Scott Hoffman

Scott Hoffman arrived at UNLV in August 2007 feeling like most undergraduate students do when they begin their college career: excited and nervous.

Of course, these antithetical emotions aren’t always divided in equal parts — and they weren’t for Hoffman. Enthusiasm took a bit of a backseat to apprehension as he moved into his dorm after a cross-country trek from his hometown of Edison, New Jersey.

“I had no friend group here, and I just wasn’t sure what to expect,” Hoffman says.

Thankfully, that nervousness quickly dissipated, all because of a decision Hoffman made when he and his family toured UNLV the previous summer. At the behest of a campus tour guide, he visited the Honors College, met with then-Dean Stephen Rosenbaum, and came away impressed.

So when Hoffman decided to enroll at UNLV, he did so as an honors student. That meant placement with other first-year Honors College students in the Dayton Complex. It's still one of several themed communities available in the residence halls.

“Since most students on my floor were in the Honors College, I met people from all over the country who were in the same position as me: nervous about the college experience, hoping to make friends, hoping to just fit in,” Hoffman says. “There were also upperclassmen living on my floor, and one offered some advice that stuck with me: ‘Enter college with zero expectations, and let the experience shape you.’ So that’s what I did.”

Indeed, Hoffman initially enrolled as a secondary education major, looking to fulfill a childhood goal of being a middle school or high school teacher. About two years into his UNLV journey, though, Hoffman began to doubt if he could have the same impact on students that his instructors had on him.

At the same time, Hoffman was becoming more involved with campus organizations whose primary focus was to heighten the college experience for students in all facets of university life. He even took on various leadership roles in this area, including spending two years as president of UNLV’s Residence Hall Association.

“As I began to immerse myself in the college experience, through involvement in student organizations and living on campus, I completely fell in love with it,” Hoffman says. “I also felt like I was making a difference in the lives of my fellow students and helping make the UNLV experience more enjoyable and fulfilling.”

Hoffman’s time leading the Residence Hall Association was so impactful that he began pondering a new education-related professional path: Rather than be a teacher, what about working in university student housing? A student advisor then introduced him to a career in university student affairs, and Hoffman was sold. 

After completing his undergraduate degree in political science, Hoffman returned to the East Coast to attend Northeastern University in Boston, where he earned his master’s in college student development and counseling.

After two years as a graduate assistant managing a small residence hall at Bay State College in Boston, Hoffman headed west again in 2014 when he was hired as the residential life coordinator at Cal Poly Pomona in Southern California.

Hoffman’s life would come full circle two years later when he noticed a job posting for a care manager and student conduct coordinator at another West Coast university. That institution? UNLV.

He applied, got the gig, and is now helping the next generations of Rebels as the assistant director for care management (a promotion he earned in July 2021). Additionally, Hoffman serves as chair of the UNLV Support Team, which connects students with appropriate mental health resources.

For his work with the latter, Hoffman recently received yet another honor: the 2024 Junior Administrative Faculty of the Year Award.

“It’s cliché, but getting to assist students when they need it the most — and possibly being the only person a student trusts enough to share their challenges with — is the biggest reward there could be,” Hoffman says. “UNLV has shaped me in so many ways, and I’m grateful for the level of trust the school has placed in me to now work in this capacity.”

No doubt, Hoffman’s gratitude extends to the tour guide who suggested he check out the Honors College during his campus visit back in summer 2006. Had he not taken that advice, he may never have enrolled in the Honors College. And had he not done that, he wouldn’t have been placed on the honors floor in the Dayton Complex, which not only calmed his early nerves but eventually sparked his passion for campus life and enhancing every student’s overall college experience.

It also happened to lead Hoffman directly to his soulmate.

“While living on campus during my sophomore year, I met and became friends with another UNLV student named Shana,” he says. “Since we were both from the East Coast, we became friends and after a while started dating. 

“Next summer, we’ll celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary, and we’ve rounded out our little family with a wonderful daughter and a barky schnauzer.”

How does someone who grew up in New Jersey end up choosing to attend UNLV?

My grandparents retired to Las Vegas in the 1980s, and my parents and I would visit them at least once a year since I was in elementary school. So Las Vegas was always like a second home.

When the time came to make my college decision, there was a certain allure about leaving behind the snow and humidity, and starting fresh out west. As my grandparents were getting older, I also thought it would be nice to be close to them. So I applied to UNLV, was accepted, and then had some decisions to make.

In the end, it made sense to make the cross-country move as a new chapter in my life began. My parents not only supported my decision, but they actually moved out here, as well.

What do you recall about your first Honors College visit? Did you walk away convinced that you should apply?

Back then, the Honors College was tucked away in the corner on the third floor of the Lied Library. That’s where Dean Stephen Rosenbaum met with me and my family, got to know our story, gave us some materials to read over on the flight back home, and encouraged me to consider joining the Honors College family. Then he introduced us to the rest of the staff. 

This personal connection and college-within-a-college atmosphere made joining the Honors College enticing. Also, knowing how large UNLV was, I thought it would be a great way to avoid getting lost in the shuffle.

It didn’t take much persuading to apply and see what happened. 

Describe your Honors College experience and how it helped mold you into the person you are today.

My Honors classes were taught by the most talented professors UNLV had to offer. The seminars that all Honors students completed were so varied and unique that it felt like I could find a course for practically anything. I vividly recall Dr. Michael Green’s seminars on the life of Abraham Lincoln and the history of the Supreme Court, as well as Dr. David Schwartz’s History of Casinos course. And the small class sizes led to great discussions.

Also, thanks to the people I met in my classes and living on campus, I never felt alone, even when times were stressful. I felt supported by my friends, instructors and advisors, and as a result, I felt like my presence mattered.

All these experiences made me fall in love with higher education. Now I can’t see myself working in any other field.

What’s your advice to an incoming UNLV student who is on the fence about applying for the Honors College? 

One of the most important factors that plays into a student’s satisfaction with their college experience is how connected they feel to their campus. For Honors College students, that connection is instant thanks to the dedicated advising team, social events, small class sizes, and opportunities to learn from the very best.

The Honors College creates a small-college feel within a large university where your successes are celebrated, your needs are met, and your skills shine. That’s appealing to many.

What would you say to a current Honors College student who is struggling and having second thoughts about sticking it out?

First and foremost, understand that it’s normal for college students to struggle at times. That doesn’t mean you’re not a good student or can’t overcome your academic challenges. 

Often, high-achieving students are subject to incredible pressure to succeed — sometimes that pressure is internal and sometimes it’s external. So it’s easy for a bad grade or a bad semester to lead to a confidence spiral. 

If a student finds a particular subject area difficult, Honors College faculty and advisors are eager to offer tailored guidance and strategies. All you have to do is ask. That can be particularly difficult for high-achievers who breezed through high school, but the reality is it’s perfectly normal to have trouble adjusting to the rigor and expectation of a university honors program. 

So I’d first remind the student that they are in the Honors College for a reason. They’re smart and have great potential, and temporary academic setbacks won’t stop them from achieving great things. Sometimes it’s just a bumpy road.

The good news is UNLV offers plenty of resources — everything from counseling and medical care to victim advocacy and emergency financial grants. With a safety net of support around them, and a willingness to take things one class at a time, a struggling student can overcome these challenges. And if a student decides to take a step back from the Honors College, lessen their overall course load, or even take a semester or two off, that’s OK, too.

You have been back at your alma mater for nearly eight years, offering support and care management services to UNLV students. How fulfilling has the experience been?

Distress knows no boundaries, and our faculty and staff want to help. So my work has enabled me to build connections and rapport with virtually every academic and administrative unit on campus.

When the president, provost, vice presidents, deans, and directors acknowledge our work and its importance — and also express their appreciation — it confirms that what we’re doing is being seen. Because the work can be thankless and emotionally heavy at times. So knowing that it’s valued by the university, my colleagues, and my students is a wonderful reward.

Along those lines, the biggest challenge is figuring out how to navigate the emotional toll that some of these conversations can create. In addition to reaching out to students after receiving referrals, we also perform proactive outreach following large-scale incidents that we know can impact student well-being. The Route 91 festival shooting, COVID, the wildfires in Maui, and most recently the December 6 on-campus shooting all required an immediate, diligent, and compassionate response.

There’s no guidebook for helpers who are trying to support the needs of others while also trying to control their own anxieties and fears. Particularly after December 6, my colleagues and I in Student Wellness leaned heavily on one another for practical and emotional support. And we still do.

In addition to being the assistant director of care management, you also chair the UNLV Support Team. What is the team’s mission?

We educate the university community on how to support students in distress and how to refer them our way. From there, our goal is to help identify what success and wellness mean to each student, and work to get them there. Maybe that’s regular check-ins, helping students withdraw from a class (or from all their classes), making sure they know how to access counseling or other university resources — anything that helps a student feel empowered, informed, and in-control.

The UNLV Support Team has grown from a small unit that used to process 100 or so cases per year to a group of nine core offices, with ad-hoc liaisons in offices around campus, that processed more than 1,000 cases this past year.

Explain why putting the books down once in a while and getting involved in an extracurricular activity is crucial for overall student wellness.

College is not easy. There will be difficult classes, demanding assignments, frustrating group work, and competing demands. As with all things, there needs to be a balance, so it’s important for students to find some outlet outside of the classroom that they enjoy and can turn to when classes get stressful.

That could be a student organization, a recreational sport, a hobby, a workout routine — virtually anything that takes a student’s focus away from academics for a period of time.

Of course, some students who must balance school with family care, a job, and/or other needs simply don’t have time to be involved in a student organization. And I respect that. While involvement opportunities are plentiful and valuable, there are many other ways a student can achieve necessary balance.

What does the phrase “Rebel Spirit” mean to you?

To me, it means sticking to one’s values in the face of adversity, and being willing to take risks and do things differently.

I like to think that my entire life’s trajectory has been a series of risks. Whether it was my choice to come to UNLV as an undergraduate, my change of career paths, obtaining a master’s degree, or my desire to come back to UNLV as a professional — all these risks were guided by my values. And somehow, it’s all worked out.