Fayneese Miller, dean of the College of Education and Social Services, has been named the 20th president of Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn.
Miller, who has served as dean and professor of Human Development, Educational Leadership and Social Policy at UVM since 2005, begins her tenure at the comprehensive liberal arts university of 2,100 undergraduates and 2,800 graduate students on July 1. She is Hamline’s first African American president and second female to hold the top post.
“Fayneese Miller has had a long and distinguished career at UVM, having served as dean for 10 years,” said UVM President Tom Sullivan. “She has accomplished a great deal as dean of the College of Education and Social Services. The graduates and faculty of the College provide invaluable service to the nation, and especially to Vermont through their roles in schools and colleges, social service agencies, and other public service initiatives. Through her stewardship of the college, we have seen a steady rise in rankings and visibility for the College of Education and Social Services. We wish her well in her new position as president of Hamline University.”
In her role as dean, Miller helped elevate the College of Education and Social Services’ national profile, including a 75-position improvement in U.S. News and World Report’s ranking of graduate education programs, placing it among the top 65 nationally. Known for her commitment to social justice, Miller emphasized the importance of graduates working to help elevate students from all socioeconomic backgrounds. These values were reflected in her own research as a social psychologist specializing in the psychosocial development of youth, with special emphasis on such topics as alienation, social identity and cross-racial friendships. She completed a benchbook on truancy used nationally by family court judges and authored dozens of papers in top journals.
“One of the harder decisions I have ever had to make was deciding to leave the University of Vermont and my many colleagues and friends in the College of Education and Social Services to become the 20th president of Hamline University,” said Miller. “My colleagues in the college have played a major role in defining who I am as a leader and helping me appreciate the importance of community within higher education. I will be forever indebted to them. I leave UVM, however, knowing that the college is strong; we have an exceptional faculty who are academic leaders or emerging scholars in their fields. We have students who are making a difference in the work they have chosen to do upon leaving UVM. And, a staff that is among the very best I have ever had the pleasure to work with. I will miss them deeply. As I embark on this next stage of my career I do so because of what UVM has afforded me.”
Miller’s service on local, state and national boards is extensive. In addition to serving as chair the Vermont State Board of Education, she served on the board of the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Truancy Prevention Association; the American Academy of Arts and Science Task Force on diversity in higher education; the Annie Casey Foundation and Joint Center for Political Studies focus group on reproductive health; and the United Way of Chittenden County, among others.
“During Fayneese Miller’s tenure as dean, the college’s profile, visibility, and rankings all have improved, the college’s finances have stabilized, and outstanding faculty and staff have been recruited,” said Provost and Senior Vice President David Rosowsky. “Through her professional stature and visibility, Dean Miller has brought national attention to the college’s academic and professional programs. She has been a tireless advocate for quality, equity, faculty development, educational access and an exceptional student experience. We are most grateful to Fayneese for her management of the college, her service as an active member of the university’s academic leadership team and her many efforts on behalf of the broader university. Hamline University is fortunate to be welcoming her as their next president.”
Miller, whose parents were civil rights workers in her hometown of Danville, Va., came to UVM after a 20-year career at Brown University where she was associate professor of education and human development and an internationally recognized expert on the social, academic and political development of adolescents. She led Brown’s Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity and was the university’s first coordinator and chair of ethnic studies.