After a national search, Dr. John Hoffman, founding dean of Arcadia University’s College of Arts and Sciences, has been named provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, effective June 1.  

“Dr. Hoffman stood out as the right choice for this pivotal role because of his deep commitment to and understanding of Arcadia, as well as his vision for the future of our university’s academic mission,” said Dr. Nicolette DeVille Christensen, president of Arcadia University. “He consistently has demonstrated creativity and an uncommon ability to develop consensus while solving difficult challenges throughout his career. We look forward to Dr. Hoffman assuming his duties as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs.”

Dr. Hoffman joined the Arcadia University faculty in 1993. He served as chair of the Department of Biology from 2001 to 2007 and was promoted to the rank of full professor in 2004. He was founding dean of the College of Business, Health & Sciences from 2009 to 2011, served as dean of graduate studies from 2008 to 2011, and became associate provost in 2012. Dr. Hoffman was named founding dean for the College of Arts and Sciences in 2013.

As a faculty member and chair in the Department of Biology, Dr. Hoffman maintained an active research program and received more than $800,000 in extramural funding. He mentored 63 Arcadia undergraduate students in the completion of empirical research-based senior thesis projects and published seven peer-reviewed articles with Arcadia students as co-authors. Arcadia students were co-authors on 17 of his abstracts presented at national or international scientific meetings. In 2001, he received the Lindback Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching.

“As provost, I look forward to working closely with our faculty, staff, and students at both the graduate and undergraduate levels to expand opportunities for our students to gain knowledge and skills in their major disciplines within a liberal arts tradition,” Dr. Hoffman said.

Dr. Hoffman earned his Bachelor of Science from the Lyman Briggs School at Michigan State University in 1987 and his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Michigan. He completed his post-doctoral research fellowship at the Medical College of Pennsylvania (now Drexel University School of Medicine).