IU Northwest Director of Student Activities redefines what it means to be involved at a regional campus
If you told Pat Doggett 23 years ago that he’d be leading a student activities department, he wouldn’t have believed you.
Doggett initially saw himself building a career in politics. Encouragement from a mentor and experience in North Central College’s housing office turned the tide for Doggett.
“One thing led to another, and I got into the field,” Doggett said. “I spent 14 years in Illinois doing student activities work and when this opportunity opened up, I couldn’t pass it up.”
As Indiana University Northwest’s Director of Student Activities, Doggett makes every effort to show up for students and attend as many events as possible.
“It’s important to me that students see me as somebody who is visible around campus,” Doggett said. “When students come to campus, I do my best to have a real conversation with them.”
In addition to approachability, honesty is another important aspect for Doggett. He explains that transparency and building trust with students are essential to growing a campus community.
“Being open and honest with students is the linchpin to building relationships,” he said.
The truth about student activities at IU Northwest is that they require a different approach than at a residential campus. Doggett recognizes that a non-residential school presents unique challenges, but nothing he isn’t up for.
First, Doggett is interested in expanding what it means to be involved.
“If a student is sitting on campus playing video games with another student, that’s engagement — in the same way 50 students at an event is also engagement,” he said. “We need to recognize that both of these experiences have value and ultimately build up a campus.”
Recently, IU Northwest completed construction on a student game room in the Moraine Student Center. Affixed with TVs, pool tables, couches and more, it’s a place where regional campus students can feel right at home.
With this in mind, Doggett is on a mission to ensure every student has opportunities to be more engaged — whether that’s on campus or off. For one, he’s working on ways to bring IU Northwest events directly to the students.
“Our students live throughout the Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland region,” Doggett said. “I think by booking a movie theater in Portage or doing a bowling night in Schererville, for example, allows for greater flexibility for our students. Engagement doesn’t always have to happen on the campus grounds to build a campus community.”
Of course, students can always expect the same great events on campus. With Doggett at the helm, there’s been plenty to do around campus from week-long activities happening during welcome week, to foam dance parties, eclipse viewings, game shows and so much more.
But the benefits of increased involvement are worth taking a few off-campus.
“College is a place where you learn how to have relationships,” Doggett said. “You learn how to be honest and real with each other.”
Student activities is all about helping students build relationships with their peers. But Doggett is also proud of the relationships he’s built personally. He’s worked with other student affairs professionals, local entertainers and vendors and, of course, countless IU Northwest students. There’s nothing he enjoys more than spending four years with a student and seeing them graduate.
“The same way I had a mentor, I hope to be a mentor for students,” Doggett said, “A relationship where I can share my experiences, and they can hopefully gain something from it.”
The next time you’re feeling bored on campus, see how you can get involved. For Doggett, it can be something as simple as visiting the campus’s game room next to his office and hanging out. Under this director of student activities, there’s no wrong way to be engaged with our thriving campus community.
