By Megan Holley, contributing writer
In a place where spills must be cleaned and bathrooms must be spotless, Cleveland Mixon is the man who can get the job done. He arrived on campus 10 months ago to begin work in the Physical Plant as a crew leader, and he is responsible for 18 buildings.
A native of Augusta, Mr. Mixon attended Glenn Hills High School where he played baseball for two years. After graduating in 1987, he attended Aiken Tech for a year. A particular teacher, he says, gave him the desire for education and pushed him to always do his best. Later, he worked at Fort Gordon for eight years where he says he received his housekeeping experience, mostly by maintaining the Eisenhower Hospital. He decided that he wanted to work more closely with children, so he became a substitute teacher for Richmond County schools and later became a teacher’s assistant at Windsor Springs Elementary School from 2005-2007. While working in the school system, he attended Southern Wesleyan University, where he received his bachelor’s degree in business in 2006.
“I love young children; I really enjoy working with elementary kids,” he says. “It was a good experience.”
When he was ready for something new, he decided to join ASU’s Physical Plant to help keep the campus beautiful.
Mr. Mixon’s morning starts before the rooster even thinks about waking up. Since he punches in at 5 a.m. every morning, he must wake up at 3:30 a.m. to get to work on time. While supervising four ASU employees, he also attends Physical Plant meetings, completes work orders, and works with fellow staff.
“I really enjoy the people,” he says. In addition to the 18 buildings, he is personally responsible for Galloway Hall and the Archaeology Lab. Mr. Mixon enjoys his job, but he says his most precious time is that which is spent at home with his loved ones, his wife, Carolyn, and three children.
Frequent trips to the park and to McDonald’s are a “must” with three children and is one of his favorite pastimes. On the weekend, he says he looks for ways to increase his children’s knowledge and education. “A lot of Saturdays, we like going to the public library,” he said.
His sense of family extends to campus, and he says that the sense of unity is what he likes most about the university. “It seems to be a family-oriented facility. There are a lot of activities that go on with the staff and faculty,” he says.
When he’s not vacuuming the carpets in the hallway or filling the paper towel dispenser in the restrooms, you can find Mr. Mixon smiling and asking students how their day is going, which is typical for this supervisor who has a love for education.
He gives the credit to the Aiken Tech professor for sparking his passion for education. The professor challenged him to go the extra mile and to not simply be satisfied with “getting by.” Mr. Mixon has taken that advice to heart, and although he is happy with his job, he hopes that one day he can use the skills that he has learned and apply them to an administration position at the university.
Sep 1, 2009
Profiles