Dr. Edward C. Hohmann, P.E.

Dr. Edward C. Hohmann, P.E.

Former Dean of College of Engineering, Cal Poly Pomona

BS Chemical Engineering, USC. 1966

MS Chemical Engineering, Michigan State University, 1967

PhD Chemical Engineering, USC, 1971

Dr. Edward C. Hohmann was a dean of the College of Engineering with a tenure at Cal Poly Pomona of nearly four decades.

Ed joined Cal Poly Pomona in 1971 as an assistant professor in what was then known as the chemical engineering department in the School of Engineering. By 1979, he became department chair. Five years later, he became dean and retired in 2010, earning the distinction of being the longest-serving dean of any engineering college within the CSU system.

Among his accomplishments during his deanship, he established the Industry Action Council (IAC) to build lasting ties between the college and the business community. The IAC was an instrumental fundraising apparatus of the college. It allowed the college to expand and dramatically transform — upgrades were made to buildings 9 and 13 and several older buildings were demolished to make way for building 17, which added 118,000 square feet of classroom and laboratory space.

Ed also served as interim vice president of Academic Affairs and helped found the Division of IT as one of its first vice presidents.

He is survived by Lotte Hohmann, his wife of 49 years; three children, Christa, Michael and Stephen; seven grandchildren; his mother, Mary J. Hohmann; and his three younger brothers, Thomas, John and Paul.

On October 20, 2017, the Dr. Edward C. Hohmann Laboratory was dedicated in his memory. Ed was an ardent believer in the learn by doing philosophy and his leadership was informed by this foundational approach to teaching. “There is a broad boulevard to success,” he would often say. “If you set it up correctly, the answer will fall out.”

The college is proud to honor Ed as the first-ever non-alumni, posthumous member of the Hall of Fame.