Hackney and education

Calling Sheldon Hackney a "champion of undergraduate education," University administrators and faculty members said that, throughout his 12-year tenure, the president has contributed greatly to the quality of education at the University. According to Nursing and Engineering faculty, Hackney has been consistently sympathetic toward problems and issues that have arisen in the schools, and has helped to improve faculty and student recruitment and the overall University image. "[Hackney] is aware of just about everything that goes on here," said Larry Robbins, director of the Wharton Communications Program. "He certainly does know what every school is trying to accomplish, and the specific problems that they face." Former Nursing School Dean Claire Fagin agreed, saying that over the years Hackney has exhibited "very strong support" for the Nursing School. "He really had an interest in learning about the school," Fagin said, adding that Hackney helped her both with the school's fundraising efforts and with the restructuring of the Board of Overseers. "When there was something that needed to be done, there was a feeling that the president was the appropriate person to go to," she added. "You could always count on him." Administrators and faculty said the rise in application and matriculation figures over the course of Hackney's tenure is an indication of the increasing quality of education Hackney has fostered at the University. Between 1981 and 1992, the number of undergraduate Nursing School applicants more than doubled, and the number of eventual matriculants in the school increased by over 90 percent. Although the most dramatic increase was in the Nursing School, application and matriculation figures for both the Wharton and Engineering Schools also increased during Hackney's term as president. But the effects of Hackney's commitment to education are not limited to student application and matriculation figures. According to administrators in each of the undergraduate schools, Hackney's strong emphasis on the quality of education, specifically undergraduate, has opened the door to prestigious faculty appointments and has attracted a high caliber of student to the University as a whole. Engineering Dean Gregory Farrington, who cited Hackney's "steadfast support" for the proposed construction of the new Institute for Advanced Science and Technology as a way in which Hackney has specifically aided the Engineering School, said his school has made strides in both faculty and student quality in the past years. Since Hackney took office in 1981, "we have made some outstanding faculty appointments," Farrington said. "And the quality of the student body continues to [rise in a] positive slope." And Material Science and Engineering professor David Pope mentioned that Hackney understood that "even though engineering and sciences are intrinsically expensive subjects to teach, they are intellectual endeavors that belong at a place like Penn." Nursing Undergraduate Dean Mary Naylor agrees that Hackney's sense of commitment to students and to creating an environment in which "students and faculty interact with each other in and out of the classroom" is evidence of his devotion to education. "Hackney and [Provost] Michael Aiken have really committed resources to developing undergraduate education and strengthening it," said Director of Undergraduate Nursing Mary Naylor, "That has paid off for us as a school." Hackney said last night he believes undergraduate education should be focused on as "the main part of the University's mission," adding that undergraduate education encompasses "not just what goes on in the classroom but the entire undergraduate experience." He stressed the many reforms and programs that have been implemented throughout his tenure, including curriculum reform, drawing senior faculty into the teaching of undergraduate and introductory courses and increased programming in residence halls. He said, however, that the task of increasing the quality of undergraduate education is not complete. "I think we've taken some large steps forward," Hackney said, "[but] this is not a completed task." Hackney added that he feels that the deans are "completely committed" to continuing in their efforts, and that the positive change of the past years will have a good impact of the future. And administrators agree that although Hackney's departure will leave a large gap in the University's leadership, the educational principles for which he has stood will remain intact throughout the Univeristy community. "The commitment to undergraduate education will continue and the excellence of faculty will continue," Farrington said. "I think that its an enduring legacy."