Lakeland Community College is honored to celebrate Professor Phil Roskos for his retirement after 56 years of service to the college, the longest tenure of any faculty member in the college’s history.

Since joining the college in 1970, Roskos has made chemistry come alive for numerous Lakeland students through his engaging classes, enthusiasm for experimentation, quick wit and humor. Each student who has taken one of his classes is a testimony to Roskos’ dedication to his students’ success and lifelong learning.

“Throughout my years at Lakeland, I have had the pleasure of getting to know many professors, most of whom I will forever look up to and appreciate for their hard work, time, and energy. Philip Roskos is one of those professors,” said former student, Emily Eade. “It has been a pleasure to stop and talk to him, get to know him, and have him get to know me. His spontaneity, compassion, and humor will forever be near and dear to students past and present, staff, faculty, and everyone at Lakeland who had the privilege of knowing him. Thank you, Roskos, for the chaotically long and beautiful years of becoming the heart of Lakeland.”

The impact of Roskos’ teaching came full circle for several students who later returned to Lakeland as employees. Dr. Jim Racic, who joined the college in 1999, is among those who sat in Roskos’ classes before eventually becoming a fellow faculty member.

“Having engaging and entertaining professors like Phil made a lasting impression; those are experiences I’ll always remember,” said Racic.

Roskos’ impact also reaches beyond his students and inspired other Lakeland faculty members across several departments outside of the Organic Chemistry Laboratory.

"Phil is a special formula of professor. He's an academic and teacher, sure, but mixed in with a beaker of showman, a flask of mad scientist, and gallons of genuine belief in his students. For nearly all of Lakeland's history, the classroom was his element. He is a catalytic presence, a controlled reaction in human form, and this campus will miss him,” said English Professor Tobin Terry.

Over more than half a century, Roskos has made an undeniable impact on the chemical sciences, his students and colleagues, and Lakeland itself. As the college's longest-serving faculty member, his legacy will be permanently recognized with a plaque outside the Organic Chemistry Laboratory. The college has also honored him with a signed and framed Resolution of Appreciation formally dedicating the laboratory in his name, ensuring that his contributions to Lakeland will endure for generations to come.

By: Jaylen Love, Marketing & Communications Specialist