City College has welcomed Eric Hoffman as the new dean of social science, fine arts, humanities and English. 

He officially started working at City College just about two weeks ago and although his time has been brief, he speaks positively about his first impressions of City College.

“So far it’s been fabulous, it’s been amazing,” Hoffman said. “I don’t like to use empty adjectives or say everything’s amazing, but this is truly a special place.”

What impressed him the most during his first weeks at City College was the location, the energy and vibe on campus, the support of the local community and the vibrancy of everything in Santa Barbara. 

Before joining as the new dean, Hoffman built an extensive and diverse career in higher education that spans decades. 

“I have been working in college and universities most of my life,” Hoffman said. 

His professional journey has taken him through a variety of academic environments, from large research universities to small liberal arts colleges, community colleges and comprehensive institutions. 

Hoffman has served as a professor at several colleges and universities where he taught and conducted research. He earned recognition for his scholarly work through numerous citations and research grants.

His academic path includes faculty roles at institutions such as Washington State University which is a prominent research university. This wide-ranging experience gave him a deep understanding of the different dynamics and needs of various types of colleges. 

In addition to his teaching background, Hoffman has held multiple administrative roles, including department chair, director and dean. Notably, he served as Dean of the Honors College at Miami Dade College where he helped shape innovative academic programs and encourage student success.

His transition into academic leadership started about five to eight years ago and was driven by a desire to create a broader institutional-level learning environment along with community engagement. 

One of the standout projects of his career occurred during his time at Flagler College. There, Hoffman guided students through a multi-year initiative to change the campus smoking policy. Working with two classes, a research methods course and a public relations campaign course, he empowered students to collect data, propose policy changes and eventually develop and implement a comprehensive health communication campaign. 

The result was a successful adopted smoke free campus policy with a hope to have an outreach on the broader college community. This hands-on project not only demonstrated his commitment to experiential learning, but also showed his belief in students as agents of meaningful change. 

“I have always been engaged with the student experience, engaged with the community,” Hoffman said. 

He believed his next step, becoming a dean at City College would allow him to take his engagement even further, on a level that could truly have an impact. Hoffman explained his hopes to bring a meaningful difference to City College. He said he’s already seen the vibrant engagement at the college and expressed his desire to continue fostering it. 

“My goal is to do everything I can to bring the resources and support so faculty, staff and students can be successful,” Hoffman said. “That’s what it’s really about. What contributions can City College make to the community through its educational offerings and other programs.” 

His motivation stems from personal and formative life experiences. He grew up in a disadvantaged environment. His father dropped out of school in the ninth grade and although it might not be immediately apparent, he had very little growing up. 

As a high school student he found himself at a crossroads, questioning whether to follow the path his parents took or to pursue something more for himself. He emphasized that there was nothing wrong with his father’s life, but Hoffman wanted to improve his life in his own ways.

Without financial support from his parents he worked his way through community college, then earned a bachelor’s, master’s and PhD degree. A life-changing moment came when he taught his first class during his master’s program, giving him a deep sense of purpose. 

Having experienced firsthand the challenges many students face he returned to the community college system to give back to the type of institution that helped shape his success. 

“I am just happy to be here,” Hoffman said. “I hope to make a positive contribution to the college and continue with City College’s great success.”