Dr. David R. Hager, Sr., Professor Emeritus of Higher Education and International Studies, retired in 2008 after 38 years of service at Old Dominion University. Prior to retirement, he was a tenured professor in the higher education administration and international studies programs. Dr. Hager taught higher education curriculum, comparative higher education systems with study abroad, international law, international organization with a seminar at the United Nations, and comparative political systems. His research included international law of outer space, use and effect of media in politics, and quality improvement in higher education.

Prior to returning to the faculty in 2005, Dr. Hager held administrative positions at Old Dominion University. He served as Vice Provost with responsibilities for program development, outcomes assessment, academic policy, accreditation, strategic planning, faculty recognition, equal opportunity recruitment and retention, development collaborative program development, military relations, agreements, faculty and administrator orientation, department chair development, and projects such as asynchronous program development and implementation of regional higher education centers. Dr. Hager also served as Assistant Dean, College of Arts and Letters, Chair of the Political Science-Geography Department, and Dean, School of Graduate Studies, and Acting Provost. He was an integral part of Old Dominion's reaffirmation of regional accreditation by the Commission on Colleges in 1972, 1982, 1992 and 2002, leading the latter two reviews. After retirement, he serves as consultant and evaluator and committee chair for the Commission on Colleges, NCAA, and the UAE's Commission on Academic Accreditation.

Dr. Hager was born on August 13, 1941 in Detroit, Michigan. He holds a PhD and MA in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia, BA in Political Science from Wayne State University, and AA in Social Science from Highland Park Junior College. He married Dr. Jane Meeks Hager and has a son, David R. Hager, Jr., daughter, Michele Hager Clark, and stepson, Michael W. Meeks.

He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Cold War, 1963-68, and was assigned to Laughlin AFB for pilot training and Lowry AFB to the Air Intelligence School. He attained the rank of captain while serving as a combat intelligence officer, photo/radar/imagery interpreter, and combat crew evaluator with the Strategic Air Command's and Eighth Air Force's 68th Bomb Wing at Seymour-Johnson AFB. Dr. Hager holds a private pilot certificate and began flying in the early 1960s. He had a lifelong interest in aviation since the time as a young boy he watched airplanes at Detroit City Airport and a family friend let him take the controls of a Beechcraft Bonanza during his first flight. Since that time he has flown many types of civilian and military aircraft, including a Ford Tri-Motor, B-17, SNJ 4, and PT 19.