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By Susana Moreno

Rose McLachlan, secretary in the office of the assistant vice president of academic affairs, will be retiring at the end of March after 15 years at IVCC.

McLachlan, 63, starting working with Dr. John Allen, the assistant vice president, on Aug. 27, 1984. Among the projects she participated in, she helped with the establishment of IVCCs Tech Prep program.

Leading the list of changes she saw over her time on campus, McLachlan cited computerization.

"When I first started, the secretaries didn’t have their own computers," she said. " They did have a couple of word processors in one office, and we would have to sign up to use one. Otherwise we would use a typewriter."

Another change she noted was an increase in the enrollment of local high school graduates.

"The trend has changed where a lot of our graduates from high school are coming here rather than going away."

What will she miss? "The students and the people most because they kept me young," she said. "I have aged physically, but I have never aged otherwise in my mind or heart because the students keep you at a good age."

Dr. Allen said she would be missed in the office.

"She is really a bright light here in the office in working with people," Dr. Allen said. "Her customer relations skills are excellent.

"I told her I was hoping I would be the one to retire before her."

McLachland, originally from the LaSalle-Peru area, worked at Westclox and Sunstand, and raised two children before coming to IVCC.

She is looking forward to traveling with her retired husband and "doing the things together that we couldn’t do when we were both working. I want to tour the United States, just short trips in the car."

She said she is also looking forward to the change of pace of not having to be at IVCC at 8 a.m.

"It will be a more relaxed way of life," she said.