Patrick Fawcett, Registrar, has been working at IU Southeast for six months. He has worked in higher education since 1996.

Fawcett said he missed the four-year environment and wanted to be part of a campus culture again, so he left his previous job of nine years with Ivy Tech.

When the position became available, he applied for the job at IU Southeast.

“I walked into an office with a staff that was incredibly knowledgeable and aware,” Fawcett said. “The people that I get to work with on a daily basis really make it worthwhile.”

At his old job, Fawcett got to be involved with students on a one-on-one basis.

“I wish I could work more directly with students than I do,” Fawcett said. “I don’t get to do much one-on-one student involvement here, but it could be because I’m new and still on a learning curve.”

Fawcett said he enjoys working with and being around people.

“I spend a great deal of my time trying to make people laugh, and I think I do OK at it,” Fawcett said. “Some people would probably say I have an odd sense of humor, but I feel as though I am just creative.”

To express his creative side, Fawcett spends his free time writing, running and being involved with music.

He plays the acoustic guitar and the piano while singing on the side.

“I was in college in the early ’90s when Nirvana hit,” Fawcett said. “It changed the world for me.”

Fawcett said Nirvana was his inspiration in music. He was part of several bands while he was in college, a few of which were originals.

“I don’t do as much as far as the originals go anymore,” Fawcett said. “There’s this part of me that wants to learn 50 songs and sit somewhere and play them in front of people again.”

Fawcett said he does not spend as much time with music as he used to.

“I even wrote a few songs in college,” Fawcett said. “They were all crappy, but I did it.”

Fawcett said when he was younger he grew up listening to The Who and Led Zeppelin.

“This kind of music has always stuck with me, and I enjoy playing it and listening to it,” Fawcett said. “I also love the kind of music that Nirvana and Pearl Jam play, and I frequently follow Pearl Jam on tour.”

Although Fawcett is not sitting on the curb playing music or up on a stage blasting his guitar, music is still a part of his life.

He said he enjoys going to music festivals and concerts and listening to his favorite bands on his iPod.

Fawcett said his iPod is his escape. He has recently taken up running, and he uses his iPod as his way to block out everything while he runs.

Recently, Fawcett said he realized that as a healthy, blessed man he should at least be able to run a mile or two if he ever needed to.

“I don’t think the zombie apocalypse is coming or anything, but I might piss somebody off at some point, and they might need to track me down,” Fawcett said. “I felt like I needed to be able to run without doubling over.”

He trained for a 5K a few years ago. The first one he participated in was held at a zoo.

“It was cool because there were all of the animals and the hills but it smelled like elephant crap, and that part was terrible,” Fawcett said.

Fawcett said when he realized the 5K was not so bad he decided he was ready for something bigger.

“I’m running my first mini-marathon this weekend,” Fawcett said.

The mini-marathon is 13.1 miles.

“Thirteen miles is a long distance, and I’m not a marathon guy or a mini-marathon guy,” Fawcett said. “I just turned 40 a couple of weeks ago, and I reached the point in my life where I needed to prove to myself that I can still do something big.”

Fawcett discovered a week ago that he has tendonitis in his Achilles.

The tendonitis has been causing him a lot of pain, but he is not going to let it hold him back from participating in the mini-marathon he said.

“I’m going to run it, but I might severe a muscle from a bone in the process, or I might just completely collapse in pain,” Fawcett said, jokingly.

Fawcett said he can run through the pain, and he will try and push it through the mini-marathon.

“I’m pretty confident my pain in my Achilles won’t stop me in any way,” Fawcett said. “A lot of it is just proving something to yourself.”

By TIFFANY ADAMS

Staff

adamstif@ius.edu