When Shane Haggard first set foot on the San Diego City College campus, he never imagined it would become his second home or the foundation of a successful career. Starting out as a student, then serving as a campus lab tech, tutor, and adjunct instructor, Haggard now thrives as a respected tenured professor and newly appointed chair of the Faculty Senate’s Professional Advancement Committee.

He is a testament to the lasting impact of the City College community. And his journey to City could not have been more unplanned.

A native of rural Alabama, Haggard had earned dual bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering and medicine from the University of Alabama, Huntsville. He worked as a NASA contractor designing rocket engines and as a flight medic before visiting San Diego back in 1997 and deciding to make the city his home. An on-the-job injury as a firefighter/paramedic ended his first responder career, prompting his enrollment in the City College Chemistry Program in 2001.

Two years later, tragedy struck when Haggard’s partner died unexpectedly in an accident at their home. Grieving and unable to work, Haggard faced an uncertain future, until supportive faculty and professional staff rallied around him, going so far as taking up a collection to pay his rent.

“What kind of college reaches out to a student to do something like that?” Haggard recalls. “It’s unheard of.”

With his City College family refusing to let him give up, Haggard earned his associate degree and transfer to San Diego State University for a bachelor’s degree that led to a job as a quality control chemist at a local firm. He later returned to SDSU for a master’s degree in chemistry before coming home – to teach at City College.

“I went back to City because I wanted to give back to the college that had done so much for me,” he said.

His students are glad he did. Haggard routinely earns exemplary reviews on RateMyProfessors.com.

• “Lectures are engaging. He is flexible with extensions and actually LISTENS to students. Great office hours. Very outgoing,” one student shared.
• Another wrote: “Truth be told, chemistry is not my forte. Professor Haggard made this class less intimidating and it's easy to see he truly cares about his students. He's passionate about what he does. He's easy to approach and very intelligent.”
• A third student got straight to the point: “One of the greatest professors I have ever had!”

Haggard’s love for science is evident both in and out of the classroom. He has organized on-campus presentations on the science of superheroes, and he is a regular panelist at Comi-Con, WonderCon, San Diego Comic Fest, and San Diego Who Con in connecting science with science fiction, fantasy, and comics. He has also participated in panel discussions on the scientific themes and works of writer H.P. Lovecraft, who integrated chemistry, physics, and astronomy, into his stories.

“I’ve always been into science fiction and horror,” Haggard once told The San Diego Union-Tribune. “Growing up, one thing I loved about Lovecraft was that there always was a lot of science in it. And the science is excellent.”

Asked how he discovered his love of science and chemistry, Haggard was quick to credit a formative classroom moment.

“I blame all of this on my fifth grade science teacher,” he said. “She invited a high school science class to give a demonstration. They took us to the auditorium, put liquids in two different beakers, turned out the lights, mixed them together, and the whole room just glowed. Everything lit up. I was mesmerized. I went home that day and started mixing things together to see what would happened.”