Robert L. Spaeth came to Saint John’s University as a visiting professor in Liberal Studies and director of Freshman Colloquium in 1977. He was appointed dean in 1979 and held that post for nine years. He resigned in 1988 to return to teaching. He died at his Sauk Rapids home on November 28, 1994, after leaving the Greco-Roman Study Abroad program he had been directing due to heart trouble.As dean, Spaeth supported initiatives in curriculum development and revision which resulted in the First Year Symposium (FYS), the Forum, the Core Curriculum, the Christian Humanism program and the Honors Program. In his honor the Robert L. Spaeth Teacher of Distinction Award for SJU faculty was established in 1995.