Patrick McHaffie

Professor McHaffie joined the faculty at DePaul University in 1996 after academic appointments at West Virginia University, Dartmouth College, and West Georgia College. During the 1980’s he served with the Kentucky Geological Survey where he conducted environmental research related to coal mining, directed the National Cartographic Information Center affiliate office, and coordinated the State Topographic Mapping Program. Patrick served as Chair of the Department of Geography from 2001 to 2007 and is responsible (with David Jabon and Jennifer Galka) for the implementation of the DePaul GIS Laboratory on DePaul's Lincoln Park Campus.

Dr. McHaffie's research interests and publication history include the social history of cartography and GIS, the cartographic labor process, cartographic ethics, the geography of education spending, Appalachian social geography, and the social construction of the global. His current work (2008) involves a long term study of change in the cartographic labor process during the 20th century as well as work on automation as policy and ideology in the United States during the cold war. Over the past decade his work has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, History of Cartography Project (University of Wisconsin), and the University Research and Quality of Instruction Councils (DePaul University).