Scheidel has been a lauded leader at the University of Washington for more than twenty years. Between graduating from the UW and returning to serve on the faculty, he served on faculties at Cornell, the University of Illinois, and the University of Wisconsin. Since 1976, he’s served as the UW Department of Communication Chair for two terms and as an Associate Dean. During his time as Chair, Scheidel organized and supported an annual colloquia series which recognized scholars in the field of speech communication and invited visiting academics. His contribution to the scholarly work of graduate students fortified the reputation of the program as the place to become productive researchers and contributors to the discipline. Scheidel received the Distinguished Service, Research and Scholar awards for his work. Upon his retirement in 1996, the Department of Communication established the Thomas M. Scheidel Annual Faculty Lecture series in recognition of his two decades of service. The series brings distinguished scholars to the Department to meet with and lecture to faculty and students pursuing advanced communication studies, perpetuating Scheidel’s legacy of excellence in scholarship.