The University Record, January 30, 1996
Neal named interim president
The appointment, effective July 1, was approved by the Board of Regents last Thursday. President James J. Duderstadt will retire from the presidency June 30 and return to teaching at Michigan. A search for the next president is getting under way.
“The University is fortunate to have Dr. Neal accept this appointment, which will provide continuity of leadership at Michigan,” said Regent Nellie M. Varner. “He is a distinguished faculty member with extensive administrative experience. He is a highly respected leader in teaching, research and educational administration. We are grateful to him for stepping forward to help the University in this important transitional period.”
“Homer Neal is one of the most distinguished and respected leaders in higher education today,” said Duderstadt. “I congratulate the Board of Regents on their decision to name as interim president such an outstanding individual. Anne and I very much look forward to working closely with Homer and Jeannie on a smooth transition in the months to come.”
Neal joined the faculty in 1987 as professor and chair of the Department of Physics. He was named vice president for research in 1993.
In 1981-86 he was provost and vice president for academic affairs and professor of physics at the State University of New York, Stony Brook. He also taught at Indiana University in 1967-81 and was dean of research and graduate development there in 1976-81.
In 1980-86 Neal was a member of the National Science Board, the governing body of the National Science Foundation. He chaired the National Science Board Committee on Undergraduate Science Education, the National Science Foundation Physics Advisory Committee, and the National Academy of Sciences’ Committee on Career Choices of Talented Students. He also served as a trustee of the Scientist’s Institute for Public Information and the Universities Research Association.
His other activities with national scientific groups include the Superconducting Super Collider Board of Overseers, the Smithsonian Institution Board of Regents, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies Board of Trustees. He has been a Fellow of the American Physical Society since 1972.
Neal, an experimental high energy physicist, received his Ph.D. degree in physics from the U-M in 1966. His many honors include a 1980-81 Guggenheim Fellowship, the Stony Brook Medal and an honorary degree from Indiana University where he also received his B.S. degree in 1961.
