Trustee Emeritus Elliot Jaffe died at the age of 97 on November 29. A treasured friend and leader in our community for more than 35 years and a dedicated champion for a better future for all through education, Jaffe served on the TC Board of Trustees from 1997 to 2016 at which time he was named a TC Trustee Emeritus. 

With his cherished wife Roslyn and beloved family, Jaffe provided generous continued support to endow and sustain the College’s landmark Jaffe Peace Corps Fellows Program, which provides scholarships to returning volunteers committed to teaching in New York City public schools. Having placed more than 750 grads in NYC public schools since its inception in 1985, the program – the first in the nation upon its founding – leverages the unique perspective and tenacity that returning Peace Corps members bring to the classroom. 

“Elliot Jaffe was a towering figure at Teachers College, as a longtime leader, generous supporter and valued friend,” wrote Leslie Nelson, chair of the Board of Trustees, and Thomas Bailey, president of Teachers College. “Elliot has left a tremendous legacy for the teaching profession and New York City, especially, through his and his family’s continued support of the Jaffe Peace Corps Fellows Program over a remarkable 30-plus-year span – benefiting countless numbers of young people through his vision, generosity and heart. We are honored to uphold his legacy through our ongoing work in his name.”

In 2019, Teachers College celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Jaffe Peace Corps Fellows Program alongside the Jaffe family. Jaffe, along with Roslyn, were the first to ring the ceremonial bell that now hangs in Grace Dodge Hall as a nod to the Peace Corps tradition across the world of ringing a bell when volunteers conclude their service. 

The impact of Jaffe Peace Corps Fellows alumni resonated deeply with Jaffe himself. “These bright young people return from the Peace Corps [and] they continue to show their determination to make the world better as great teachers,” he once said. “And what better place is there than a New York City classroom for them to bring more good to the world? We know hundreds of Jaffe Fellows. We get back as much as we put into the program, and more.”

The Jaffe family’s generous support of the Jaffe Peace Corps Fellows — which amounts to more than $7 million — has unfolded on multiple levels, including: the exceptional tuition scholarship support through the Jaffe Fellowships; “enrichment grants” that offer support to Fellows in the classroom by enabling them to purchase books and supplies, take their students on field trips or initiate projects; and the former Jaffe Cultural Arts Program, through which the Fellows offer cultural opportunities by bringing students to bring students to performances at Lincoln Center. 

With support from the program and classroom teachers, Jaffe Fellows teach full-time for two years while simultaneously pursuing a Master’s in education as well as other fields of study at Teachers College. They commit to teaching in the City’s public schools for a minimum of four years.

A prominent player in the history of the Peace Corps, the College was involved in the creation of UNESCO and launched a teacher training program in East Africa that was the precursor to the Peace Corps. In the early 1960s, many Peace Corps Volunteers trained at Teachers College to prepare for service abroad. TC was the site of the nation’s first Coverdell Fellows Program for returning Peace Corps volunteers. Today, there are approximately 120 programs across the country.

Supporting Teachers College is a family affair for the Jaffes, with the late patriarch’s daughter-in-law Helen Jaffe serving on the Board of Trustees since 2017 and immersing herself in the activities of the Jaffee Peace Corps Fellows Program. She reflected on this passion in 2022. 

“My father-in-law strongly believes that those who have served in the Peace Corps, who then study and train at Teachers College, have the foundation to become great teachers in the New York City school system,” Helen Jaffe said. “Having served in some of the most challenging countries in the world, the Jaffe Peace Corps Fellows bring the energy, trained skills, experience and desire to change the world through education.”

Jaffe was born in Paterson, N.J., to a working-class, Jewish family. After serving in World War II, he attended the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania on the G.I. Bill — an opportunity that he would reflect on in a lecture to TC students: “What made the difference for me was education.”

Jaffe then began his career at Macy’s before joining his wife Roslyn in business when they opened Dress Barn in 1962. The business went public in 1983, and would evolve into Ascena Retail Group to reflect its numerous subsidiaries including Ann Taylor, LOFT and more. Jaffe served as chairman of Ascena from 1966 to 2011, touching the lives of millions in his 45 years of leadership. When asked about the reasons for his success, Jaffe credited his partnership with Roslyn, reportedly telling his alma mater: “I married a woman who wasn't afraid of work.”

An ardent believer in cultivating a better world, Jaffe’s passion, dedication and vision will have a lasting impact on the work of TC, its Jaffe Peace Corps Fellows, and their students for generations to come. His impact is additionally felt at the College through the Trustees room named in his honor. In addition to TC, Jaffe’s stewardship included his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Stamford Hospital and numerous other organizations.

In his decades of service to Teachers College, Jaffe would meet with scholars from the Jaffe Peace Corps Fellows Program, the stories of whom stuck with him. In 2005, Jaffe reflected on one educator who asked him to pay for a van rental so he could take his students, who had never left the Bronx, on a field trip to a state preserve. Jaffe gladly covered the cost.

“I thought that was a buy I couldn't resist,” Jaffe said. “They spent a night under the stars...It takes so little to make a difference.”

Jaffe is survived by his family, including his wife, Roslyn; his children, Elise, David, and Richard; and his daughter-in-law and fellow TC Trustee Helen Jaffe.