The Jack H. and Paula A. Hassinger Chair in Education was established in 1996 to reward distinguished professors who advance and foster education through teaching and administration, at any level. The chair honors the life work of Paula Hassinger, who had a distinguished career as an educator, ranging from Chapman University to American elementary schools in Japan and South America. The chair further pays tribute to her husband, Jack, also a career educator and administrator who supported numerous teaching efforts in China.
Jack H. and Paula A. Hassinger Chair in Education
As a practitioner and follower of Paulo Freire, Dr. Suzanne SooHoo brings clear democratic and critical synthesis to ethical and democratic practices into both formal and informal educational environments. Dr. SooHoo’s association with Paulo Freire is particularly meaningful in her role as Hassinger Chair since Paula Hassinger was herself an advocate of Freire’s, and contributed to Chapman University’s recognition of Freire by donating a bronze bust of Freire to the campus.