Former Wake Forest University President Thomas K. Hearn, one of the leading voices for intercollegiate athletics reform in the 1980s and 1990s, died Monday after a long struggle with cancer.

Hearn served as Wake Forest University president from 1983 to 2005. He was 71.

“He served 22 years with great vision and integrity, and all who love Wake Forest are grateful for his legacy of achievement and the place the institution holds in American higher education,” said Wake Forest President Nathan Hatch, who succeeded Hearn.

Hearn was a member of the NCAA Presidents Commission from 1988-94. He also chaired the Knight Foundation Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics.

Hearn came to Wake Forest from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. An obituary in the Winston-Salem Journal noted that during his presidency, Wake Forest’s college applications doubled and faculty hiring expanded. The institution also hosted presidential debates in 2000 and 1988, and the college launched an extensive construction and renovation initiative during his tenure.

Hearn took a leave of absence from his presidency in late 2003 while he battled brain cancer. He returned to the job several months later and retired in June 2005.