Samuel D. Schaff, 1938
B.A., Denison University
M.A., The Ohio State University
E.D.D., Columbia College
Citation awarded June, 1982
Former registrar and currently a graduate and professional school consultant at Denison, Dr. Samuel Schaff’s influence with Denison students and alumni has been outstanding and unique. President Robert C. Good reported that in his visits to alumni centers across the country he has been asked most frequently to convey alumni regards to Sam. President Joel P. Smith, while he was at Denison, said he felt Sam “did more for its students than anyone else did”. Dr. Parker Lichtenstein lauded Sam’s “availability to his students, his patience with them, and his ability to counsel them on the best course of action for the future.”
Dr. Schaff held a variety of positions at Denison, starting in the department of education in 1948, becoming its chairman in 1956, and then in 1957 accepting appointment as director of testing and vocational services for eight years. In 1964, he also held the positions of director of institutional research and graduate school advisor. In 1965, he was appointed registrar, graduate and professional school advisor, and professor of education until his retirement in 1978. Since 1978, he has been doing graduate and professional school consulting work with Denison students.
Held also in high esteem among his professional colleagues, he was a founder and first president of the Midwest Association of Pre-Law Advisors. He was also a member of the executive committee of the Central Association of Advisors to the Health Professions, and secretary and historian of the Ohio Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.
A faculty and chapter advisor to the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity, both locally and on a national level for 19 years, Sam’s reputation as an effective chapter advisor, according to Robb Knuepfer, class of 1974, “is unparalleled, and he is often referred to as the ‘Dean of Chapter Advisors’ at the fraternity’s annual meetings.” The Denison chapter showed their esteem by establishing a Samuel D. Schaff Scholarship to honor his name.
