THE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON

THE SALLY A. MILLER HUMANITIES CENTER
DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY
Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences

The Sally A. Miller Humanities Center at The University of Akron, established in 1999 through the generosity of university alumna (class of 1958) Sally A. Miller and her husband Joseph G. Miller, was created to promote the study of the humanities at The University of Akron and in the wider Akron and northeast Ohio communities.

Sally A. and Joseph G. Miller

A COMMITMENT TO TEACHING AND LEARNING

The center provides support for the Humanities in the Western Tradition and World Civilizations programs, two essential elements in the University of Akron’s General Education Program Overseen by the History Department, the Humanities and World Civilizations programs together offer nine interdisciplinary courses designed to introduce students to the history, literature, culture and arts of various civilizations, including (in the Humanities in the Western Tradition courses) that of Europe and North America.

The Sally A. Miller Humanities Center provides instructional support for these courses. For example, it funds faculty workshops which bring full- and part-time faculty together to discuss new approaches to material covered by their courses and how best to bring this material to today’s students, thus making the History Department’s General Education courses as up-to-date and engaging as possible. The center also offers funding for faculty research which can be applied directly to course content, thus enhancing the educational experience of every University of Akron student.

In addition, the Sally A. Miller Humanities Center sponsors an annual free public lecture by humanities scholar of international reputation, giving both the university and northeast Ohio community the opportunity to contemplate and discuss our own place in the world and time.

A LIFETIME OF SERVICE AND GENEROSITY

Born in 1919, Sally A. Miller (the former Sally Taylor) is an Akron native. While working as an executive secretary at the Newcastle Army Air Base during World War II, she met Joseph G. Miller, who served nearly four years as a pilot in the China-Burma-India Theater, and was awarded two Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Air Medal, a Presidential Citation and a medal from the Chinese Government for Meritorious Service. After the war the couple settled in Akron, where Joseph embarked on a distinguished career as a private-practice attorney. Meanwhile, Sally earned a B.A. in Education from the University of Akron (enhanced by her membership in the Kappa Delta Pi honorary society). Reflecting her lifelong dedication to education, Sally Miller then taught for many years in the Akron Public Schools and at Coventry High School. She died in 2000. The Millers have a son, who has been involved in missionary work in Brazil. Both Sally and Joseph Miller were active as volunteers and philanthropists in the Akron community, particularly with the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Relief Commission and the Salvation Army.

The Millers are among the University of Akron’s most generous benefactors, having established the Joseph G. Miller Professorship in the School of Law, and the law school’s Joseph G. Miller Institute for Professional Responsibility in addition to Sally A. Miller Humanities Center. Thanks to their support, the Humanities Center will provide a lasting haven and forum for teaching and learning about the dynamic cultural interactions which have shaped the human experience over thousands of years.  

Maintained by Terry T. Pascher.
The views and opinions expressed in this page are strictly those of the page author.
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© 2001 by The University of Akron
The University of Akron is an Equal Education and Employment Institution.
Last modified: April 8, 2002