Sylvia S. Hacker, associate professor of community health nursing in the School of Nursing and associate professor of population planning and international health in the School of Public Health, will retire from active faculty status on December 31, 1993.

A native of New York City, Professor Hacker completed her B.A degree in 1946 at Brooklyn College, her M.S. degree in 1966 at the State University of New York at Cortland, and her Ph.D. degree in 1977 at the University of Michigan.

Since joining the University of Michigan faculty in 1975, Professor Hacker has become widely known within the University, the state, and the nation for her expertise in the area of human sexuality and her skill in communicating this expertise to others. She has published extensively, both in professional journals and lay magazines, and her new book, What Teenagers REALLY Want to Know About Sex, co-authored with her daughter, has just been published. The American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists certified her as a sex educator in 1988.

Professor Hacker is well known and respected for her forthrightness and ability to stimulate and manage constructive dialogue in the often-controversial area of human sexuality in secondary schools, colleges and universities, and community organizations. She engages and challenges her audience, with humor, to identify and examine their values and positions on sensitive social and political issues and to continuously pursue credible evidence in forming their positions.

Professor Hacker has shown remarkable personal and professional courage in the face of provocation and conflict and has made effective use of the mass media in doing so. She hosts a community access call-in television program, "Sexy Minutes;" has been interviewed on numerous radio and television shows, including "The Phil Donahue Show"; and has been cited in many national publications. She also serves as a consultant to the teen magazine, Sassy.

Professor Hacker has received awards from the Michigan Department of Public Health, Mensa, and lesbian and gay male civil rights groups. At the University, she received the Mae Edna Doyle Teacher of the Year Award from the School of Nursing in May 1993. Evaluations of her teaching skills indicate that she challenges people's values, stimulates their thinking, and helps them develop, articulate, and defend their positions in the area of human sexuality.

The Regents now salute this faculty member by naming Sylvia S. Hacker associate professor emerita of community health nursing and associate professor emerita of population planning and international health.