackland wishes to leave Cerritos College with it is with the thought that he has always cared and will always care about Cerritos College.

“I care about everybody no matter who you are or what you do,” he said, “whatever I could do to help you I’ll do it and I hope I have done so at my time here at Cerritos.”