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	(1922-09-17) September 17, 1922 Vienna, Austria
Spouse	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.

Early life

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.

Purdue, University of Minnesota, University of Massachusetts Amherst

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.

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 per cent increase of minority faculty members, a 118 per cent increase in women faculty members, and a 123 per cent increase in minority students. State funding almost doubled, R&D expenditures increased almost 150 per cent, university facilities were expanded almost 60 per cent, and 34 research centers were created.

Koffler received numerous recognitions for his contributions to the universities, professional groups, and communities that he served. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology since its founding in 1955 and received honorary doctorates from Purdue University in 1977 and from the University of Arizona and Amherst College in 1981. Purdue University established the Henry Koffler Distinguished Professorship in 1996 and the University of Arizona’s Chemistry-Biology Building was renamed to the Henry Koffler Building in 2000,. He also received the University of Arizona Alumni Association’s 2001 Alumni Achievement Award.

Koffler Prize

In 2001 the University of Arizona established the annual Koffler Prizes, through Henry and Phyllis Koffler to recognize outstanding accomplishments in the areas of teaching, research/scholarship/creative activity, or public service/outreach.

Retirement

Academy Village and Arizona Senior Academy

In an interview with journalist David Leighton of the Arizona Daily Star newspaper, Koffler explained the history of the Academy Village and the Arizona Senior Academy (ASA). Koffler spent many years in different roles at different universities such as Purdue University, the University of Minnesota, the University of Massachusetts Amherst and lastly the University of Arizona, where he served as president of the institution. During his time in the educational institutions, as well as doing consulting work for government agencies and industry he realized that after retirement, many great minds stopped learning and many active individuals became idle. It was during this time that he conceived the idea of the Arizona Senior Academy, a place where retired professionals could continue to learn and grow and also stay active by doing volunteer work.

Around 1992, the Arizona Senior Academy was incorporated and a board of directors was chosen. Members included then-UA president Pacheco; real estate broker Roy Drachman; Helen Schaefer, wife of former UA president John P. Schaefer; Donald Soldwedel, owner of the Yuma Sun newspaper and Richard B. “Buck” O’Rielly of O’Rielly Motor Co.

Koffler and his development partner Llyod Lewis considered many sites for the new Academy Village community, where potential residents were not just buying a house but a lifestyle that would included membership to the Arizona Senior Academy (ASA). The pair decided on land at the foothills on the Rincon Mountains, that used to be part of the Rocking K. Ranch. The partners took trips around the country meeting prospective residents and promoting the development.

Temporary facilities were established for the Arizona Senior Academy in the late 1990s at the UA Tech Park on Rita Road, where concerts and lectures took place for future residents. Later it was moved to its second non-permanent home, a trailer nicknamed “Enrique” — Spanish for Henry — on the future site of Academy Village.

The first phase of Academy Village was completed in March 2002 and resident moved in this unique community. As of 2015, Koffler still resides in the Academy Village.

Art career

Koffler's interest in the visual arts, and in sculpture, ballet, and architecture began as a child when he attended many of Vienna's cultural offerings in music and theatre with his mother. During his 1953-54 sojourn as a Guggenheim Fellow in Cleveland, he became a conspicuous presence in the Cleveland Museum of Art, where he became acquainted with the Curator of Prints and Drawings, Leona Prasse, who sparked his interest in the visual arts. After his return to Purdue, Koffler became acquainted with Rudy Pozzatti, a leading printmaker in America and Distinguished Professor at Indiana University. His friendship with Pozzatti began his habit of collecting art and visiting galleries and museums. Consequently, he became well acquainted with prehistoric and primitive art, as well as modern German, French, Mexican, Japanese, and American art.

Koffler admires the painters of the American abstract expressionism movement that began in the 1940s, especially Mark Tobey, Jackson Pollack, Paul Jenkins, and Helen Frankenthaler, who influenced him significantly when, in 2013, he turned from appreciating to creating art. In 2013 at the age of 90, during a long recuperation from emergency surgery, Koffler began a career in art. Using his iPad to do abstract digital images, Koffler has created thousands of digital paintings, had several art shows, and launched the Henry Koffler Art website.

Koffler Art Exhibitions

• Magical World of Henry Koffler's Abstract Art show, May 21 – October 31, 2014, University of Arizona Tech Parks Arizona. First solo exhibition University of Arizona Tech Parks Arizona, Magical World of Henry Koffler's Abstract Art show. See online article.
• SAACA 2015 Spring Exhibition, April 23 – July 14, 2015, Ventana Medical Systems, Tucson, Arizona. See SAACA announcement and Henry Koffler Art web page.
• University of Arizona Leaders of Eminence Develop into Artists of Distinction, May 5 – December 31, 2015, law firm of Mesch, Clark, & Rothschild, Tucson, Arizona. See the Henry Koffler Art page.

Academic career

• 1943: B.S., University of Arizona
• 1944: M.S., University of Wisconsin
• 1947: Ph.D., University of Wisconsin
• 1947: Assistant Professor of Bacteriology, Purdue University
• 1952: Professor, Purdue University
• 1959–1975: Head of Biological Sciences, Purdue
• 1975–1979: Vice-President for Academic Affairs, University of Minnesota
• 1979–1982: Chancellor, University of Massachusetts Amherst
• 1982–1991: President, University of Arizona

Honors

• 1953: Guggenheim Fellowship, Western Reserve University medical school
• 1955: Fellow, American Academy for Microbiology
• 1957: Eli Lilly Award in Bacteriology and Immunology, American Society of Bacteriology (now Microbiology)
• 1974: Frederick L. Hovde Distinguished Professor of Biological, Purdue University
• 1977: Honorary doctorate, University of Purdue
• 1981: Honorary doctorate, University of Arizona
• 1981: Honorary doctorate, University of Massachusetts Amherst College
• 2001: Alumni Achievement Award, University of Arizona