Dr. Celia Hooper, MA ’74

“A Will Bequest allows me to support UNCG while also providing financial flexibility.”

My mother graduated from Woman’s College in 1945. She and my father instilled within me not only a passion for education, but also a spirit of philanthropy.

Though I attended another college for my undergraduate studies, by the time I graduated I knew that I wanted to study speech pathology at The University of North Carolina Greensboro, which had one of the best programs in the region. After obtaining my master’s degree at UNCG, I began my career working for smaller non-profit organizations. There I saw the importance of donor philanthropy.

Later, I obtained my PhD from Case Western Reserve University and then taught on the faculties of Case Western Reserve, the University of Kansas, and UNC Chapel Hill. My first love, though, was always UNCG. As an education professional, I came back to UNCG because of the importance I place on health and wellness education, and also the strength of UNCG’s program in that area. Joining the program first as a faculty member and department chair, I’ve now served as dean of the School of Health and Human Sciences, or its related programs, for over eight years.

My mother and I chose to begin a program fund to provide discretionary spending resources for HHS. The Lu Ellen Routh Hooper ’45 and Dr. Celia Routh Hooper MA ’74 Program Fund for the School of Health and Human Sciences provides support for various needs ranging from student emergencies to travel funds for faculty members.

In addition to current contributions, I chose to contribute to the fund through a Will Bequest. At the time I created the planned gift, with two children in college, I didn’t have a lot of discretionary money in my household budget. A Will Bequest allowed me to commit to future funding of the program without increasing my current household expenses.

Between my husband and me, we’ve obtained degrees from five different colleges. I give to UNCG because of the impact my gifts have on this campus. Each and every day I see the wide-ranging benefits that donors’ gifts provide to our university. I encourage others to join with me in supporting UNCG through a planned gift.