According to Professor of History Sean Redding, chair of the department, Stauffer is currently the John L. Loeb Associate Professor of Humanities at Harvard University. He graduated from Duke University with a degree in engineering, where he was also a four year starter on their tennis team. In his graduate studies, however, he switched fields and pursued history. He received a Ph.D. in American Studies from Yale University in 1999.
The search committee, comprised of students and faculty, interviewed four candidates.
The students on the search committee agreed that they wanted to hire a professor who was held in high regard in academia but who maintained a passion for teaching and would get to know his or her students.
"I was keen on finding a professor who would do more than sit in an ivory tower," said Ian Shin '06, a student involved in the history portion of the faculty search. "It's great to have award-winning writers and recognized researchers as professors, but an Amherst education means much more than just that. I was thus looking for a professor who could effectively balance teaching and research, who would relate to students both within and without the classroom."
Dan Altschuler '04, a Black Studies major, looked primarily for an interesting candidate. "I was looking for someone who was exciting about teaching and engaging students," said Altschuler, who participated in the Black Studies portion of the faculty search. "[Stauffer] fit that description, and he impressed me with a wide range of knowledge and interests for future research and courses."