Chancellor Judy G. Hample called Dr. Miller “an extremely talented leader whose broad range of both academic and administrative experience will serve Lock Haven University and the Commonwealth well.”

“Throughout his career, Dr. Miller has demonstrated tremendous leadership qualities. He is well-respected on his home campus and is committed to top quality education and to meeting the needs of economic development within the community, region and state,” said Guy Graham, chairman of the presidential search committee at Lock Haven and a member of the University’s Council of Trustees. “We are confident he will be a great asset to Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania.”

Dr. Miller said he looks forward to assuming the Lock Haven University presidency.

“I’m delighted,” he said. “My family and I look forward to doing all that we can to enhance the community of Lock Haven and to be integral parts of all that is positive in the region and the state of Pennsylvania.”

Dr. Miller has served as the chief academic officer at Wisconsin, Oshkosh, since coming to the University three years ago. He has restructured the Academic Affairs Division to focus on faculty support, learning outcomes and curricular innovation, and has helped to expand the opportunities available to students to participate in research activities with university faculty. The University over the last three years has developed and expanded its online programming in business, nursing and social work; has secured more than 200 external grants; has entered into a number of articulation agreements with nearby technical colleges; and has finalized five new international collaborative agreements.

Dr. Miller earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees all from the University of Arizona.

He taught a variety of courses in marketing and management at Fairleigh Dickinson’s Teaneck Campus from 1987 to 1991, where he served for three years as director of the campus’ MBA program. In his last year there, he also served as interim chair of the Management and Marketing Department.

Dr. Miller moved to Quinnipiac College in Hamden, Conn., in 1991, where he spent three years as associate dean of the School of Business. He later became the Dean of the College of Business at Niagara University, a position he held from 1994 to 2001. During his tenure there, the School was granted accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and enrollment in the Business College increased by 20 percent.

Dr. Miller has won numerous honors, including both teacher and researcher of the year awards at Niagara University. He has published more than two dozen articles on a variety of business-related topics, has served on the editorial boards of several professional journals and has made numerous presentations to community, civic and professional organizations.

He served for two years on the Board of Directors of the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business International and for four years on the executive board of the Middle Atlantic Association of Colleges of Business Administration. He also has participated in a number of community activities and served on various boards, including the Learning for Life Youth Program in Oshkosh, which he currently chairs, and the Oshkosh Chamber Development Corporation Board of Advisors. He has been involved with both the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, as well as the Big Brothers Association, YMCA and United Way.

Dr. Miller and his wife, Nicolette, have two sons.

Dr. Willis, who nearly two years ago announced his intention to retire, praised the choice of his successor.

“Dr. Miller has demonstrated outstanding leadership during his tenure at the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh,” Dr. Willis said. “I am confident his leadership skills will serve Lock Haven University well, and I will do my best to help provide a smooth transition.”

With more than 104,000 students, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth. Its 14 universities offer more than 250 degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. Nearly 400,000 System alumni live and work in Pennsylvania.

The state-owned universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. The System also operates branch campuses in Clearfield, Kittanning, Oil City and Punxsutawney and several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg. The regional centers are part of the Educational Resources Group, which is responsible for coordinating statewide programming.