Hoffman Scholars begin a year of exploration and engagement

The second year of the Hoffman Honors Scholars program (HHS) is in full swing. This  fall, University of Cincinnati faculty and staff welcomed 22 new students as the second cohort of the Hoffman Honors Scholars program. Students from UC’s College of Arts and Sciences, College-Conservatory of Music and the Carl H. Lindner College of Business are provided tuition, room and board and a plethora of community tools and skill-training.  

The Hoffman Honors Scholars are a part of the remarkable legacy of Hugh Hoffman, MBA ’63. HHS students strive to embody the program’s core pillars: community commitment, leadership excellence, digital literacy and global engagement. Scholars are provided with the necessary tools to achieve excellence including leadership workshops, community service projects and study abroad opportunities.   

On Aug. 20, 2025, students, families and faculty heard from a range of esteemed guests including the family of Hugh Hoffman — Bert, Joann and Zoe Bullock. Bert Bullock spoke at the reception and expressed his admiration and expectations for the new cohort. Bert and Zoe emphasized the legacy of Hugh Hoffman and the importance of achieving excellence both in and out of the classroom.

At the reception, Hoffman Honors Scholars met their peers as well as deans and UC faculty. Bert and Zoe Bullock, with the support of Whitney Menser, director of the Hoffman Honors Scholars program, and John Weidner, PhD, interim executive vice president for academic affairs and provost, helped to pass out AI-integrated laptops, a gift from Bert, to each member of the HHS. Students shared warm sentiments, and all gathered to hear Hoffman Honors Scholar, Summer Crabb (a CCM cello performance major) perform an enchanting rendition of “Sarabande” from Bach's third cello suite.

Menser notes, “The Hoffman Honors Scholars’ reception was a meaningful way to welcome our newest students into the program. In celebrating our second year, HHS honored Hugh Hoffman who made this scholarship possible. It was wonderful to celebrate with our students and their families, Hugh Hoffman's family, Provost Weidner, our college deans and our campus partners. I’m excited to see how this new cohort uses their skills, talents and academic abilities to build a bright future for the UC community and beyond.” 

Like many of the high-achieving Hoffman Honors Scholars, Summer Crabb knew from a young age that she wanted to dedicate her life to excellence. Since the age of seven, Crabb has spent her time playing the cello. Inspired by her teachers and mentors, she came to understand that the only way to achieve her goals of teaching at the collegiate level and becoming a professional chamber musician would be to attend a high-level music school. 

“I wouldn't have been able to come to CCM if not for the Hoffman family and the Hoffman Honors Scholarship,” Crabb said.  

Crabb and her fellow cohorts represent what it means to be a remarkable scholar. Fellow HHS students share similar sentiments of passion, dedication and academic excellence. One such story is that of Zane Sawyer, A&S ’29.

In the third grade, Sawyer was given an atlas for Christmas by his uncle. He became deeply fascinated with geography. It was then that Sawyer knew he had to follow his passion for geography and one day come to an acclaimed university to study it further. He recalls sitting in his calculus class when he heard the news that he would become a Hoffman Honors Scholar, “I was in calculus class at UC Blue Ash. I got a voicemail [stating that he would attend UC as a HHS] and I just started crying. I called my mom; she was so happy.” 

The Hoffman Honors scholarship has encouraged Sawyer to go beyond the traditional. 

“It gave me drive to involve myself in more. Just hearing Bert Bullock say, ‘We strive after excellence, we get involved, we do these things, we serve,’ — it inspired me.”  

Sawyer was honored to know that the Hoffman family expects not just greatness, but excellence. 

Featured image at top: Jaci Reed, A&S '29; Grayson Humphreys, Bus '29; Aliah Van Scyoc, Bus '29. Photo/Joseph Fuqua for the UC Foundation.