Rich Miller to Step Down as Dean of School of HS&HP

After nearly 11 years as dean of the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance, Richard C. Miller Jr. has announced that he will be stepping down to pursue other professional opportunities. An Ithaca native and Ithaca College graduate, Miller was named the first dean of the school in 1990.

"It has been a wonderful experience seeing the school prosper with enrollment growth, new programs and facilities, and a bountiful harvest of bright new faculty to complement our ranks," Miller wrote in his resignation announcement. "With the school poised to take on the challenges of a new century, I have decided that it is time for me to give way for new administrative leadership. The opportunity to serve our school and college over the past 11 years has been one of the most enjoyable experiences in my professional career."

"Rich Miller has given loyal and dedicated service to Ithaca College. We wish him great success in whatever future endeavor he chooses to pursue," said Jim Malek, provost and vice president for academic affairs. "We are working on transitional plans at the moment and hope to be able to announce the appointment of an interim dean in the very near future."

Miller earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physical education from Ithaca College in 1969 and 1971, respectively, and he later earned a doctorate from Springfield College. He joined the faculty at Bowie State University in Maryland in 1975 and was serving as director and professor of physical education there when he was named dean at Ithaca College. The School of Health Sciences and Human Performance had been operating under an acting dean since its creation in 1988 through the merger of the Schools of Allied Health Professions and Health, Physical Education, and Recreation.

A former member of the Ithaca College Board of Trustees and an inductee into the Ithaca College Athletic Hall of Fame, Miller has been listed in Outstanding Young Men of America and Who’s Who among Black Americans. He noted that he had accomplished a number of personal and professional goals and that this was the right time in his career to consider new opportunities. In his announcement, he thanked the faculty, staff, and administration of the school and of the College for their support and their commitment to the students.

"Finally," he wrote, "I want to thank the entire Ithaca College family for the privilege of being counted as one of their own."

photo by Cascadilla Photography

Richard C. Miller Jr.