Dr. L. Dennis Smith, Ph.D.

Past President, University of Nebraska

Dr. L. Dennis Smith was president of the University of Nebraska from March 1, 1994 until July 30, 2004.  In the fall of 2005, he returned to the classroom on a part-time basis in Biological Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  He also served as executive vice chancellor of the University of California, Irvine (1990-1994) and was acting chancellor of the Irvine campus from October 1992 to July 1993.  Earlier, he had been dean of the School of Biological Sciences at Irvine (1987-1990), where he also served as a faculty member in developmental and cell biology. Dr. Smith was on the faculty of Purdue University from 1969 to 1987 and received an honorary Doctor of Science from Purdue in 2000.  At Purdue, he headed the department of biological sciences (1980-1987).  He was employed as a staff scientist at the Argonne National Laboratory (1964-1969) and at Indiana University (1963-1964). He was awarded the American Association for the Advancement of Science Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award in 2002, and in 2012 was elected Fellow in the AAAS. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1987.

He is the past chair of the Business-Higher Education Forum and was active in the American Association for Higher Education, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, the American Council on Education, the Association of American Universities, the Council on Competitiveness, the National Association of Governing Boards, the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, and the National Association of System Heads.  He served on the boards of the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs, the Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, the Nebraska Arts Council, and the Systems and Computer Technology Executive Advisory Council.  He was a member of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce Labor Availability Council, the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Missouri River Basin Lewis & Clark Interpretive Trails & Visitor Center, the Nebraska Business-Higher Education Forum, the Nebraska Diplomats, the Nebraska Industrial Competitiveness Alliance, and Rotary Club of Lincoln #14.  He also served on the boards of U.S. Bank, Inc., and Arista Communications, and graduated from class XIII (2008-2009) of Greater Naples Leadership. He was a member of the Board of Scientific Counselors for the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development from 1990-1995, and was the board’s chair from 1992-1995.  He was a member of the Space Science Board of the National Research Council from 1984-1991 and served as chair of the Committee on Space Biology and Medicine from 1986-1991.  He was a member of the AIBS-NASA Space Biology Peer Review Panel, 1980-1985.  He was a member of the Cell Biology Study Section, NIH, 1971-1975, and was chair from 1977-1979.  He has served on several editorial boards. He and his wife, Suzanne, reside in Naples, Florida and have a summer residence in Monticello, Indiana.  They have two adult children.