Outgoing Regents Neal D. Nielsen and Veronica Latta Smith were made Regents Emeritus at the December meeting of the Board and presented with resolutions commending their service to the University over the past eight years.
Smith lauded as ‘splendid woman of Michigan’
“The Regents of the University of Michigan extend their warm greetings and deep gratitude to their friend and colleague, Veronica Latta Smith, as she concludes eight years of dedicated service to the faculty, staff and students of the University.
“Few Regents, past or present, can point to a lifetime that is so closely tied to the University of Michigan and dedicated to efforts on its behalf. Beginning with her own graduation in 1948 and subsequent studies, her life has been continually marked with service to this institution. Membership on the Martha Cook Board of Governors, the Martha Cook Alumni Association, the University of Michigan Alumni Association, the President’s Club, and life membership in the University of Michigan Women’s Athletic Association are but a few examples of her efforts which culminated, of course, with her role as regent for the past eight years.
“And, throughout all of this University activity, Regent Smith has maintained a full and active business and professional career. Over the years, she has served as a teacher and insurance executive, as well as a commercial real estate developer and manager.
“It is not surprising that Regent Smith’s special concern as regent was students. Her efforts on their behalf were surely an extension of her own family’s interest: she and her husband, Stewart, and their six children share 12 different degrees from the University of Michigan. The dedication she displayed on behalf of her own children was especially appreciated by the students she served as regent of the University.
“The Regents happily commend this splendid woman of Michigan, applaud her many accomplishments, thank her for her service to the University, and proudly install Veronica Latta Smith as Regent Emeritus of the University of Michigan.”
Nielsen: ‘particular champion’ of Flint campus
“The Regents of the University warmly salute and commend their fellow regent, Neal D. Nielsen, as he completes eight years of devoted service as a member of the University’s governing board.
“His association with the University began as an undergraduate at Michigan, where he received his bachelor’s degree. After graduate work at Western Michigan University, he entered law school and earned his L.L.B. at Detroit College of Law.
“Regent Nielsen’s experience and expertise have been especially helpful during this period in the history of the University, which has seen many difficult priority decisions brought on by funding shortfalls and changing revenue patterns. He was especially sensitive to keeping a University education within the financial reach of all Michigan citizens. Yet he realized that the quality of the University could not be compromised. He sought instead to maintain quality through prioritization and the development of alternative revenue sources.
“As a particular champion of the University’s Flint campus, Regent Nielsen saw in that institution another way of maintaining access to a University of Michigan education, especially for students in that region of the state. He was tireless in his interest and support of the activities on that campus, and he did so without in any way slighting the other campuses of the University.
“Regent Nielsen has maintained a full professional practice and is a recognized leader in his home community of Brighton. The Regents are grateful that the institution they all serve has been the beneficiary of the dedication of this distinguished public service. And in recognition, they are pleased to name Neal D. Nielsen Regent Emeritus of the University of Michigan.”
