Dave Schaal Retires, John Godfrey To Become Dean of Students
- jillianhough
- Mar 27
- 3 min read
Passing the torch, Graceland leadership honours the past and embraces the future.
By Joseph Boyce
Alumnus, Dr. Dave Schaal (‘80), will step down as Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students after a decade of unbridled service, making way for fellow alumnus John Godfrey (‘06).
Schaal’s dedication to Graceland is evident. Grounded by his desire to help others navigate themselves and the world, he has selflessly served the community with a human-first approach since he first began working for Graceland in 2013. As he reflects on his tenure, he is proud of his programs that have assisted students to better themselves, giving them the tools to succeed post-college.
With change approaching, Schaal takes these next steps with excitement, appreciation, and some grief. As an alum, Graceland, to him, carries meaningful people and memories; stepping away feels bittersweet.
More than just a job, Schaal mentions he does not feel like he comes to ‘work’, and he is not alone in returning to Graceland as an employee after leaving as a student.
Coming full circle to Graceland happens a lot here; “we have a sense of call to come back… it’s intrinsic,” Schaal said.
Speaking of intrinsic, what stood out in our conversation was his passion for helping others. Helping in self-discovery, in dealing with conflict, in assisting people realize they are more than they ever thought, Schaal elaborated.
Looking forward to what the future holds, he intends to spend time with his beloved family and friends, reconnect with nature, and learn Spanish. Although he will be back to Graceland to visit, he leaves some parting words for the university and its community.
“Thank you. Thank you for opening your lives to me. Thank you for the significant work that we did together. Thank you for being uniquely who you are as people and as a community. A big thank you.”
John Godfrey joins Graceland in June, stepping down as Senior Associate Director for Housing at San Diego State University, having overseen 9-figure housing operations and projects close to $1B in size.
Such operational, financial, and organisational knowledge, Godfrey reflects, is essential in his philosophy for creating strategic systems that drive student growth. Supporting student success is a worthy goal, but without sufficient awareness of business-minded implementation, these goals cannot be achieved and improved consistently over time.
Godfrey’s mission is to ensure that students fundamentally feel safe and welcome. Relating to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, this ground level of food, water, and shelter must be satisfied to lead the way to self-actualisation.
Also on the list of priorities, students will be relieved to hear, is to strengthen the Transformational Leadership program.
As his tenure is fast approaching, Godfrey shares his opening words to Gracelanders.
“Thank you for welcoming me to a place that is so meaningful for so many, and trusting me with this opportunity to join the community and to help support a fantastic team that’s doing incredible work.”
As one full circle moment comes to a new chapter, another begins. A melancholic feeling. Goodbyes are never easy. Yet Graceland welcomes John Godfrey with open arms and looks forward with excitement to what the future brings.
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