Alumni Spotlight - Bob Hopkins

Bob Hopkins graduated from KU in 1965 with a degree in Spanish Education. During his time at KU, he served as President of a study abroad group in Barcelona in 1962. He received study certificates in Social Entrepreneurship, as well as a Certificate in Fund Raising from the National Society of Fund Raising Executives. After receiving his Masters in Speech from K-State, he then went on to become an executive director or Fund Development officer for nonprofits for 30 years. Later, Bob spent a year as a Visiting Professor at the Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey in Nuevo León, Mexico. He also raised money in Mexico and taught fundraising in Spanish in 2015.

Bob published a magazine called Philanthropy in Texas/World for 12 years before writing his first book, Philanthropy Misunderstood. The book details 108 stories of people with whom he has volunteered in projects around the world. Bob asserts through these experiences that philanthropy is not limited to monetary donations, but is instead about the love of mankind and one's ability to "make a difference everyday".

Bob is now a college professor at the University of Texas in Arlington. He will be teaching a new course in the Spring named Non Profit Management as part of a newly established degree called Philanthropy in the departments of Communications and Management. In his free time, Bob is an equestrian as well as an avid tennis player.