Alex Staup transitions from Resident Director to Director of First-Year Programs
Photo by Sydney Pressley.
Lee alumnus Alex Staup, who worked as the Resident Director of Carroll Courts for the past two years, has also begun serving as the Director of First-Year Programs.
After completing his master’s degree in science and higher education administration, Staup took on a dual role in Residential Life and Housing and First-Year Programs. His desire when devoting time to these jobs is to help new students find their voice.
“Both roles are entirely focused on serving the students,” said Staup. “The focus and mission is to help students know that they matter. I am always looking for ideas and conversations that help give the students a voice that help them be heard.”
During his time at Lee, Staup was a student worker for First-Year Programs, which gave him early experience with helping others. As Staup decided to pursue his master’s degree, he saw the behind-the-scenes look at how faculty and students interact. Through both of these experiences, he learned how to enact change while working in Residential Life and First-Year Programs.
“As a student staff member, I was able to see what it meant to serve students,” said Staup. “That single mission statement remains in both positions. My days are usually very busy, but it is a good kind of busy. I am able to lay my head down at night and know that I am doing something that matters.”
Balancing two job positions makes a full schedule for Staup. Most days are filled with meetings, curriculum planning and working out ways to improve student orientation. Figuring out how to balance every responsibility is a daily task.
“How do I balance my jobs is a question I am still learning how to answer,” said Staup. “I jump from meeting to meeting. I also teach a gateway class, so there is a lot of class planning on top of everything else. The nuts and bolts vary from day to day, but I enjoy what I do,” said Staup. “I enjoy helping others, and I am always looking for ways to accomplish that.”
Staup’s primary mission is an extension of Lee’s—to give students a voice. For more information on Staup and how to get connected within Lee, contact firstyear@leeuniversity.edu or astaup@leeuniversity.edu.
