[1] She earned her bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in political science from Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.
[2] Hopkins began her long career in higher education in 1968 as an assistant professor of political science at the Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York, where she would become the department chair.
[2][3] As the first female president of the University of North Florida,[4] Hopkins focused on increasing academic excellence through initiatives such as expanding student learning opportunities, the student honors program, faculty-mentored research projects, and professional development, and adding new academic offerings on campus.
After leaving the presidency, she served as a political science professor at the university for many additional years.
[5] Hopkins launched university's first capital campaign, called "Access to Excellence," which raised over $100 million and became the largest philanthropic effort in Jacksonville's history.