2021 ESL Transition Ceremony

Jennifer L. Miller earned her Bachelor of Arts in Education from the University of Akron. She went on to earn both her master’s degree and her Ph.D. from Kent State University.

Dr. Miller began her career as a classroom teacher at Southeast High School in Ravenna, Ohio, where she taught reading and English in grades 9-12. From that work she earned recognition as a national board-certified teacher and maintained that distinction for 20 years.

In 2002, she joined the faculty at Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio, working with pre-service teachers in middle and high school licensure programs teaching undergraduate courses and supervising students in the field. In 2015, Dr. Miller was named Associate Dean of Academic Affairs for Professional and Graduate Studies at Hiram College and achieved the rank of full professor.

In 2018, Dr. Miller began at Mercy College of Health Sciences in Des Moines, Iowa, where she led the academic programs across three schools: nursing, allied health, and liberal arts and sciences. In 2019, she joined Black Hawk College in Moline, Illinois, where she currently serves as Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences. In this role Dr. Miller oversees seven departments offering general education and transfer courses across the college.

Dr. Miller also has been very active with the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and its Peer Corps. She has completed advance training in several areas and served on an HLC committee to train new accreditation liaison officers.

She has published research in various journals related to adolescent literature, middle school philosophy and best practices in teaching. She has presented at a range of local and national conferences on topics related to her research as well as providing professional development to classroom teachers and college faculty.