Hogan to Provide Funding for College Program in Honor of Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller, Jr.

Senate President Mike Miller, Courtesy of Maryland General Assembly

Governor Larry Hogan announced that he will be providing $1 million to Washington College in his forthcoming Fiscal Year 2023 budget proposal to fund a new directorship within the Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience to honor the historic legacy of longtime Maryland Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller, Jr., who passed away in January of this year.

The Miller Director of Civic Engagement will oversee programs that utilize history to address contemporary challenges and involve Washington College students in projects that imbue them with a sense of civic responsibility toward their communities, state, and nation. The director will teach interdisciplinary courses at the college, in addition to running extracurricular programs.

“I can think of no better way to honor President Miller’s life and cement his legacy than to fund this directorship dedicated to supporting the very principles to which my good friend committed his historic career in public service,” said Governor Hogan.  “The programs that this endowment makes possible will instill in future generations the same civic mindedness, appreciation of history, and love for our state that made President Miller a giant in Maryland politics for so many decades.”

President Miller was a longtime friend and ardent supporter of Washington College, located in Kent County. In 2007, he received an honorary Doctor of Laws Degree in recognition of his leadership and commitment to the education and welfare of all Marylanders.

Programs initiated, led. and supported by the Miller Director of Civic Engagement will include:

  • Internships, fellowships, and research projects that allow Washington College students to work with some of America’s most distinguished institutions.
  • Collaborations with local grassroots Maryland nonprofits on projects related to history, civic engagement, and the humanities.
  • The Chesapeake Heartland Project, a major collaboration with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, which fosters research, public programs, and community outreach that promote the Chesapeake region as the heartland of African American heritage.
  • A program in ethics and civic engagement that teaches students an ethos of integrity and public service through hands-on programs that bring them into communities on the Eastern Shore.