MADISON, Wis. (AP) – One of the architects of the Peace Corps, Joseph Kauffman, has died of cancer, according to a news release from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was 84.
Kauffman died Friday, according to the release.
He advocated for a national youth corps during John F. Kennedy’s 1960 presidential campaign. He served on the staff under R. Sargent Shriver, Jr. that developed the Peace Corps.
From 1961 to 1963, he was the program’s first directors of training and was responsible for the preparation of all volunteers for overseas assignments and developed training programs at more than 60 colleges and universities.
He also served as a consultant to the Commission on Academic Affairs in Washington, D.C., the American Council on Education, and as director of higher education for the American Personnel and Guidance Association.
Kauffman joined UW-Madison as Dean of Student Affairs in 1965 and professor of counseling and behavioral studies in the School of Education.
In 1968 he left to become president of Rhode Island College in Providence. He returned to UW-Madison in 1973 as a professor in the Department of Educational Administration.
He also served the UW System as executive vice president from 1980 to 1983. He retired in 1987.
“Joe Kauffman will be remembered as one of the great contributors to the success of this university,” Chancellor John D. Wiley said in a statement.
Kauffman was also instrumental in establishing recruitment for the Peace Corps on the UW-Madison campus, which consistently leads the nation in the number of volunteers.
His survivors include his daughter, Marsha Krasnow of Boston, and son, Frank of California.
Graveside services were scheduled Sunday at Forest Hills Cemetery, Madison.
AP-ES-09-30-06 1702EDT
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