Air Force veteran Chad Staggs appointed director of veteran services
Kim Chaudoin | 615.966.6494 |
Lipscomb University has appointed 21-year Air Force veteran Chad Staggs director of its veteran services program.
A 21-year veteran of the United States Air Force, Staggs brings recruiting, admissions, marketing and management expertise to the office, which oversees and administers Lipscomb’s Post 9/11 GI Bill Yellow Ribbon Program and its veteran services programs. In addition to his military career, Staggs was a medical staff auditor at Vanderbilt University and was a member of HCA Healthcare-TriStar Division’s talent acquisition human resources team. Staggs succeeds April Herrington as director of the program.
“Chad is an outstanding individual with a clear heart for Lipscomb students and a bold vision for veteran education on our campus,” said Scott McDowell, senior vice president for student life. “When you spend time with Chad you immediately realize that he is a purposeful leader with a passion for our veterans and an enthusiasm for this cause that is contagious. Veteran students are campus leaders at Lipscomb and community leaders in Nashville. He brings a wealth of experience in student culture, university relations, operations management, and organizational growth.
Staggs began his career with the US Air Force in 1994 as a supply/logistics airman stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany. In 1998 he was appointed space systems engineer at Shriever Air Station in Colorado. Following those assignments, Staggs served in a variety of appointments in Indiana, Pennsylvania and Tennessee that focused on recruiting, marketing, human resources and strategic organization growth.
In these roles, Staggs also oversaw university relationships on behalf of the USAF at many campuses all over the country, including three years of special projects at Notre Dame.
“A majority of my career has focused on the development of students,” said Staggs. “leading a veterans program like this in a university-setting is a natural fit for what I have devoted much of my career to. It’s very fulfilling to me to blend spiritual formation with student development. Lipscomb University greatly values the service of our military and has supported veterans education at the highest level. I look forward to this opportunity to help grow this great program so we can continue to serve this population in a significant way.”
Staggs said his goal for veteran services over the next five years is to increase the number of students enrolled through the program to 500 per semester and to expand the program’s services among other initiatives.
“Chad has the passion, vision and professional experience to lead our veterans program into previously unimagined heights ,” said Josh Roberts, dean of student development at Lipscomb. “Increasing the resources and impact of our veterans program is a key part of the university’s 2020 plan, and Chad is the right person to help us reach that goal. Chad’s leadership will assist our veteran students in positively shaping communities on our campus, throughout Nashville and all over the world.”
Staggs, who will complete his Bachelor of Science degree in organizational leadership from Lipscomb this spring, transferred his educational benefits to his wife, Christen, who is a student at the university as well. They have three daughters: Jacey, 14; Ashlynn, 12; and Raegen, 9. They live in Lebanon, Tenn., where they are members of Maple Hill Church of Christ.
This past fall, the veteran services program received a Veteran Reconnect Grant, a competitive grant focused on improving the success of student veterans enrolled in Tennessee colleges and universities. The $80,415 Veteran Reconnect Grant will be used to enhance the internal processes and services offered by the veteran services office as well as to hire an outreach coordinator to focus on recruiting new students, assisting with their transition to college life and retaining them.
In November, Lipscomb opened a new Veterans Resource Center located just behind Elam Residence Hall. The facility was funded in part by a $25,000 challenge gift from the Sentinels of Freedom organization. The center includes areas for veterans to study and fellowship, a computer, television, kitchen/eating area, lockers and a place to relax in between classes.
Lipscomb’s program has been recognized nationally for its quality. Military Advanced Education awarded Lipscomb the designation of a “Top Military-Friendly University” in its “2015 Guide to Military-Friendly Colleges & Universities.” Last year marked the sixth consecutive year that Lipscomb University was designated a Military-Friendly School by “GI Jobs,” a publication of Victory Media, for its veteran services program. In 2014, U.S. News also ranked Lipscomb as the second-best regional university in the South for veterans. The College of Business was ranked 24th in the nation in the Military Times’ 2013 Best for Vets: Business Schools Guide for veterans based on financial aid, academic policies and participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program.
For veterans who qualify for 100 percent of the Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits Lipscomb University has committed to allocate the necessary funds to allow them to earn a tuition-free undergraduate degree through the Yellow Ribbon Enhancement Program. The university also offers qualifying student veterans a variety of graduate degrees tuition-free or at a greatly reduced tuition rate.
For more information about Lipscomb University’s veteran services program, call 615.966.1013 or visit veterans.lipscomb.edu.