James Porter Shaver

1933 - 2025

James P. Shaver of Montana City, Montana, passed away on September 19, 2025, at the age of 91. He was born October 19, 1933, to George Clarence Shaver and Helen Lynette Hubbell Shaver in Wadena County, Minnesota. His older sisters, Mary Lou Osborne and Joan Marie Teigland, preceded him in death in 1998 and in 2020, respectively.

Jim graduated from the University of Washington in 1955, with a B.A., magna cum laude, in political science and a Phi Beta Kappa pin. He enrolled in the Harvard Law School but found it suited neither his interests nor his temperament. Then, at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, he received a Master of Arts in Teaching (1957) and a doctorate in Social Science Education, with a specialization in Research in Instruction (1961).

Jim joined USU's College of Education faculty in 1962, teaching social studies methods and general curriculum courses. Appointed chair of the Bureau of Educational Research in 1966, and then the college's first associate dean for research in 1977, he taught courses in research design and statistics, along with the occasional values education course. He also served as President of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) in 1976.

Working closely with Dean Oral Ballam in 1968-69 to support faculty in obtaining contracts and grants for research, education, and service projects, Jim instituted the college's annual proposal submission and funding report. His review of off-campus proposals was required before Dean Ballam would sign-off for submission. From 1968 to 1993, when Jim became full-time dean of USU's School of Graduate Studies, college faculty submitted over 3,200 proposals for external funding, leading to high national rankings. His "Shaverized" critiques ranged from matters of grammar and punctuation to clarity of presentation and conceptual consistency, both internal and external (particularly with respect to agency guidelines).

Jim received federal funding for five research projects and authored seven books and a public-issues curriculum, plus 25 book chapters and 60 refereed or major-journal articles. In 1993, he received the D. Wynn Thorne Research Award from USU. And after his retirement, he published It's About People, a data-filled History of the College of Education and Human Services,1990-2009.

To his campus colleagues, Jim personified the clear-eyed pursuit of academic excellence and a commitment to research integrity and civility. He saw student mentoring at the heart of the University's core mission, and he undertook this work with great diligence, even love. He had enormous respect for the difficult work of classroom teachers, and he often urged researchers not to confuse statistical significance with the far more consequential matters of practical significance. His leadership helped make USU a great institution.