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Dr. Miller has served as the President at Bethany since 2007. |
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Dr. Miller is often seen engaging students across Bethany's campus. |
Dr. Scott D. Miller
President, Bethany College
Dr. Miller, in his 24th year as a college president, has served as President and M.M. Cochran Professor of Leadership Studies at Bethany since the fall of 2007. Prior to coming to Bethany, Dr. Miller served for ten-and-a-half years as President at Wesley College in Delaware. Prior to Wesley, he served for seven years as president of Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee. Dr. Miller is a highly sought presenter, mentor, and author on higher education topics including financial sustainability and presidential performance for national conferences and trade journals. Dr. Miller earned a B.A. degree from West Virginia Wesleyan College, an M.A. from the University of Dayton, an Ed.S. from Vanderbilt University, and a Ph.D. in higher education administration from The Union Institute & University. He and his wife Annie are the parents of two adult daughters.
As a College President for 24 years, I am extremely proud that for more than 17 of those years, I have been affiliated with Division III institutions. Being at the Division III level encourages the student-athlete to develop not just in their chosen sport(s), but also in the classroom and as productive members in their campus community. During my time at Wesley College and now here at Bethany, some of my favorite moments have come when I see a student on Graduation Day who has reached their full potential because they have taken advantage of the opportunities only available to them at a private liberal arts Division III institution.
The stories and great memories of those students and their accomplishments are so many. Just in my time at Bethany, I could talk about Johnathan Foster, a first-generation College student from Cumberland, Maryland, who not only became a record-setting wide receiver and captain on the football team, but excelled in the classroom to earn Academic All-American honors, one of the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships and acceptance into law school at the University of Pittsburgh. Another example is Paige Prato, who set numerous records on the track, but due to her academic work, she was accepted into Ohio University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program, which she left for the day she graduated from Bethany because she was due to start class on Monday. Paige was also heavily involved in numerous activities on campus and in the community and all of her accomplishments helped her earn the selection as the PAC’s NCAA Woman of the Year nominee.
I truly enjoy seeing the student-athletes earn accolades not just in their sports, but for all of their activities. As the only Division III institution in West Virginia, Bethany also boasts the largest athletic department by number of teams of any college or university in the state (Division I, II or III). But as partially shown above, Bethany student-athletes are about more than just their athletic achievements. In addition, our program has produced the College’s last two Valedictorians, as well as many award winners during Bethany’s Honors Day Convocation held every April where the outstanding students of the College are recognized.
What I also believe sets the Division III philosophy apart and pushes students to grow is the commitment to helping others through community service. Bethany was admitted to the national 2014 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for engaging its students, faculty and staff in meaningful service in the community. Student-athletes played a large part in that recognition, as athletic teams logged over 1,850 hours of community service last year and this year has been another busy year for our programs in the community.
I could not be more proud to have spent such a large portion of my career at Division III institutions. If I were ever asked “Why Division III?”, I would simply state that seeing students grow in every phase has brought me the greatest enjoyment in my tenures as a College President and I’m looking forward to many more years of watching student-athletes at this level Discover, Develop and Dedicate.