ADVISOR PROFILE JERRY MILLER, Ph.D.
By Ashley Henry
PACE Publications Assistant
Associate Professor in Communication Studies, Jerry Miller, cherishes his role as an academic advisor to students in Communication Studies and University College.
Miller’s appreciation for advising began when he was a student in high school. After receiving mentoring from his speech and drama instructors at Garden City Community College in Kansas, he transferred to Bethel College in Indiana where the small size helped the professors and the students to form a “learning community”. Miller says that professors were available to talk and often sought out their students. He said he has tried to do that at Ohio University with his own students.
To help students get the most out of their advising session, Miller e-mails them before advising starts so they can sign up for appointments. He also extends his advising period to two weeks. He said this way he has time to talk to the freshman, who schedule last, and to upperclassmen, who may have already scheduled and may need to talk over a concern with him.
Miller believes that advising doesn’t stop when students enter the professional world. “We need mentors forever,” Miller said.
By getting involved with students when they are freshman, Miller is a great resource for students when they become juniors and seniors and are thinking about graduate school or potential jobs. Although he said he may not always be the best person to write the recommendation letter, he helps students by calming their anxieties and encouraging them.
When asked about the best advice he has given to a student, he surprisingly said, “not to worry about the grade”. While he said grades are important, if students only focus on earning an A then they are missing out on their other achievements. Students have to look beyond the one bad grade to what they truly learned from the class and the professor.
Miller received his B.A. in Speech Communication, Theater, and Secondary Education from Bethel College, and his M.A. in Communication from Pittsburgh State University. He earned a Ph.D. in political and instructional communication from The University of Oklahoma. He currently serves as the Director of the Political Communication Certificate Program. Miller’s research currently includes how biological gender influences communication and politics. He said he likes to spend his free time with his family and volunteering.
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