Associate Dean of Students Tim Miller has been named vice president of student affairs at James Madison University, according to a University release Wednesday.
Miller, who first came to GW in 2002, will begin his new role June 1. Miller obtained both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from JMU.
“This is a dream opportunity for me that would not have come true if not for everything I have learned during my time at GW,” Miller said in the release. “I cannot thank my colleagues at GW enough for everything you have taught me, and I will always consider myself a part of this community and will never forget how I was welcomed into GW so many years ago.”
As associate dean of students since 2011, Miller has overseen the Center for Student Engagement, with management of residence life, student organizations, retention and Greek life. Miller’s departure comes as the University searches for a new dean of the student experience who will replace former Vice Provost and Dean of Student Affairs Peter Konwerski, who stepped down last semester.
He is the fifth student affairs official to leave his role this academic year, making unclear who will step in to fill the open seats in an office plagued by turnover.
Miller started at GW as the assistant director and later executive director of what was then the Student Activities Center, where he helped launch initiatives like Alternative Breaks, which sends students on community service trips and Jumpstart, a program that places students in preschools in low-income neighborhoods. He has also managed student-centered activities like Colonial Inauguration and helped students create GW TRAiLS and the LGBTQ Resource Center, according to the release.
Miller is also an adjunct faculty member in the Graduate School of Education and Human Development and the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences.
Miller served as adviser to the Student Association intermittently for more than a decade and most recently helped students launch The Store, GW’s food pantry, in 2016 – which has become a model for other universities.
During his tenure, Miller and the CSE have faced criticism for its handling of Greek life investigations and most recently, an SA election scandal.
Last year, several students called for Miller’s resignation when he advised the SA during the harassment scandal that engulfed elections, where a candidate was disqualified from the race after harassment allegations. Three students called for his resignation for his handling of the hearing process. Anne Graham, the assistant director of student involvement and Greek life, is now the adviser to the SA.
After officials withheld information about the results of Greek life investigations, Miller worked to add a new sanctions website to list student organizations’ violations. In recent years, officials have sanctioned more than 20 Greek chapters and national organizations shut down six campus groups, leading Greek leaders to criticize the investigation process.
In the release, Provost Forrest Maltzman thanked Miller for his service “to enhance the student experience at GW” over the past 16 years.
“He will be greatly missed by me and our students,” Maltzman said. “We wish him well as he returns to his beloved JMU and takes on this exciting new opportunity.”
In his new position, Miller will head JMU’s student affairs division and will directly oversee about 15 staff members.
“I couldn’t be more enthusiastic about returning to JMU at this time to be a part of the bright future ahead for this community,” Miller said in a JMU release. “JMU’s vision of becoming the national model for the engaged university resonates with me.”
