1. Recommendation for:
By Whom/Organization: Jeffrey P. Bouman, Calvin College Service-Learning Center
Date: December, 2011
I have known Scott Hofman for the better part of a decade, since our family was greeted in the church parking lot on
our first visit to Neland Avenue Church by his father with a welcoming handshake and greeting. At the time Scott
was a middle school student. Now as he is on the cusp of becoming a teacher of middle or high school aged
students, he is testament to the power of a closely knit faith community, a solid and caring family, a strong work
ethic, and an extraordinary strong commitment to education at all levels for all people.
I was able to get to know Scott very well especially during his third and fourth years as an undergraduate at Calvin
College, where was employed in my office and I supervised him directly in his work as a student coordinator for
Academically-Based Service-Learning in the Natural Sciences and Mathematics. As a student coordinator, Scott
was responsible for an array of supporting activity for the many faculty members in the natural sciences or
mathematics departments who structured their courses with service-learning activities toward clear learning goals.
Scott recruited these faculty members, advised them on the curricular use of service-learning, made local contacts
for them, spoke with their classes about the service-learning pedagogy and its specific application in their courses,
engaged in necessary trouble-shooting as the need arose in a given semester, and then collected evaluative data
regarding the effectiveness of service-learning from students, faculty, and community partners at the end of each
semester. Scott was also the lead organizer for a semi-annual (fall, spring) event on Calvin College’s campus called
the Calvin Environmental Assessment Program Poster Session, wherein students and faculty share data collected
through service-learning research projects with the larger campus and local community, usually with an invited
lecture. Scott did all of this work under my guidance, and with a full load of his own course work on top. His
ability to manage the heavy load was enhanced by the noticeable and very intentional improvement he undertook
each semester. Though Scott was effective from the start of his tenure, after his fourth semester his work was truly
outstanding.
Respected by faculty and student colleagues alike, Scott has the kind of openness to learning that makes him a joy
and a pleasure to work with. He works very well in a team, but also can carry sufficient weight on his own. He is a
natural teacher, a comfortable public speaker, has a good sense of humor, and is a caring and thoughtful team
member. I observed him in numerous settings gather up the courage to say the very thing a group needed to have
someone say – he is a man of integrity and courage.
I have every confidence that Scott will be a valuable and effective teacher. If his work for me is any indication, he
will be trusted and loved by students, respected and admired by colleagues, and constantly vigilant for new and
better ways to communicate not only knowledge, but also wisdom.
I recommend Scott Hofman to you enthusiastically and without reservation.
Name: Scott Hofman
Career Development
1855 Knollcrest Circle SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546