For Dale Hoffman ’72EEng, the introduction to Penn State came during a conversation with a high school advisor, who matter-of-factly stated, “If you want to be an engineer, you go to Penn State.” That simple advice launched Dale’s love affair with Penn State and his lifelong commitment to giving back to his alma mater.
“Penn State provided me the education, tools, and training to become an electrical engineer and succeed in my career,” said Dale. “I was able to join the elite Navy program, Aegis, in 1977 and ultimately become the deputy to the Commanding Officer and Technical Director of our Moorestown Aegis Command.”
Because Dale’s education provided him with a path to career success, he has always had the desire to give back to Penn State. He can trace back his first act of volunteerism to joining the Penn State Electrical Engineering Department’s Industrial and Professional Advisory Council (PSEE IPAC) in 2006, where he remained an active member until 2010. Since then, he has served as the president of the Penn State Engineering Alumni Society, a member of Alumni Council, past president of the Centre County Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association (CCCPSAA), board member and past president of the Penn State Electrical Engineering Society (PSEES), and a PSAA Career Services volunteer. And if that weren’t enough, Dale has been a capstone project advisor at the Penn State Learning Factory, and operates the scoring system developed by one of his students teams, participates in professional development opportunities for students, volunteers his weekends at the Hintz Family Alumni Center, and even welcomes students and parents for Spend a Summer Day and New Student Orientation.
Dale’s passion to give back extends well beyond serving on committees or boards and reaches deeply into those areas where he wished more was available during his days at Penn State. In collaboration with the Electrical Engineering (EE) Department, he helped create and encourage other EE alumni to become mentors, assist in reviewing resumes, and help conduct mock interviews to better prepare students for the job market and career opportunities. “I receive personal satisfaction from seeing students succeed and graduate as Penn State engineers. Many of the students I have mentored keep in touch, and they let me know about promotions or other career successes long after graduation.”
Dale’s volunteerism and dedication to Penn State has also been recognized through the various awards he’s received over the years, including 2011 Penn State Outstanding Engineering Alumnus, 2012 Penn State Volunteer of the Year, 2015 Penn State Engineering Alumni Distinguished Service Award, 2017 Alumni Fellow, 2018 member of the Penn State 100th Anniversary Alumni Homecoming Court, and finally, being named a Penn State Pioneer in 2022.
While Dale says he appreciates each and every award, he notes that giving back is his greatest achievement. ”My most exciting moments as a volunteer were the two times I had the honor of being onstage at graduation, congratulating over 1,000 students on earning their diplomas, and welcoming them as the newest members of the Penn State Alumni Association,” said Dale.
It was in those moments that Dale came full circle and stood on the very stage where he, too, was congratulated and inducted into the largest Alumni Association in the country. Because, as someone told him long ago, “if you want to be an engineer, you go to Penn State.”
Inspired by Dale’s ongoing service to Penn State?
Give to Dale T. Hoffman Open Doors Scholarship in the College of Engineering