By Emily Daughtry |Contributor
It is always a sad time when professors leave the university.I still remember sitting down in the lab on my first day at Introduction to Filmmaking. It was my first class with Associate Professor Rick Pukis in the Department of Communication. His easy-going and positive disposition made him friendly and approachable.Pukis will be retiring from Augusta University at the end of June after 17 years on the Summerville campus. He plans to move to Montana, where he owns a ranch.Like all professors, he was not without his quirks. His love of Eastern philosophy and ways of life, his love for nature and man’s connection to it and his adoration of the martial arts often came up in class. His quirks and strong personality made him stand out among other professors.In Introduction to Filmmaking class, he taught us the basics of creating our own films, allowing us to express ourselves creatively. We wrote scripts and shot sheets. We coordinated video shoots and got to be directors for the first time. There was nothing like the end of the semester when the whole class gathered to enjoy the final cuts of the class.In Digital Editing class, he refined our editing skills in Final Cut Pro, which for video professionals is the state-of-the-art software. It allows us to make more dramatic and effective cuts. Our ability to edit different types of film were put to the test. In the end, we were able to analyze the different cuts of the two final project films, and students were able to build off each other under his guidance.In Cultural Communication class, Professor Pukis set up lectures not just from himself but from people of drastically different cultural backgrounds who told impactful stories students would never forget. We were presented with the foods of many different cultures and regions of the world. His class was the only morning class that was easy to get up for. He organized field trips for us and allowed us to experience the cultures we were studying. Most importantly, he gave us an opportunity to explore culture in the literal, not just the textual.He was a fantastic professor and I consider him to have been a good friend throughout my years at AU. He was without a doubt the most influential professor to me. My heart sinks at the thought of communication students no longer learning from him, although we should not be disheartened by his departure from the university.If anything, we should be honored to have had the opportunity to learn from such a wonderful and passionate professor. We hope that Augusta University will see more great professors like Rick Pukis.