After 18 years as a teacher, Steve Shafer, associate professor of accounting, has decided to leave the world of teaching due to failing health.

“I am actually not retiring as many may think,” Shafer said. “I am leaving the teaching profession due to my illness and will be on full-time disability.”

Shafer has been a teacher at Simpson College for six years and has taught a variety of courses in his time here.

“I’ve taught just about every accounting course you can think of, plus management, marketing, sales and economics,” Shafer said.

Shafer said the thing he’ll miss the most about Simpson are the people.”The biggest thing I’ll miss are the people on the staff and the faculty, and my interactions with the students,” Shafer said.

With the extra time Shafer will have, he said that he’ll be able to focus on his health and getting better.

“With my extra time from not teaching, I will continue to take my medical treatments and will spend as much time as possible with family and friends,” Shafer said. “My youngest son is getting married this summer, so we have many things to do in preparation for that, not to mention all of the out of town company with whom we will be visiting.”

In his six years at Simpson, Shafer has shown his dedication to the students he’s taught.?     

“Professor Shafer always tried to come to class with a positive attitude, despite difficulties with his health,” sophomore Erin Guzman said. “He showed a tremendous amount of dedication as a professor, and did his best to keep classes going smoothly.”

Sophomore Paul Salais agrees with Guzman.

“Professor Shafer always came to class with the intentions to teach a class in the best way possible,” Salais said. “No matter what the troubles were with his health, he continued to lecture to his students. This dedication shows that he was not just there to receive another pay check, but to take a part in a section of students lives to be able to say when they graduate, ‘I helped, even though it was a small section, I helped.'”

Shafer has words of encouragement for the faculty, staff, students and prospective students at Simpson College.

“There are a hundred stories that I could tell and a thousand pieces of advice that I could give, but in summary I would say ‘Always give a good effort; never give up,'” Shafer said.

Junior Steven Ramsey said he wishes Shafer the best in his time to recover from illness.

“I really hope Professor Shafer is able to beat cancer,” Ramsey said. “He is a part of the Simpson community just like any other student, professor, staff member, etc. I took Accounting with him my sophomore year, and I most certainly enjoyed his class. But, his health is way more important than any class could ever be to me.”