UP Diliman (UPD) once again said goodbye to a colleague.

Rica G. Panganiban, beloved retired faculty member of the Institute of Mathematics (IM) of the UPD College of Science (CS), passed away on Aug. 26, the institute reported.

The institute described Panganiban as a teacher who “had skill and flair for the craft and knew how to motivate and challenge her students.”

Panganiban served the university for 46 years. She joined UP as assistant instructor in 1955 immediately after earning her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics degree from UP. She rose from the academic ranks, reaching the status of professor in 1993. She retired in 2001.

According to the IM, Panganiban was strict but approachable and had genuine interest and concern in people. These traits served her well as facilitator-counselor of the UPD Office of Counseling and Guidance for many years.

In the IM Facebook post, Panganiban was described as a “compleat and consummate teacher.”

As a faculty member, Panganiban taught all general education courses, major courses of the IM (then department), and courses for the MA (math) program. In addition, Panganiban taught bridge (board/card game) as a physical education subject of the UPD College of Human Kinetics, quantitative methods for the UPD College of Business Administration (now UPD Cesar E. A. Virata School of Business), and the subjects Social Orientation I and II of the UPD College of Home Economics.

As researcher, her study on graphs from finite groups was published in Matimyás Matematika, the official journal of the Mathematical Society of the Philippines. She was also active in administrative and extension works that included outreach programs in other institutions like the University of Southeastern Philippines, Isabela State University, and Mathematical Society of the Philippines.—With a report from the IM