This summer, an important member of the IT community retired. Phil Shaffer, Director of Enterprise Information Systems, retired after a 28-year tenure at Ball State.   

As a student, Shaffer started as a HelpDesk worker. Following his student employment, he started his career as a Mainframe Programmer. Shaffer worked his way up to Web Developer and then to Database Analyst. 

An important role during his career was during the COVID-19 pandemic, where he supported forms and reports necessary to keep campus functioning. More recently, Shaffer lead the team responsible for ERP management, integrations, and ServiceNow maintenance. 

Shaffer’s impact at Ball State was celebrated on July 29 at his retirement party. The day was spent reminiscing and acknowledging Shaffer for his dedication to the university over the last 28 years. 

“When I think of Phil I immediately think about his love of cars, Mountain Dew, and, of course, Penn Station!  Having started at our Helpdesk as a student, if memory serves, he certainly proved himself over the years by achieving his Director position,” Todd Phelps, Director of Enterprise Systems and Operations, said. “Phil was a great colleague and will always be a great guy. It was a pleasure working with him.”  

 Shaffer’s position was filled by Abdelfattah Sabir, who started their first day on Monday, August 26.