FORT COLLINS - Doug Hoffman, professor of marketing at Colorado State University, is this year's recipient of the prestigious Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.

"Doug Hoffman is an extraordinary teacher who elevates the quality of instruction in his department and the College of Business as a whole," said President Larry Penley, in announcing the honor. Hoffman will be recognized at the May 3 meeting of the Board of Governors.

The award was presented today at the university's annual Celebrate Colorado State! Luncheon.

"The College of Business was already aware of Doug's reputation as a superb classroom teacher," said Ajay Menon, dean of the College of Business. "We are delighted that others are growing aware of his efforts."

Hoffman has taught courses on everything from retail and marketing management to e-marketing to more than 2,800 Colorado State students. He started the first services marketing course at Colorado State, Mississippi State and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Additionally, he taught the service marketing class as a visiting professor at the Helsinki School of Economics and Business Administration in Finland and at Thammasat University in Thailand. Hoffman has also taught e-business strategy at the Institute for Industrial Policy Studies in Seoul, Korea.

The Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching is presented annually to a faculty member who stimulates the curiosity of students by motivating and challenging them. The Board of Governors, which sponsors the award, administers Colorado State-Fort Collins and Colorado State-Pueblo. It consists of nine voting members appointed by the Colorado governor and four elected non-voting members.

Tom Ingram, professor and chairman of the marketing department, nominated Hoffman for the award.

"Doug's classroom performance has been phenomenal since the day he stepped into his first class at Colorado State," he said.

Hoffman directs the Master Teaching Initiative, a program he founded within the College of Business. The goal of the initiative is to provide professional development opportunities to faculty aimed at improving the quality of teaching throughout the business school.

"There is no greater accolade for a teacher than recognizing that they inspire their students to learn," said William Mister, professor in accounting at Colorado State. "Doug has inspired me to learn, as he has thousands of students."

Hoffman uses a variety of teaching strategies that makes students feel comfortable yet motivated. He exercises the Paired Partner Teaching Technique to give all students an equal chance to participate in classroom discussion. He developed the Study Habits Panel to help students who work hard - yet perform badly - achieve higher grades.

On an evaluation for Hoffman, a student said, "I loved this class. Dr. Hoffman brings a passion for his material that is refreshing. I learned a great deal in this class and I enjoyed every minute of it."

Hoffman has been awarded or nominated for honors almost every year he has been a teacher. He has published various articles and journals and is the co-author of three textbooks. His current research is in the areas of e-marketing, sales and service, service recovery and services marketing education.

He has his bachelor's from The Ohio State University and his master's and doctoral degrees in business administration from the University of Kentucky.