In his new role as Manager of Operations for St. Vladimir’s Seminary (SVS) Press, Dr. Daniel Stauffer gets to combine his academic expertise in late Byzantine theology with his aptitude for business. He spent the past eight years at the University of Notre Dame, where he completed a master’s degree, obtained a Ph.D. in Medieval Studies, and conducted postdoctoral research. As a native of Ithaca, NY, he now returns home to New York State with his wife and four children. As we welcome Dr. Stauffer to the Seminary, he tells us about the books that sparked his love of theology, what he hopes to bring to his new role at SVS Press, and how snapping turtles stirred up an exciting day on campus for his kids!
Dr. Daniel, tell us a little about your background and your time at Notre Dame.
I grew up in Ithaca, NY, so just a couple hours away—in the nice part of New York State [laughs]. But I met my wife Deandra at Notre Dame. She’s originally from Texas. At the time we met, she had just finished her master’s in theology and I had just started my master’s degree, also in theology. But I would say that in her heart her true interest is in literature.
Ah, so with a background in theology and literature, she must have been excited when you told her about the possibility of working for SVS Press! How did that possibility come about while you were at Notre Dame?
Yes, she was definitely excited about that!
Well, at Notre Dame I was there for a really long time, studying with, in particular, Protopresbyter Dr. Alexis Torrance, who is an Orthodox theologian on the faculty there. And Fr. Alexis was great. Even though my Ph.D. was in medieval studies, within that I focused almost exclusively on Byzantine theology. My dissertation was on the Christologies of the hesychast controversy, which was really fun. That’s being reviewed for publication now. Hopefully one day it’ll see the light of day [laughs]. So I spent the last eight years studying theology, and then teaching a bit at Notre Dame as well.
Following those studies, I decided that academia was perhaps not the route I wanted to take in my life. It was very fortuitous that Fr. Alexis knew [Seminary Dean] Dr. Tudorie. I guess Dr. Tudorie reached out to Fr. Alexis and said, “We’re looking for someone for the Press. Do you know anyone who would be a good fit?” Then Fr. Alexis passed that along to me. It’s a beautiful thing to get a job that way, that absolutely falls into your lap [laughs]. So that’s how I got this job. My advisor recommended me to Dr. Tudorie. He interviewed me and liked that I have an academic background and eventually offered me the position.
I thought working for SVS Press would be pretty cool. As I said, I didn’t want a life in academia, but I still really enjoyed theology, and this was a way to keep in contact with that in some sense. Also, I would be involved with the business aspects of the Press. Though that’s not something I spent time doing at Notre Dame the past several years, that mode of thought comes very naturally to me. I was, amongst other things, an economics major in my undergraduate studies. So I’m getting back in touch with some different ways of thinking from my past, you might say. I’m enjoying that aspect of working with the Press a lot. There’s a theological dimension, but then there’s this other dimension—the more mathematical, business side—that I think comes naturally to me too. I’d like to think that I offer something a little different that maybe will bear some fruit for the Press in the future.
Dr. Daniel and Deandra at Notre Dame graduation with their children: Abraham (5), twins Anastasia and Margaret (3), and Mary (1).
What sparked your desire to study theology?
The summer after my freshman year of college, for reasons that are unclear to me, I picked up Jaroslav Pelikan’s five-volume series The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine. I read all five volumes, and it just opened my mind to a whole world of Christian theology that I’d had very little contact with up to that point. I was raised as a non-denominational Protestant, so I read the Bible and knew it reasonably well. But reading Pelikan opened my eyes to a lot of questions and things I didn’t know existed, and so that’s really what got me into theology. Ever since I read those books, I’ve been very interested in theology, especially in a historical key. The way I approach theology is very historical, as that way comes most naturally to me, although that is certainly not the only way to approach theology, of course.
Was that experience with Pelikan’s books what led you to the Orthodox Church?
Yeah, I mean it definitely led me, not directly, but it set me on the path, you might say, to becoming Orthodox. It wasn’t immediate. But I was baptized in 2015 at Holy Apostles, which is an OCA parish, in Lansing, NY. So that was my parish in college, because I went to college in my hometown. It’s been very nice that I get to go back there occasionally when I go home to visit my parents and maintain a bit of the relationships with the people I knew at Holy Apostles during those years. Normally, after you graduate college and leave the parish you had gone to, you might never see those people again. One of the great things about being here, at St. Vladimir’s, is that it’s significantly closer to my family.
How has the move to campus been for you and your family?
I think the transition to living at St. Vladimir's has gone pretty well. We really like the apartment we’re in, and the Seminary, the campus, is really lovely. I remember the second or third day, my family was in the apartment. My kids all ran up to the balcony because there were two snapping turtles having a fight in Crestwood Lake! We just watched from our balcony. That was pretty cool, right? Every morning my son is excited to look out from the balcony and listen for different bird calls that he tries to recognize. So it has been a good transition. We’re of course sad to leave our home and our friends in South Bend, IN, but we’ve enjoyed it here.
Do you have any hobbies you enjoy at the moment?
Initially my hobby was theology, and then I turned that into my profession for a long time as a grad student. I mean, at this point, I don't know. I don't have a lot of time for hobbies between the children and the academic work I was doing for a long time. And now, I've been pretty busy with the Press up to this point. Yeah, that's a lame answer. There were hobbies once [laughs].
To learn more about St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press and browse its collection, visit SVSPress.com.
