UMass Lowell Graduate Donates $1 Million to Scholarship Funds

10/20/2015

Media contacts: Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu and Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu

LOWELL, Mass. – One of the most generous donors to UMass Lowell and the entire University of Massachusetts is again making a significant gift, this time to honor two of the system’s leaders who are also alumni.

Charles J. Hoff, Class of 1966, will donate $1 million in honor of the inaugurations of new UMass Lowell Chancellor Jacquie Moloney and UMass President Marty Meehan. Moloney, who was UMass Lowell’s executive vice chancellor for eight years, was selected in August to succeed Meehan, who had served as chancellor since 2007 before being appointed system president. Both Moloney and Meehan are graduates of UMass Lowell.

Moloney will be inaugurated at a ceremony at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell on Thursday, Oct. 22 at 10 a.m. In addition to the formal investiture of Chancellor Moloney, the inauguration and evening gala at the UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center will raise funds for a newly endowed scholarship fund in Moloney’s name. More than $1 million is expected to be raised to provide both scholarships and applied learning opportunities for UMass Lowell students.

“I know firsthand that a UMass Lowell education is an invaluable one. I have been fortunate to be able to assist so many talented students who have followed in my footsteps at Lowell and throughout the system. Now, it is my great pleasure to also support the inaugurations of two of the university’s most esteemed graduates and leaders, each of whom has demonstrated a tremendous commitment to the success of UMass and its students,” said Hoff, who earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial management at Lowell Tech, one of UMass Lowell’s predecessor institutions.

Hoff’s previous contributions to the university over the past 25 years total more than $10 million. They include a 2007 gift that was used to create the largest privately financed scholarship program in the university’s history. Hoff’s giving has focused on need-based scholarship and creating access for the most disadvantaged students. Scholarships have gone to recent immigrants, homeless students and others with extreme obstacles. The students who benefit from the program, known as “Hoff scholars,” represent some of the best and brightest UMass students.

Last year, UMass Lowell named its new alumni center the Charles J. Hoff Alumni Scholarship Center in recognition of Hoff’s legacy of giving and his leadership on major fundraising efforts.

“Charlie Hoff’s support for this new scholarship fund is truly an honor,” said Moloney. “Through this gift and others he has made to UMass Lowell, he has demonstrated an unprecedented commitment to meeting financial need for students, making him one of the greatest contributors to the success of our students and the excellence of our university.”

Meehan’s inaugural ceremony will be held on Thursday, Nov. 12 at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, located on the campus of UMass Boston. Meehan has set a separate goal of raising $1 million for student scholarships. The portion of the Hoff gift earmarked for the Meehan inaugural will fund student scholarships throughout the UMass system.

“Charlie Hoff is one of the most generous donors in our university’s history and his focus has always been on helping students realize their full potential and achieve at the highest level,” Meehan said. “Charlie's appreciation for the university’s statewide mission caused him to create scholarship programs on all five campuses, a truly remarkable act that will shape countless lives and make our Commonwealth a better place. I am honored that Charlie has chosen to support the upcoming inaugurations in this fashion. It will make available to future students the UMass education that made such a crucial difference to Jacquie, Charlie and to me."

Originally from Medford, Hoff now lives in York, Maine and Naples, Fla. Today, Hoff manages Hoff Family Associates, which makes equity investments in growing companies around New England and in local real estate projects. He is also chairman of the Hoff Foundation, which supports charitable organizations and education.

His career also includes serving as a senior vice president of operations for Bausch & Lomb and senior management positions with Wang Laboratories, Polaroid and Gillette. From 1983 to 1986, he was president, CEO and owner of ARL Analytical Instruments Co., which generated more than $100 million in worldwide sales and later was the owner, chairman and CEO of Universal/Univis Inc., a group of designer eyewear companies.

UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its 17,500 students bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be ready for work, for life and for all the world offers. www.uml.edu