Dr. Sharon Miller Receives Presidential
Medallion for Instructional Excellence
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 5/17/2003
(By Lisa Garrett)
PENDLETON --- Dr. Sharon Miller, a biology instructor at Tri-County
Technical College, received the highest award presented to the
faculty, the Presidential Medallion for Instructional Excellence,
at the College's 41st commencement May 16.
Dr. Ronnie L. Booth, president, presented the medallion to
the Clemson resident. The medallion is presented each year to
the instructor who has contributed the most during the academic
year to the profession of teaching, to the development of the
College and to the students.
After seven years of teaching biology at Clemson University,
Dr. Miller came to Tri-County in 1984 as an adjunct instructor
in the Science department and in 1989 she became full time.
The common theme throughout every nomination for Dr. Miller
was her selfless devotion to her work, whether it is teaching
science, leading the campus and community environmental efforts,
or serving as a mentor to faculty and students.
"Sharon prefers not to mention the numerous ways she
reaches out to students, colleagues and the community, said Phil
Gilmour, a chemistry and physics instructor at Tri-County. "Consequently,
few people know of the many ways she helps so many people. It
is difficult to convey the impact of simple expressions of caring
and dedication. Staying late to help a struggling student, collecting
mounds of tossed cigarette butts off campus grounds for an environmental
club contest or her pleasant civilities may seem small acts in
themselves. However, through the numerous acts of kindness and
dedication, Sharon has aided and inspired many," said Gilmour.
Dr. Wayman Estes, a science instructor, says he immediately
noticed Dr. Miller's devotion to students' success.
"She is exceptionally knowledgeable in her subject matter,
and above that, she has the unique gift of translating that knowledge
into a language and delivery that makes even the most unprepared
student comfortable and confident that he or she can be successful
with dedication and resolve to the course," said Dr. Estes.
Instructors admire her pursuit of professional development
opportunities. Dr. Miller volunteers to participate in an annual
longitudinal clinical trial conducted by the National Institute
of Health. During her vacation, she travels to a hospital to
be a participant in the study. "Although it is not her
nature to mention such a motive, I suspect that Sharon participates
for altruistic reasons in hopes that it may help others. Furthermore,
she mentioned that a great perk of the hospital stay was the
opportunity to spend hours in the medical library to keep abreast
of the research that relates to her teaching," said Gilmour.
Her love of students rivals her passion for environmental
issues.
Dr. Miller has served as advisor of Tri-County's Environmental
Club for years. The club 's goal is to raise environmental consciousness
on campus by organizing recycling drives and awareness fairs.
"She believes in lighting a candle rather than cursing
the darkness and true to that philosophy, she collect the materials
from the club's recycle bins and cleans and sorts the items at
home. The time she devotes to the meetings, events, and activities
is allotted from the personal time at considerable sacrifice,"
said Dr. Estes.
She was instrumental in the College receiving a Sustainable
Universities Initiative grant in 2001. Increasing environmental
awareness through initiatives that will impact Tri-County's students,
faculty and staff was the focus of the $8,800 grant. Dr. Miller
said she wanted to give them the opportunity to increase their
environmental knowledge by attending conferences and providing
support materials to faculty who incorporate environmental issues
into their courses. Dr. Miller is a board member of the S.C.
Environmental Education Association. She also serves as a facilitator
for Project Learning Tree, an international program aimed at
incorporating environmental education into grades K - 12.
"Sharon is dedicated to student development inside and
outside the classroom by building a safe, nurturing and challenging
environment in which students can make discoveries," said
Galen DeHay, a biology instructor. "She creates an immense
passion for taking responsiblit6y for your own learning and education
and has consistently proven her commitment to changing students'
perspectives about biology. The love and vigor she demonstrates
daily in her job is infectious and her character and integrity
are unquestionable. Her expertise in the field of biology and
her passion for education have been instrumental in the success
of hundreds of students at Tri-County," said DeHay.
Dr. Miller holds a B. A. in biology from Winthrop College
and an M.S. in plant pathology from Clemson University. Her
Ph D. in botany is from the University of Georgia. Prior to
joining Tri-County, she was a tenured professor in the Biology
Department at Clemson from 1977 - 84.
She and her husband, Ansel, live in Clemson.
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Oconee