Dr. Fred P. Hilpert Memorial Scholarship

Dr. Fred P. Hilpert was a communication studies professor at California State University, Stanislaus from 1977-2011. He served as department chair, helped create Communication Studies, co-founded the University’s chapter of the California Faculty Association and was coordinator of the Faculty Mentorship Program when it launched in 1987. He formally retired for less than a year, returning in 2012 as one of the founding creators of the Extended Education’s Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences (BASS) program.

As the first of his family to attend college, he was fortunate to secure a four-year baseball scholarship to the University of Washington, where he completed his undergraduate degree in 1962. In addition to being a standout first baseman, he was also an offensive and defensive lineman on the football team, a brother of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, and a member of the Navy ROTC.

His ROTC training led him to the Vietnam War, where he served as a platoon lieutenant in the first wave of U.S. Marines to land in DaNang. For his service, he was awarded the Vietnamese Service Medal with 2 stars, the Vietnamese Campaign Medal, and the National Defense Service
Medal. After his deployment, he was promoted to Captain and served as a Communications Officer in Quantico, Virginia.

After his military service, he resumed his education and earned a Masters degree from California State University, Chico. He was awarded a National Defense Education Scholarship for doctoral study, allowing him to pursue a PhD in Speech Communication and Rhetoric from the
University of Oregon. Following his completion of a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Illinois, Dr. Hilpert accepted a faculty appointment at CSU Stanislaus.

A beloved educator, Dr. Hilpert was named the university’s “Outstanding Professor” in 1985
and 2005, and was the inaugural recipient of the “Distinguished Faculty” award in 2010. Dr. Hilpert was a dedicated professor and passionate researcher of gerontology communications, but always made time to be an active member of the university community, serving as Faculty Senate President, the president of the faculty collective bargaining unit, on a Presidential Search advisory committee, and as a Faculty Mentor.

Led by his wife, Patricia L. Hilpert, Dr. Hilpert’s family wishes to honor his legacy by awarding a scholarship in his name to a deserving first generation college student with financial need and pursuing a Communication Studies degree.

The intent of this fund is to provide scholarship opportunities to students first generation Communication Studies majors who have a financial need which will be confirmed by the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office based on the student’s completion of a FAFSA or CADAA.