Hackney The faculty of the History Department celebrated the career of Penn History Professor Sheldon Hackney at his retirement party in College Hall Wednesday evening. In attendance were President Gutmann, Department Chairman Kathy Peiss, and former Chairman of the Board of Trustees _______. Hackney specializes in American history of the South in the post-Civil War era, and is a prominent educator. He served during the Clinton administration as head of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and also as University President from 1981-1993, during which he presided over the notorious Water buffalo incident at Penn.