Timothy L. Shaftel is a professor emeritus of accounting at the KU School of Business. Shaftel held the school’s Jordan Haines Teaching Professorship. Shaftel attended the University of California–Los Angeles, where he earned a bachelor's degree in information systems in 1968. He then earned his master's degree in industrial administration from Carnegie Mellon University in 1971 and later his doctoral degree in industrial administration from Carnegie Mellon University in 1972.

Shaftel taught courses on financial accounting, managerial accounting, and international accounting, including the school’s introductory accounting course, Accounting 200, for many years. His research interests have centered on financial accounting, managerial accounting, international accounting, and the impact of international experience on students and faculty. Shaftel also taught for CIMBA and actively recruited students to the study abroad program in Italy.

He joined the KU faculty in 1988 and retired at the end of the spring 2020 semester.