Pres. made great strides in education

Calling Sheldon Hackney a "champion of undergraduate education," University administrators and faculty members said the president has contributed greatly to the University's educational quality during his 12-year tenure. According to Nursing and Engineering faculty, Hackney has been consistently sympathetic toward problems and issues in the schools, helping to improve faculty and student recruitment as well as the University's overall 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 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 school's 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 education -- 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 his school, said that the Engineering 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 Materials Science and Engineering Professor David Pope said Hackney understands 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 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," Naylor said. "That has paid off for us as a school." Aiken said Friday that the 12 years of the Hackney administration were characterized by "a pervasive and strong commitment to improving undegraduate education." Aiken called attention to Hackney's 1983 "strategic plan," Choosing Penn's Future, in which he cited undergraduate education as one of the "special challenges" to which the University must respond with "fervor and commitment." Over the years, Hackney has outlined a number of goals for the University's future including revising core requirements, expanding individualized and interdisciplinary majors, and strengthening student-faculty ties. The 1991 University Five-Year plan, submitted by Hackney and Aiken, reviewed the accomplishments of the 1980s, including implementation of the Writing Across The University program and the First-Year House Program. And it outlined future endeavors, some of which have since become a reality. Aiken pointed to the inclusion of students in faculty research and faculty teaching abilities as two of the main objectives of the past years as well as the present. Hackney said last week he believes undergraduate education should be "the main part of the University's mission," adding that it encompasses "not just what goes on in the classroom but the entire undergraduate experience." He said he thinks his successes have included curriculum reform, drawing senior faculty into the teaching of undergraduate and introductory courses and increased programming in residence halls. But he said the task of increasing the quality of undergraduate education is not finished. "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 on 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 and Aiken have 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 it's an enduring legacy."