One year after the passing of former West Virginia University (WVU) at Parkersburg President Eldon Miller, the college has learned of one final gift he left to continue his commitment to higher education. His trust, which has grown to nearly $1 million, will provide academic scholarships for students at the university for years to come.
“For a community college president to leave this large of a gift is unprecedented,” says Senta Goudy, executive director for the WVU at Parkersburg Foundation. “Mr. Miller’s decision to include us in estate planning will have a tremendous impact on the futures of hundreds of students.”
Miller, who passed away in May 2013, was WVU Parkersburg’s longest-serving president. He worked in higher education for more than 30 years and founded the Community Colleges of Appalachia Association.
Prior to working at WVU Parkersburg, Miller served as an academic dean at the Dallas Community College District, executive level administrator at the Community College of Denver, associate professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder and director of the Higher Educational Management Institute at the American Association of Community and Junior colleges in Washington, D.C.
Upon his retirement from the college in 2000, he said, “My 18-year association with WVU Parkersburg and the Wood County community has been one of the most significant parts of my career and life. I have immensely enjoyed being a part of this campus community and contributing to the institution’s evolving maturity.”
