Morton Hoffman, Metcalf Cup and Prize Winner, Dies
Professor Emeritus of chemistry was a “master of each element of the teacher’s art”
Morton Hoffman held many positions of leadership at BU. As University Marshal, he carried the mace at the front of formal academic processions. Photo by Vernon Doucette
Morton Hoffman, Metcalf Cup and Prize Winner
Professor emeritus of chemistry was a “master of each element of the teacher’s art”
MORTON Z. HOFFMAN, a College of Arts & Sciences professor emeritus of chemistry and a 1994 recipient of the University’s highest teaching honor, died September 24, 2024. He was 89.
Hoffman earned a bachelor’s in chemistry at Hunter College of the City University of New York and a master’s and PhD in physical chemistry from the University of Michigan. He joined the BU faculty in 1961.
During his active research career, Hoffman mentored PhD and master’s students, postdoctoral research associates, and undergraduate researchers. He was an author of more than 200 papers in peer-reviewed chemistry literature and was named a fellow of the American Chemical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.
In 1994, Hoffman was honored with BU’s Metcalf Cup and Prize for Excellence in Teaching. The Metcalf biography described him as a “master of each element of the teacher’s art: lecturing, tutoring, mentoring, curriculum.
“He has created in his classroom, his laboratory, and his office an environment of inquiry, excitement, and love of learning, all the while inspiring others through the example of his own highly productive research in chemistry,” according to the biography. “He does more than provide comprehensive knowledge: he shows students a living and spirited example of what it is to be a scientist, of what they too may become.
“Professor Hoffman typically presents his students with challenging problems that, under his elucidation, make the physical principles of chemistry leap into clear view,” the biography continues. “His lectures are often dramatic and students look forward to attending them. Letters written by his current and former students emphasize the excitement not just of his classes, but of the whole process of learning chemistry from someone who sees and presents the subject as a hot pursuit of the facts.”
Hoffman held many positions of leadership, in the chemistry department and at CAS. He served as CAS representative to the Faculty Council and as University Marshal from 1996 to 2005, carrying the mace, representing the authority of the University, at the front of formal academic processions. He was also a longtime member of the board of directors of Boston University Hillel and served two years as its president.
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