Henry Koffler
| Henry Koffler | |
|---|---|
| President of the University of Arizona | |
|
In office 1982–1991 |
|
| Preceded by | John Paul Schaefer |
| Succeeded by | Manuel Trinidad Pacheco |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
September 17, 1922 Vienna, Austria |
| Spouse(s) | Phyllis Pierson Koffler |
| Alma mater |
University of Arizona University of Wisconsin |
| Occupation | Scientist, Educator, Administrator, Artist |
Henry Koffler (born September 17, 1922) is an Austrian-born American academic and artist.
Koffler was born in Vienna, Austria. In 1939, at the age of 17, he emigrated by himself to the United States. The second recipient of the International Scholarship by the University of Arizona, Koffler received his B.S. degree in Agricultural Chemistry in 1943 from the University of Arizona, and from the University of Wisconsin, his M.S. in Microbiology in 1944 and Ph.D. in Microbiology and Biochemistry in 1947.
In 1947 he became an assistant professor of bacteriology at Purdue University and was rapidly promoted to a full professorship in 1952 – then the youngest full professor at Purdue. In 1953 he held a Guggenheim Fellowship at Western Reserve University medical school and in 1957 was awarded the Eli Lilly Award in Bacteriology and Immunology from the American Society of Bacteriology (now Microbiology).
From 1959-1975, Koffler served as Purdue University’s Head of Biological Sciences, a department that he brought to international prominence. In 1974 he was appointed a Frederick L. Hovde Distinguished Professor of Biology. During his tenure at Purdue until 1975, his research concentrated on the physiology and biochemistry of microorganisms. His ability to identify, recruit, and help develop promising scientists, and to successfully build and lead intellectual enterprises became widely known. This led to his appointments as Vice-President for Academic Affairs at the University of Minnesota in 1975, Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1979, leaving in 1982 to become the President of The University of Arizona.
Koffler served as President of The University of Arizona from 1982 – 1991, the first alumnus of the University of Arizona to hold the position. Building on the successful presidencies of Richard Harvill and John Schaefer, creators of the modern University of Arizona, Koffler presided over the growth of the University during 1982 – 1991, which led to the election of the University of Arizona into the highly selective Association of American Universities, and to the National Science Foundation national ratings in 1991 as 20th in Research and Development among all (private and public) American institutions and as 15th among public universities. These achievements were partly fueled during his presidency through the recruitment of approximately 700 faculty members and other professionals. There was an increase in the ethnic and gender diversity of the University, with a 94 percent increase of minority faculty members, a 118 percent increase in women faculty members, and a 123 percent increase in minority students. State funding almost doubled, R&D expenditures increased almost 150 percent, university facilities were expanded almost 60 percent, and 34 research centers were created.
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