A Devoted Alumnus, a Faculty Fellow and a Full-Ride Scholarship
How AD+PR students can score big from department-exclusive opportunities
By: Nick Schuller
Excellence. Achievement. Direction.
Those are the words that were chosen to describe the recipient of the William J. Hopp Scholarship.
The Hopp Scholarship is awarded to one student per academic year and covers full tuition for two semesters. The scholarship is given to a student who embodies the words listed above.
Tony Hopp set up the scholarship to honor his late father who got him interested in the advertising industry in which he later excelled. Hopp, an MSU advertising alumnus, chose to give back specifically to MSU because of his love for the school.
“Michigan State was an important part in the development of my life,” said Hopp. “I met my wife here. I got a great education here. I had a lot of fun, and loved the professors and love the beautiful campus.”
Eric Delannoy received the Hopp Scholarship last March and is currently enjoying free tuition in his last year at MSU.
“Winning this scholarship changes the beginning of my career,” said Delannoy. “The money awarded has made it so I can focus on my development. I am truly appreciative of the opportunity to receive this scholarship.”
Hopp’s support to the Department of AD+PR didn’t end with his undergraduate scholarship. He recently worked with college administrators to create the Hopp Faculty Fellow Award. The award was presented to Greg Taucher, AD+PR professor of practice, for going above and beyond as a mentor and educator.
“It is an honor and a privilege to receive this award,” said Taucher. “I came to MSU for a reason. This [to me] says that after close to four years now, I’m making a difference, pushing the envelope and doing what I need to do.”
The award also enables Taucher to support innovation and inspiration in the department.
“I’m working on setting up a data analytics club, similar to the Ad Association, as well as getting more guest speakers in,” said Taucher. “It will be a combination of tactical, day-to-day things like that, while also providing big-picture stuff in terms of [promoting] trends that people should be paying attention to.”
The William J. Hopp Scholarship is a great opportunity, but far from the only one available to AD+PR students.
“There’s around 10 scholarships available exclusively to AD+PR students, with two more on the way,” said Taucher. “There’s a lot of scholarship opportunities and money in the department.”
Some of the scholarships share a common application, making it easy to apply for multiple opportunities at once.
The scholarships are open to anyone but are awarded to the students who best show their aptitude for the advertising and public relations fields. Regardless of how daunting the process may seem, Delannoy stressed the importance of submitting an application.
“I wanted to show people like myself who typically get passed over for things that it is possible to achieve something special,” said Delannoy.