Hoffman Honors Scholars honor University of Cincinnati alumnus

The estate of Hugh Hoffman, MBA ’63, has established a new scholarship program at three University of Cincinnati colleges. A $56 million gift will create the Hoffman Honors Scholars Program and support student-athletes with an extraordinary endowment. 

News of Hoffman’s bequest was announced in September 2023. It is the largest donation to scholarships in UC’s 200-plus-year history.

Hoffman Honors Scholars will consist of undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences, the College-Conservatory of Music and the Carl H. Lindner College of Business. The first student cohort will be selected before the 2024-2025 academic year. 

“This historic investment in our students will change lives long into our future and build a pipeline of graduates with exceptional academic and leadership experience,” said UC President Neville G. Pinto. “I deeply appreciate Mr. Hoffman and his family’s passion for student success. His generosity will lift generations of Bearcats.”

In addition to the Hoffman Honors Scholars, the Hugh H. Hoffman Scholarship Fund will support UC student-athletes with a $14 million investment. Hoffman intended to support student-athletes in a variety of sports, in particular, female student-athletes.

“For many student-athletes, scholarships can make the difference between pursuing a higher education or not,” said UC Athletics Director John Cunningham. “They are also critical to our ability to recruit the nation’s top talent as we compete on the Big 12 stage. We are honored and grateful for this unprecedented investment by Mr. Hoffman, which will help ensure that our Bearcats get the holistic support they need to succeed in our classrooms, our new conference and our communities.”

The youngest son of Herbert H. Hoffman and Madeline Rowe, Hoffman was a fourth-generation Cincinnatian whose family prioritized giving to the community. He was the nephew of Stanley M. Rowe, Sr., and Dorothy Snowden Rowe, the founders of the Stanley M. Rowe Arboretum. His uncle also founded the Cincinnati Nature Center.

The family’s support of UC spans multiple generations, dating back to Hoffman’s grandparents, Fanny and Casper Rowe. The couple began giving to the university in 1930 and established a scholarship fund in 1954.

Hoffman loved interacting with young high school and college students and supported them by investing in scholarships at both his alma maters, Yale University and UC. His long history of supporting UC students included the creation of endowed scholarships at the College of Arts and Science, the College-Conservatory of Music and the Carl H. Lindner College of Business.

Hoffman’s nephews, Bert and Steve Bullock share that his greatest love was his hometown and its people. He showed this affection through his philanthropic gifts, volunteer work and activities. A passionate sports fan, he had season tickets for several Bearcats teams. As a tribute to his father, who died from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Hoffman supported ALS research and patient care at several organizations.    

After beginning his career at the Howard Paper Company of Dayton, Ohio, Hoffman worked as a broker and investment advisor at W.E. Hutton & Co. and Thomson & McKinnon, after its merger.

This donation supports Next, Now: The Campaign for Cincinnati, the comprehensive fundraising effort for UC and UC Health. Scholarship support is a campaign initiative. 

Featured image at top/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand