The Office of Off-Campus and Commuter Services within the Division of Student Affairs has appointed Elin Riggs as its new director, effective March 7. The office is responsible for providing comprehensive services for undergraduate and graduate students living off campus, as well as commuter students. In addition, the office works in collaboration with numerous University departments and community organizations to promote good citizenship and healthy community relations.
Riggs’ primary responsibilities include providing problem solving and referral services, programming and crisis support for students living off campus. She will work closely with the Office of Government and Community Relations and the Department of Public Safety to collaborate on community projects and off-campus relations of students and long-term residents.
For the past five years, Riggs has served as the assistant director of Off-Campus Student Services at Emerson College in Boston, where she oversaw programs that helped students search for apartments, work with realtors, live on a budget, safely navigate the city and live respectfully with neighbors. At Emerson, Riggs created a program called LION Pride, which encourages students to “make an impact, not just an impression” on their community. She takes pride in the connections she established with members of city government, real estate agencies, property owners and neighborhood associations to ensure that students fully realize how their day-to-day decisions affect other people around them. Riggs has presented in various settings on the struggles and issues that students deal with when making the transition from living on campus to off campus.
Throughout her career in higher education, Riggs has been a tireless advocate for students and constituents.
“I believe one of my strongest assets is having the ability to give those around me a voice and platform from which to be heard,” says Riggs. “I welcome the opportunity to be able to do this as the director of Off-Campus and Commuter Services at Syracuse University.”
In addition to working as the assistant director of Off-Campus Student Services, Riggs served as a part-time staffing coordinator at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. Prior to her roles in Boston, Riggs held residence director positions at Bridgewater State University and Worcester State College. She earned her bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s of education in counseling with a focus on higher education from Bridgewater State College.
