Philip Guthrie Hoffman (6 August 1915 – 29 October 2008) was the fifth

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...

, and the first chancellor of the

University of Houston System The University of Houston System is a public university system in Texas, comprising four separate and distinct universities. It also owns and holds broadcasting licenses to a public television station (KUHT) and a public radio station (KUHF). Th ...

. While at the university, he was instrumental in obtaining state affiliation, transitioning to a racially integrated status, and expanding enrollment in multiple locations. Hoffman also served as president of the

Texas Medical Center The Texas Medical Center (TMC) is a medical district and neighborhood in south-central Houston, Texas, United States, immediately south of the Museum District and west of Texas State Highway 288. Over 60 medical institutions, largely concentrate ...

. Prior to his appointment as president of UH, he was a professor and administrator for several universities.

Early life

Hoffman was born in 1915 in

Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...

Hyōgo Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and has a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to the southeast, an ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

to Benjamin Philip Hoffman and Florence Guthrie Hoffman who were serving as missionaries there. The family moved to

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

when he was five. Hoffman received a BBA from

Pacific Union College Pacific Union College (PUC) is a private university, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Angwin, California. It is the only four-year college in Napa County, California, Napa County. It is a coeducational r ...

in 1938, and a

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in History from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

in 1942. He then served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

as an

intelligence officer An intelligence officer is a person employed by an organization to collect, compile or analyze information (known as intelligence) which is of use to that organization. The word of ''officer'' is a working title, not a rank, used in the same way a ...

Career

From professor to administrator

After the war, Hoffman earned his

Doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

in History from

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

in 1948. During and after his graduate work at Ohio State, he worked as a professor at the university until 1949. He then went to the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

, where he served as an associate and assistant professor until 1953. Until 1956, Hoffman was first vice-dean and then dean of the general extension division for the Oregon State System of Higher Education (now known as the

Oregon University System The Oregon University System (OUS) was administered by the Oregon State Board of Higher Education (the "Board") and the Chancellor of the OUS, who was appointed by the Board. It was disbanded in June 2015. OUS was responsible for governing the s ...

University of Houston involvement

In 1957, he came to the

as vice-president and dean of faculties. He served in this capacity until September 1961 when he succeeded Clanton W. Williams as the president of the university. During his time as president, Hoffman helped to found the

. He became the system's first chancellor upon resigning from position of president of UH. He remained chancellor of the system until his retirement in 1979. In 1980, UH dedicated the on-campus Philip Guthrie Hoffman Hall in his honor, and upon his death in 2008, President

Renu Khator Renu Khator is the fifth chancellor of the University of Houston System (UH System) and the thirteenth president of the University of Houston. In 2008, she became the first female chancellor in the state of Texas and the first Indian immigrant to ...

named October 31, "Philip G. Hoffman Day".

Post-UH years

Upon retirement from the University of Houston System, Hoffman served as President of the

from 1981 until 1984.

Personal life and death

Hoffman died 29 October 2008 in his Houston home. He is survived by his wife, Mary Hoffman (a niece of U.S. President

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...

); three daughters, Mary Victoria, Ruth Ann, and Jeanne; his grandchildren John, Guy, Elizabeth, Benjamin, Melanie, and Mary; and his great-grand child Mary Mae.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoffman, Philip Guthrie Pacific Union College alumni Chancellors of the University of Houston System Jewish American military personnel Presidents of the University of Houston Ohio State University Graduate School alumni Ohio State University faculty University of Alabama faculty University of Southern California alumni Presidents of the Texas Medical Center Educators from Oregon 1915 births 2008 deaths 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews 20th-century American academics