The Foundation for Education and Research in Vision (FERV), the support organization for the UH College of Optometry (UHCO), awarded Hopping, a 1981 UH alum and outgoing president of FERV, a Presidential Endowed Scholarship in her name. The first Dr. Desiree T. Hopping Presidential Endowed Scholarship will be given next fall. The award is aimed at entering freshmen or first-year professional students based on their outstanding academic achievements in combination with their leadership in school or community activities. The scholarship is renewable for eight semesters as long as the student continues to meet eligibility requirements.

Established in 1955, FERV works at improving the quality of life for others through promoting education in the field of vision, as well as releasing pertinent information to the public concerning vision needs and care. The organization also seeks to encourage and foster the study of human vision and related fields by providing resources for student scholarships and loans, research and state-of-the-art equipment. FERV functions as the non-profit support foundation of UHCO, helping generate and manage funds for optometric study.

"FERV is critical to the growth of optometry in Texas by recruiting top students to be the best possible optometrists and conduct top research," Hopping said. "Without FERV, the UH College of Optometry would rely only on state funding, which would inhibit its ability to keep up with the growth of the profession. I've been committed to UHCO and have worked hard for its support organization by getting others involved in FERV and creating good will."

Involved with FERV for the past 20 years, Hopping held
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Contact: Lisa Merkl
lkmerkl@uh.edu
713-743-8192
University of Houston
30-Nov-2004