10th anniversary of Hackney's appointment passes by quietly

The last six weeks have been quiet ones for President Sheldon Hackney compared to the same six-week period ten years ago. During those six weeks in 1980, the campus was awash with protests over the Trustees' selection of Tulane University president Hackney to lead the school, shutting out then-Provost Vartan Gregorian. But the 10th anniversary of Hackney's September 15 nomination and his October 24 election passed without any official notice this semester. University Secretary Mary Ann Meyers said last night that the University will mark Hackney's 10th year from the day he took over as president, February 1, 1981. She added that she and Trustee Chairperson Alvin Shoemaker have discussed a possible celebration commemorating the occasion, but said no concrete plans have been made. Past Faculty Senate Chairperson Robert Davies said yesterday he knows of no faculty plans for marking the end of Hackney's first decade. He added that if there were any plans, "I would know about them." Lucy Hackney, the president's wife, said last night that the president's family will probably celebrate the 10-year milestone privately, adding that she knows of no official University plans. The Trustees Executive Committee nominated Hackney to be the school's sixth president on September 15, 1980. On the same day, Gregorian, who is now the president of Brown University, announced his resignation. Hackney's nomination was followed by threats of lawsuit, protests and votes supporting Gregorian by both the Faculty Senate and Undergraduate Assembly. But the uproar came to an abrupt end on October 21, 1980, when Gregorian officially bowed out of presidential consideration and called for unity among University members. Hackney officially took the reigns in College Hall on February 1, 1981, and was ceremonially inaugurated on October 23, nearly a year after his election.

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