Dr. Schaeffer joined CSU in 1996, and the department in 2001. He was the director of the Engineering Manufacturing Education Center (EMEC). Prior to his career in higher education, Dr. Schaeffer worked in industry as a patternmaker, foundryman, tool and die maker, and as a manager in manufacturing. He taught classes in engineering graphics, electricity and electronics, power and energy, welding and fabrication, metal casting, and machining at Adams State University in Alamosa, Colorado. While serving on the faculty in the Department of Manufacturing Technology and Construction Management (currently Construction Management) at Colorado State University, Dr. Schaeffer taught classes in industrial materials and processes, materials testing and evaluation, forest products manufacturing, and earned a Ph.D. in Vocational Education – Technology of Industry — Manufacturing.