The Arizona Board of Regents elected Hughes as president on his 1979 retirement from J. Lawrence Walkup.
The death of former President of the University of Northern Arizona, Eugene M. Hughes, does not diminish the legacy he left in the state.
Hughes, 86, died in Flagstaff on March 10, 2021. The native Nebraskan was born on April 3, 1934 in Scottsbluff.
Hughes joined Flagstaff in 1970 as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He developed quickly and was promoted to Provost of Arts and Sciences. In 1877 he became academic vice president. The Arizona Board of Regents elected Hughes as president on his 1979 retirement from J. Lawrence Walkup.
Hughes held that role for 14 years – from July 1, 1979 to June 30, 1993. During those years, the NAU campus grew dramatically in terms of student population, faculty positions, and campus facilities. Its reputation also grew when Money Magazine selected NAU as its public university in 1986, which successfully maintained a thriving liberal arts environment that emphasized student personal attention.
During his tenure as President, the number of enrollments rose from 11,301 to 18,491. More than 20 buildings have been erected on campus. Several new academic projects have been launched including the Center for Excellence in Education, the Southwest Center for Forestry Science Complex in collaboration with the Forest Service; Foundation of the School of Hotel and Restaurant Management; and “New Momentum,” an academic program attended by Indians from across the Southwest and the United States.
A notable expansion occurred when Hughes helped set up NAU field sites at several community colleges, including NAU-Yuma at Arizona Western College. At the same time, NAU-Net was created, a satellite and microwave network with which NAU could offer courses for locations outside the campus. During the same period, Hughes and his colleagues initiated cooperation agreements with four universities in China so that the NAU could expand its international presence.
Hughes was also active in the community. He has served on various boards of directors of organizations including the Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce, the Museum of Northern Arizona, the Rotary Club East Flagstaff, the Flagstaff Summer Festival, and the Boy Scout Council.
After leaving Flagstaff in June 1993, Hughes was President of Wichita State University until 1999. He was then asked to serve as interim president at Eastern Kentucky University, a position he held from 2000 to 2001. He and his wife Margaret Ann returned in 2001. He immediately returned to the community, including serving as President of the Museum of Northern Arizona and Co-President of the Flagstaff Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
Hughes had three degrees: a 1956 Bachelor of Science from Chadron State Teachers College (CSTC); 1958 a master’s degree from Kansas State University; and received his PhD from George Peabody College-Vanderbilt University in 1968. He had three honorary doctorates: NAU, 1997; CSTC, 2003; and Eastern Kentucky University, 2011.
Hughes is survived by his three children and their families – Deborah (Hughes) Cruze, Greg Hughes, and Lisa (Hughes) Zyriek; and her mother, Caroline Hartwick Hughes; of seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren; and by his second wife, Margaret Ann Romeo Hughes, and their children.
The Hughes family expect to announce a celebration of life later this year. FBN
By Ray Newton, FBN
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