Philip Hovda, former Dean of Students at the SSA

Philip Hovda (Ph.D. ’71), a former Dean of Students at the School of Social Service Administration, died Dec. 7, 1998, following a stroke at his home in Green Valley, Ariz. He was 70.

Hovda served as a member of the SSA faculty for 30 years, joining in 1964 as Field Work Assistant Professor, later acting as Director of Field Work and retiring as Dean of Students and Senior Lecturer in 1994.

Hovda was well-known to and much loved by numerous SSA students. “I have been struck by the number of alumni who have told me that Phil profoundly changed their lives,” said Edward Lawlor, Dean of the SSA. “He was a good friend to many of us. He was a person with a mischievous sense of humor, exceptional judgment about how to handle difficult circumstances and a deep commitment to students. He exemplified the values of the school and the field.”

Prior to his work in the SSA, Hovda was employed as a caseworker with Hospitality House Agency, the Hennepin County Court Services, the Minnesota Department of Public Welfare and the Minnesota Residential Treatment Center for Children. In 1975, he was named Social Worker of the Year by the Chicago chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.

Born Jan. 25, 1928, in Sumner, Ill., Hovda received a B.A. in June 1954 from Bethel College in St. Paul, Minn., a M.S.W. in 1957 from the University of Minnesota, and a Ph.D. from the SSA in 1971.

Hovda is survived by his wife, Judith Hanson Ramseyer (A.M. ’66, Ph.D. ’86), a son and four daughters.

A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 27, in the SSA Library, 969 E. 60th St.