In Memory Leigh S. Shaffer March 8, 1947 to August 5, 2017

Abstract

I write this dedication to Leigh Shaffer with much respect, admiration, appreciation, and affection. Readers of this Journal will recognize that Leigh and I served as Co-Editors of the Journal from 2009 through 2016, but I have known Leigh for more than 30 years. I first met Leigh in 1986 when I was a student in my master's program in psychology at West Chester University. He was one of my first instructors, teaching a course on personality psychology my first semester. I was immediately captivated by his calm demeanor, his intellect, and his ability to connect with students. Little did I know at the time how much of an impact he would have on my life. I later took an advanced social psychology course with Leigh, and he served as my master's thesis advisor. Long-story-short, if it were not for our numerous conversations and his guidance, I likely would not have pursued and obtained my PhD in social psychology.We remained in contact after I left West Chester University, throughout my PhD program, and beyond. As our relationship evolved, he became not only a mentor but a friend. We eventually formally began working together again as members of the NACADA Journal Editorial Board in 2006, and then as Co-Editors starting in 2009 and continuously for the next seven years. As Co-Editor of the NACADA Journal, he presented or co-presented numerous sessions on writing for NACADA at regional and annual NACADA conferences, mentored up-and-coming researchers and authors, and continued to write in the area of academic advising. Upon ending his responsibilities as Co-Editor in 2016, he continued as a member for the Journal Editorial Board. However, beyond his roles with the Journal, I can think of few people who have contributed more to the field of academic advising in higher education in the last several decades than Leigh.As a professor in the Departments of Psychology and Anthropology & Sociology at West Chester University he advised hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students while also serving as a member and leader in his disciplinary associations. In addition to the dozens of psychological, sociological, and social psychological articles and book chapters Leigh authored or co-authored, his publications on academic advising include his 1997 article “A Human Capital Approach to Academic Advising,” his 1998 article “An Exercise for Teaching the Concept of Human Capital Through Calculating the ‘True Costs' of a College Education,” and three co-authored articles “The Professionalization of Academic Advising: Where Are We in 2010?” (2010), “A Human Capital Approach to Career Advising” (2011), and “It's What I Have Always Wanted to Do. Advising the Foreclosure Student” (2011). He was lead author on all of these co-authored articles. Leigh is actually the most prolific author of NACADA Journal articles in the past 30 years, authoring or co-authoring 11 NACADA Journal articles between 1997 and 2014.Leigh's 1997 and 1998 articles, referenced above, have been very influential in the field of academic advising in higher education in general, and are cited often at NACADA institutes, workshops, and conferences. His 1997 article was, in fact, 1 of 14 articles recognized as seminal historical articles reprinted in the 2009 special edition of the NACADA Journal. Probably of even greater impact is his co-authored 2010 article, which has been the basis for many discussions, decisions, and implementations by NACADA to drive the movement to professionalize academic advising as a field in higher education—including the realization of the new NACADA Research Center. That article, in particular, will have an impact on academic advising not just nationally but globally for decades to come.These few paragraphs can in no way communicate the person Leigh was. For those of us who had the opportunity to call him a colleague and friend, we are much better people today. For those of us who were graced by his teaching and mentoring, we will never forget him. And for the thousands upon thousands of people who have been and will be influenced by his work and his writings, his inspiration will continue for a long, long time. Gone but never forgotten. . . . ciao, my friend.