Kutztown University Awards Honorary Doctorate to Nancy Jean Stump Seiger ’54

Hawkinson presenting degree to Stump Sieger.

KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Kutztown University awarded Nancy Jean Stump Seiger ’54 an honorary doctorate at the institution's 2021 Fall Commencement Ceremony Saturday, Dec. 18, at O'Pake Fieldhouse.

Seiger received a Doctor of Pedagogy, paedagogiae doctor, honoris causa. The degree was presented by university president Dr. Kenneth S. Hawkinson.

Seiger's generosity and dedication to her alma mater – and the community at large – are transformative. Seiger graduated from Kutztown State Teachers College in 1954 with a degree in education. She taught fifth grade in the Reading School District for 32 years and taught citizenship classes at night.

Giving back has always been important to Seiger and Kutztown University is a better place because of her philanthropy. Her involvement in the Kutztown University Foundation's Ladies Tea led her to make a gift to name the Nancy Jean Stump Seiger ’54 Multipurpose Room in the McFarland Student Union, a space that houses a wide variety of campus events. More recently, her generosity has allowed the university to begin plans for the Nancy Jean Stump Seiger ’54 Botanical Research Center, another space that will benefit KU students, faculty and the local community.

Seiger's philanthropy is not limited to Kutztown University. Her generosity reaches to the Humane Society of Berks County, Berks Encore, Meals on Wheels and more. Additionally, she plans to establish a scholarship fund that will benefit both KU and Antietam High School students.