Pauline Hoffman, Ph.D, is “all Bonas” nowadays, but she described her undergraduate experiences at Bonaventure as a love-hate-relationship.
The dean of the Russell J. Jandoli School of Journalism and Mass Communication said her initial love for Bonaventure was sparked during her first visit to campus, which was prompted by her interest in the school’s journalism program. However, her father, a Canisius College graduate, hoped she would attend the same university.
“I said, ‘Let me try Bonaventure,’ because we always went to the Canisius basketball games and you’ve got the little three rivalry,” Hoffmann said. “When I was looking [at schools], I was interested in journalism. I met with maybe three or four people at Canisius, we came here for a tour and I fell in love. I couldn’t even tell you what it was; it was just something. At the end of the tour he looked at me and said, ‘I’ve lost you haven’t I?’ and I said, ‘Dad, this is the place for me.”’
Hoffmann noted that her tour and college experience were different than current prospective and enrolled students as campus was much different at that time. She added that the current Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts was the location of the post office, Russell Jandoli was still present at the university and the Hickey Dining Hall was much more limited—offering only two meal options a day.
Regardless of these differences, Hoffmann said she comfortably committed to Bonaventure.
While Hoffmann fell in love with Bonaventure during her first visit, she said she didn’t fully experience the “Bonaventure spirit” until the passing of her father during her sophomore year.
“My father died while I was here as a sophomore which was devastating,” Hoffmann said. “At that point, that’s when I realized what the community of professors was really like. This isn’t any other community. I wouldn’t have gotten this at a state school. This is Bonaventure—where people rally around and they’re there for you when things like this happen and I appreciated that.”
Hoffmann, who attributes a great deal of her drive to her father’s death, said she took her studies seriously as an undergraduate student. She also shamelessly refers to herself as a “geek.”
Hoffmann, currently holding both a M.A. and Ph.D in communication, pursued a degree in biology for the bulk of her undergraduate years—an interest that she still integrates into her daily life.
“When I got here, I started as a journalism major and changed my major my sophomore year to biology—because I loved science,” Hoffmann said. “I don’t think science and journalism are that far removed; you’re still asking questions.”
While Hoffmann dedicated her undergraduate years to the science field, even attending a summer marine biology program at Duke University Marine Laboratory, she considered a few different professional paths post-graduation.
“I wanted to be a marine biologist—didn’t do that,” Hoffmann said. “Then I thought, ‘Oh, I’ll be an environmental journalist’—didn’t do that. Then, I worked in healthcare and public relations and loved it.”
Hoffmann said she worked in healthcare during her communications masters and Ph.D programs, planning to use her communications experience in the healthcare field.
Hoffmann added that she often advises students to focus on tuning their skills and never turning down opportunities that arise, as she accredits receiving her current position to living by that same standard.
While she ended up taking a number of unexpected career paths, Hoffmann said that nature has always played a part in both her personal and professional lives.
Hoffmann is the founder of Wild Mountain Organics, LLC, which provides customers with organic, botanical body care products.
Hoffmann also said that she’s often intrigued by nature, constantly questioning and exploring the world around her.
“I have to be outside,” she said. “I have to explore. I’m always reading; I think I’d die without it. I’m really a geek; there’s no question about it. I’ve read National Geographic since I was in middle school and I just find the world fascinating. I’m always wanting to know more.”
Hoffman added that while she doesn’t know where things will go or where her eclectic interests will take her, she does know that “leading this group of people is incredible.”
mcgurllt14@bonaventure.edu
