“Hoffman’s unwavering passion and dedication has impacted many individuals and organizations not only in Missouri but throughout the country over the years,” said MMSC.  

MMSC is the leading statewide nonprofit organization devoted to preservation based economic development.   

Hoffman, aside from his role of professor, is also the coordinator for Southeast’s Historic Preservation Program housed within the Department of History and Anthropology. The program, established in the early 80s, prepares students to preserve public history and cultural heritage. Hoffman, as coordinator, will celebrate his 20th year working with the program this year.    

“It’s a great program and 20 years as coordinator is a nice benchmark,” said Hoffman, “I love what I do. This role gives me a chance to do more than just teach my classes and allows me to play a significant role in helping students find their way and develop successful careers.”  

Hoffman says the MMSC assists in that by allowing students to establish relationships with professionals in the field.   

“My involvement with MMSC allows me to bring the latest information to my classes, and more importantly than the content, is the networking component that my students get by getting to meet people in class as guest speakers or that we have relationships with,” said Hoffman. 

Keith Winge, of MMSC, is one example of guest speakers who have visited Hoffman’s class in order to provide oversight on major class projects such as a feasibility assessment of vacant property in downtown Cape Girardeau. 

“In order to do create a feasibility statement the students examined demographic, psychographic, and market data,” said Hoffman. “Keith would run the data and come to class to explain to the students how to use it. I would be hard pressed to get this service at no cost without my involvement with MMSC.”   

Hoffman’s preparation of his students to enter the work force is evident in the variety of roles they hold throughout the country, something he is very proud of.   

“We have people from Washington, D.C. to California and everywhere in between working at historic sites, in museums, in state historic preservation offices,” said Hoffman. “Wherever you go you can see our alumni doing the work preserving our history and heritage. Our graduates, day to day, have an impact on their communities doing what we prepared them to do. It’s extremely rewarding.”