Joseph Kauffman, who worked as a University of Wisconsin administrator and professor until his retirement in 1987, died Friday after an ongoing battle with cancer.

Kauffman was 84 years old, and was also known as one of the founding fathers of the Peace Corps.

He joined the UW faculty as dean of student affairs from 1965 through 1968 and was also a professor in the School of Education.

Dean of the School of Education Julie Underwood said Kauffman was a campus-wide leader and one of the world's greatest mentors.

Underwood said the rabbi at Kauffman's funeral Sunday morning read a letter from Kauffman's daughter that described her father teaching her how to walk, prompting Underwood to think about how Kauffman similarly affected people at UW.

"I was thinking how that metaphor worked so well for the rest of us at the university because he truly taught so many of us how to walk," Underwood said. "He did a lot to shape the governance structure of the university, but mainly he provided wonderful leadership worldwide."

Arthur Hove, UW special assistant emeritus to the chancellor, knew Kauffman since the mid-1960s.

Hove said Kauffman handled the turbulent UW campus climate with "great style and grace" while he was dean of student affairs. According to Hove, the Vietnam War era was a time when the sizable demonstrations taking place at UW was something the faculty was not used to, forcing Kauffman to make tough decisions.

"He showed great courage in handling that and tried to be as fair as he could possibly be as dean of students — honoring students' right to protest but at the same time recognizing that they had to obey the laws," Hove said.

Kauffman also served as the first director of training for the Peace Corps from 1961 to 1963, where he was responsible for preparing all volunteers for life overseas.

For 20 consecutive years, UW has sent the most Peace Corps volunteers in the nation overseas.

Underwood said she does not think UW's record-setting statistics and Kauffman's contribution to the university is a coincidence.

"Sometimes people affect the entire tone of the campus," Underwood said. "And our university is one that can pride itself on the tone or public service, and he did a lot to establish that tone."

Hove said Kauffman's "unimpeachable integrity" was only one trait that made him so valuable to the field of education; he was also a contemporary thinker.

"People understood that he represented the best in higher education," he said.