Deborah L. Hopp ’75 honored with prestigious Regents Award
College of Liberal Arts alumna and University of Minnesota champion Deborah Hopp was presented with the Regents Award on Monday, July 22. The Regents Award is one of the most prestigious honors awarded by the University of Minnesota and recognizes those who demonstrate exceptionally valuable and meritorious service and/or contributed to the University’s development through significant financial support.
A proud graduate of what is now the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Hopp was celebrated and lauded during an intimate celebration of family, friends, and University leaders including Interim President Jeff Ettinger, U of M Foundation CEO Kathy Schmidlkofer, University of Minnesota Regents Penny Wheeler and Kodi Verhalen, Interim CLA Dean Ann Waltner, and Hubbard School Director Elisia Cohen.
Before presenting Hopp with the Regents Award, longtime friend and University Regent Penny Wheeler read aloud the honoring commemoration:
“Drawing on a deep wellspring of passion for the University of Minnesota and its mission, Deb Hopp’s service has inspired countless others, from her undergraduate classmates at the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication to her contemporaries in University leadership.
Deb’s selfless enthusiasm for the University makes her contributions as a leader, a volunteer, and a philanthropist truly transformative. She has proven herself time and again a true champion of the University.”
Hopp was nominated for the Regents Award by Kathy Schmidlkofer, with supporting letters of recommendation from former CLA Dean John Coleman, as well as UMF Board of Trustees Ross Levin, Lynn Casey, and Dale and Ruth Bachman.
Hopp began her career in media after earning her BA in Journalism from CLA. She devoted her consummate vocational energies to the field of publishing, serving as vice president of publishing for MSP Communications, publisher of Mpls.St.Paul and Twin Cities Business magazines and currently as President of MSPC, the company’s marketing agency.
Always an enthusiastic supporter for all things U of M, Hopp offered her valuable time, outstanding skill, and unyielding support to University causes and initiatives that elevated the entire institution and CLA to new heights. She was an inspiring leader at the helm of the University of Minnesota Foundation where she served as Chair of the Board of Trustees, she served alongside her second husband Kit as the co-chair of CLA’s expectation-shattering $182 million Driven campaign, served as national president of the Alumni Association, partnered with her daughters to create the Mark Hopp Scholarship for future journalists in memory of her first husband, and actively supports the Public Life Project begun by Kit to help students bridge polarizing influences.
In addition to receiving the Regents Award, Hopp has also been bestowed with the Alumni Service Award and the Harrison Salisbury Annual Achievement Award from CLA.
Please join us in thanking Deb for a lifetime of service to the University of Minnesota and congratulating her on this well-deserved and esteemed honor.
