From a young age, Jane Kay Nugent ’48 knew she wanted her life to make a difference.
As a woman in the male dominated field of business, she did just that, breaking glass ceilings at Detroit Edison, donating treasure and talent as a philanthropist and volunteer, and advocating for equal employment opportunities for all.
Her efforts toward that end will continue for many years, thanks to a planned gift of $1.5 million to University of Detroit Mercy. Of that gift, $1 million will be used to endow the Jane Kay Nugent Chair in the College of Business Administration. The remainder of that sum will be added to the Jane Kay Nugent Endowed Scholarship established years ago at the University. Women applicants are to be given preference for both endowed funds.
A recognized pioneer among women executives in metro Detroit, Nugent received her bachelor’s of science degree from University of Detroit. She went to work for Detroit Edison, where she proved her acumen and skill over many years. Her hard work was rewarded in 1982 when she became the first woman to be named vice president of administration at Detroit Edison, one of the top positions at the utility. She held that position until she retired in 1990.
“I wanted to improve opportunities for women,” Nugent said. Her tireless efforts did not go unnoticed. She has a number of awards from organizations honoring this work and in 1988 was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame.
While climbing the corporate ladder, she kept her feet firmly planted in the community. She served as president of the International Association of Personnel Women, the Women’s Economic Club, the Children’s Home of Detroit, the Boys and Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan and the Grosse Pointe War Memorial. She also served on many boards, including the Detroit Mercy’s College of Business Administration Advisory Board, Bon Secours of Michigan Healthcare System, First Bank of America-Southeast Michigan, United Way, St. John Hospital and Medical Center and the St. John Hospital Foundation.
She taught seminars for women in business across the United States, and was an instructor at the University of Detroit Evening College of Business Administration, the University of Michigan, Cornell University and at the Management Center of Cambridge in England and the Waterloo Management Education Centre in Canada.
Nugent is a member of Detroit Mercy’s College of Business Administration Hall of Honor and the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame. She received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Detroit Mercy in 2013 in recognition of her leadership, accomplishments and commitment to others.
The University holds a special place in Nugent’s heart for many reasons, and that’s why she has been so generous to it. “Its values and the philosophy of a Catholic university have been important for me,” she said. “And, of course, the associations and friendships that started there have been important personally and professionally. University of Detroit Mercy prepared me not only for a career, but for life.”
