Colleen Fitzpatrick is the Academic Secretary of Henessey Hall and the Science Hall

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Dubuque and stayed here throughout all of my education, including college. After getting married and starting a family, we moved several times throughout the Midwest including Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin.

As a child, what was your dream job?

Just to have a family and become a mom.

Now what is your dream job if you could be doing anything?

I would definitely want to work with landscaping and the outdoors—planting—I find it very relaxing.

How many years have you been at Loras?

9 years. Prior to this, I was an elementary school teacher at HCRL (a small Holy Cross school), then I was a full-time mom for awhile, and then went to St. Joe’s, the Worker School before coming to Loras.

When I started at Loras, I worked part-time in Hennessey. When the secretary in the Science Hall left, I took this position as well to make it full-time. Now I typically work in Hennessey from 7:30-11:30 a.m., and the Science Hall from 11:30-3:30 p.m. I do a lot of running back and forth, though, and some days the times are swapped—I will be in the Science Hall in the morning and Hennessey in the afternoon.

What does your job entail?

Part of what I do is take care of faculty needs—that can be anything from helping with course materials (such as scanning things to eLearn) or scheduling room reservations for campus activities. I help the professors with cancelling classes when they are ill, managing the eLearn site, and making sure the technology (printers, fax machines, copy machines, Internet) in Hennessey and the Science Hall buildings is properly functioning. If something needs to be fixed I talk to the people at the Tech Center. I order supplies, and arrange for new faculty coming in the fall—getting them situated and making sure their offices are in order, and ordering them a set of keys.

Do you find anything challenging about your position?

Having to manage the two buildings and juggling that—it is a good challenge though. The two buildings both have a different feel—the courses are different, the people are different, and just altogether the buildings have different personalities.

What is the best thing about your job?

The flexibility absolutely—I love being able to switch to another task if what I am working on is making me weary and I need a break. Since there are so many different people, they all need something, and there is always something else I can be doing if I want to put something off to the side.

Is there any advice you have for students, faculty and staff?

Be patient with each other, this is a really stressful time of the semester— for everyone!

What is most important to you in life?

My family—my husband and 3 sons

What words of advice do you live by?

Be gentler than necessary because everyone is fighting their own battle—they are the words on David Summers’ door in Keane Hall.

If you could change one thing about Loras, what would it be?

Being able to walk inside from building to building—skywalks would be great, especially in the winter.

What is your favorite thing about Loras as an institution?

The students are very friendly, not only to just their friends or other students, but to everyone. When you walk around campus they greet you.

What is your favorite movie?

This past weekend I saw The Blind Side’ which I definitely recommend.

What do you do in your spare time?

During school year when I have free time it is just evenings and weekends and I keep up my kids’ activities, and in summer I’m outside almost every single day, whether it is gardening or walking the dog.