Michael Hooker Explained

Michael Hooker
8th Chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Term Start:1995
Term End:1999
Predecessor:Paul Hardin III
Successor:William Octavius McCoy (acting)
Title2:President of the University of Massachusetts System
Term Start2:1992
Term End2:1995
Predecessor2:Joseph Duffey
Successor2:William Bulger
Title3:President of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Term Start3:1986
Term End3:1992
Predecessor3:John W. Dorsey
Successor3:Freeman Hrabowski III
Title4:President of Bennington College
Term Start4:1982
Term End4:1986
Birth Date:24 August 1945
Birth Place:Richlands, Virginia
Death Place:Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Alma Mater:University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (B.A., '69)
University of Massachusetts-Amherst (MA., '72, Ph.D., '73)[1]
Profession:Philosopher
Spouse:Carmen DeFrates
Children:Alexandra Hooker

Michael Kenneth Hooker (August 24, 1945 – June 29, 1999) was an American academic who served as the eighth Chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and President of University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and Bennington College.

Early life

Hooker was born in 1945 in Richlands, Virginia.[2] A son of a coal miner, Hooker was the first in his family to attend college.[1] He chose to study philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and went on to pursue his doctoral degree at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

Academia

After receiving his Ph.D., Hooker began to teach philosophy at Harvard University and the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. In 1975, he became dean at Johns Hopkins University until 1982 when he moved to Vermont to become the president of Bennington College. Four years later, Hooker returned to Baltimore to become the president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and then left in 1992 to become the president of the University of Massachusetts system. At UMBC, Hooker enhanced the quality of the university by attracting more students from around the state.[3] Finally, in 1995 he became the eighth chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill until his death in 1999. At UNC Chapel Hill, he made computer literacy a top priority, preparing students for the technological changes of the twenty-first century.[1]

Death

Michael Hooker died from complications of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.[3]

Notes and References

  1. News: Wolfgang Saxon . Michael K. Hooker, 53, Chancellor With a Community Approach . . 1999-07-11 . 2017-07-11.
  2. n 82053996.
  3. Web site: Michael K Hooker | Former UMBC president Michael K. Hooker, 53, dies . Articles.baltimoresun.com . 1999-06-30 . 2017-07-11.