West Virginia State University - Arch Yearbook (Institute, WV)

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The Dedication HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEARS OF DR. EDWIN D. HOFFMAN AT WEST VIRGINIA STATE COLLEGE Dr. Edwin D. Hoffman came to West Virginia State College in 1960 as Assistant Dean of Instruc- tion and Professor of History. He brought with him a continuing concern for academic excel- lence which helped inspire the faculty to continued professional growth and development. In 1966 he was named Dean of Instruction, a post in which he served until he returned to full time teaching in the History Department in 1975. The 60’s were restless, troubled years, and Ed Hoffman proved to be a man for the times. Always mindful of the black heritage of the col- lege, he demonstrated a deep awareness of and compassion for the impending change in Amer- ica, as exhibited by an aggressive program for the recruitment of black faculty and students and the introduction of black studies courses into the curriculum. He brought new insights into the nature and quality of the college curriculum which led to the development of a widely recognized innovative program which came to be known as the ‘‘New Curriculum’”’. This curriculum providedfor new and broader ways for students to learn and for professors to teach. During his tenure as Dean of Instruction his home became an intellectual center for students and faculty as he continuously sought constructive avenues for the expres- sion of student concerns. Always on the side of the socially and economically disadvantaged and oppressed, he assumed leadership roles at various times in the NAACP, the Kanawha Coun- ty Council on Human Relations, Multi-CAP, the Kanawha Peace Commission, and the Better Schools Council. When other avenues of communication failed, he was found in the streets of the nation’s capitol demonstrating for civil rights and against the war in Vietnam, and in the streets of Charleston demonstrating for open housing and on behalf of striking sanitation workers. His social activism grew out of a profound conviction that democracy is not just a word, but must be a reality for everyone. This conviction is reflected in his book Pathways to Freedom, published in 1964 which recounted episodes showing the role of groups of common people struggling for democratic rights. The years of Edwin D. Hoffman brought enrichment to the campus of West Virginia State College and they are woven indelibly into the tapestry which is the history of this institution. We are all better for his having been a part of it.

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ay n and Chief Justice William O. Douglas ———— “ —