Professor Emeritus William Schaffer has been teaching in the School of Economics, Georgia Institute of Technology since 1967. He has distinguished himself through teaching and research over the past forty-five years as a reputable economist and valued professor. Dr. Schaffer recently completed two Economic Impact Studies and is currently working on a third. He co-authored an article on the economic impact of nonprofit arts organizations and their audiences, Arts and Economic Prosperity: The Economic Impact of Nonprofit Arts Organizations and Their Audiences, Cohen, Randy, William Schaffer, and Benjamin Davidson, The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society, Volume 33, Number 1, Spring 2003, 17-31. His findings are currently being used by Americans for the Arts to foster support for the arts. His most current research is the economic impact of soccer, a project which parallels a study of the economic impacts of golf in Canada 2008, completed in July 2009. Working for a former student in Nova Scotia, Dr. Schaffer prepared the interprovincial interindustry model and completed the calculations on which the impact was based. These studies, along with Dr. Schaffer’s voluminous work in regional economics and cost-benefit analysis, have led to teaching models that allow Dr. Schaffer to show how the interactions between both industries and regions impact the economy.

Dr. Schaffer’s contributions to his craft are numerous and respectable, and his reputation among peers and students alike is impeccable. He has published studies of the economic impact of various professional sports teams, festivals, and educational and cultural activities around the nation. He is author or co-author of several books, including Cost-Benefit Analysis and On Input-Output Models and Regional Planning, and has consulted and testified on environmental questions, project feasibility, computer applications, and tourism impacts. To learn more about Dr. Schaffer’s work please visit our website at http://www.econ.gatech.edu/people/faculty/schaffer.