Jackson Community College

JCC Instructor Ted Miller honored for service to developmental education

Congratulations to Jackson Community College Professor Ted Miller, Ph.D., who was recently recognized by the Michigan Developmental Education Consortium with the Outstanding Service to Developmental Education Award by a faculty member.

Miller joined the faculty of the language, literature and arts department at Jackson Community College in the 2002-03 academic year. He co-chairs the Student Readiness and Success Committee. He enjoys traveling and lived for 14 years in Japan, where he taught English to Japanese students and assisted them in understanding cultural differences between Asian and Western cultures. He and wife, Mary Lou, and their sons, Beau and Casey, returned to Michigan in 2001.

"Developmental education, which is a new field for me, is about helping students move from wherever they are to where they need to be to achieve their academic goals," Miller said. "It's immensely satisfying to work with such dedicated students and such caring colleagues. Their nominating me for this award shows how they lift others up, bringing out the best in people."

Several of Miller's fellow faculty members nominated him for the award. "First and foremost, Ted connected with students at all levels, from diverse backgrounds, with an array of needs. He brought life to his classroom through interactive learning techniques," said Mary Belknap, teacher education coordinator. "Ted is a team player. He is humble, sensitive and a man of very high integrity. He certainly 'walks his talk.'"

Miller is active in the community as well as the classroom. He is part of the Council on Inclusion and Diversity at JCC and the Jackson Interfaith Peacekeepers. Miller has been involved with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Jackson County since 2003, and in 2004 he was named the 2004 Kelley Hale Memorial Big Brother of the Year. In January, 2005, he received the Martin Luther King Medal of Service Award.

The Michigan Developmental Education Consortium, MDEC, serves post-secondary education across the state of Michigan by creating an active network for educators to research and share best practices, to refine strategies for quality programs, and to advocate for developmental education.