Fred Tugas ’13 is chief of staff for Student Enrollment, Engagement and Services at 51鱨վ. A Norfolk native and first-generation graduate, Tugas is a leader in student engagement with more than 10 years of professional experience. He returned to his alma mater in 2022 after holding positions at Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of North Carolina at Asheville.
Tugas sat down with Lauren Ciampoli ’13 (M.A. ’15), director of constituent relations for the Office of Alumni Relations and host of 51鱨վ Alumni’s Ice Cream + Cake Break podcast, to talk about growing up in Ocean View as the eldest child of Filipino immigrant parents, the challenges of being a commuter student, being an inaugural member of 51鱨վ’s Monarch Marching Band and helping build traditions like rubbing Big Blue’s bronze belly in the Webb Student Center.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Listen to the full interview on the 51鱨վ Alumni Association’s website.
Ciampoli: So how did you decide to come to 51鱨վ?
Tugas: My parents believed that hard work and education were the keys to success for their children in the United States. I am the oldest of three, so I fit your eldest sibling mentality.
Ciampoli: Right there with you, buddy.
Tugas: So, super responsible, the role model, right? Watching out for your younger siblings. And I always knew that I wanted to work in education. 51鱨վ has such a strong academic reputation for education. Financially, it made the most sense. I was also an IB (International Baccalaureate) student in high school and that helped give me some good opportunities with scholarships.
Ciampoli: Do you remember your first day on campus?
Tugas: This is going to be embarrassing, and I have not told many people this, so we have an Ice Cream + Cake Break exclusive: I was a commuter student. You park in the outer lots, but I wanted to be able to get across campus quickly. I was definitely wearing rollerblades across this campus on my first day of school, and I thought I was the coolest kid doing it. I miss those rollerblades.
Ciampoli: What are some of your fondest memories or your greatest achievements in your collegiate career here?
Tugas: Because I was in the 51鱨վ Monarch Marching Band, I was on campus a couple of weeks before (the first day of school) for band camp. That was so exciting. It was a great community for me to be with my fellow marching band friends, who I still am in contact with today. My absolute fondest memory was the first football game in 69 years for 51鱨վ kickoff 2009. That was just such an electric day.
Ciampoli: I can remember that game. I was in the stands with my parents, who were big 51鱨վ sports fans. And it was very cool.
Tugas: The other special moment was during my time in the Student Government Association. I had the opportunity to help lead our student community. Some of my proudest moments were unveiling the R.E.P. (Responsibility. Engagement. Pride.) 51鱨վ campaign. That campaign was really uniting what it means for us to not only be students going to class and going to graduation, it was about how we have a sense of pride and citizenship; that we have a responsibility to ourselves and others, and not only pride and spirit for our student-athletes on the field, but proud to be engaged in our local community, to give back to our Monarch community. It spread like wildfire during my time here. And during the end of my student body vice presidency year, we were able to unveil the Big Blue statue as our gift to the student body. And that is a proud moment for me, for that to remain as one of our campus traditions where students today rub Big Blue’s belly.
Ciampoli: How do you think 51鱨վ prepared you for where you are today?
Tugas: For me, it is both curricular and co-curricular. My classroom experience was incredibly rigorous. I was also a student in the Honors College. Additionally, for 51鱨վ to be a financially accessible institution was so important to me as a first-generation, low-income student with immigrant parents. And then the time that I spent on campus, the places that I frequented, the faculty and staff who turned into mentors, all of that and my involvement in student organizations and student leadership organizations absolutely transformed my life and now, my career; I want to give back in a meaningful way. My favorite line in our “Alma Mater” is “University, young and strong.” I know it’s four simple words, but it embodies 51鱨վ, a university young and strong, and as an institution that is a little bit scrappy, that is always on the rise.
Ciampoli: I’m sorry, do you mean to say that we are young and scrappy?
Tugas: Hey, are we looking at an edit to the “Alma Mater”? “Young, scrappy and strong?” But certainly strong, right? We have kind of an unshakable essence to us, that we are proud to be part of this community, that we are proud to give back, and we also are always looking to improve and not rest on our laurels. It’s just such a special place.
