Elizabeth “Betsy”Hoffman
- 20th President | University of Colorado (2000-2005)
- 2026 SPEAKER
- 150TH SPEAKER
Elizabeth “Betsy” Hoffman served as the 20th president of the University of Colorado from 2000 to 2005, a tenure marked by major institutional growth and significant challenges. During her presidency, she secured more than $1 billion in fundraising pledges and oversaw the development of the Anschutz Medical Campus. Her administration also advanced initiatives in molecular biotechnology and helped consolidate key campuses within the 鶹Ѱsystem.
Despite these accomplishments, Hoffman resigned in 2005 amid high-profile controversies, including a football recruiting scandal and the Ward Churchill incident. Prior to CU, she served as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she managed a large health sciences center. After leaving Colorado, she continued her leadership career as executive vice president and provost at Iowa State University from 2007 to 2012.
Hoffman holds two Ph.D. degrees—from the University of Pennsylvania in history and the California Institute of Technology in economics—along with a master’s from Penn and a bachelor’s from Smith College. She later served on the National Science Board and is currently a professor of economics at Iowa State University.